We’re staying next to the Bay of Islands in New Zealand’s Northland. Today we took a ferry to the largest island, Urupukapuka Island, then hiked. Some of the trails were hard going, but we were often rewarded by gorgeous 360 degree views.
Category: Walk
On Golden Bay
We drove almost as far as we could to the northwest of New Zealand’s South Island to Golden Bay, named for the gold mining that took place here in the 19th century. Our VRBO (Vacation Rental By Owner) cabin stood on its own, above a beach, at the end of an unpaved road. En route,…… Continue reading On Golden Bay
Heaphy Track
The Heaphy Track in nearby Kahurangi National Park gradually climbed up a mountain, occasionally revealing other mountains through gaps in the trees. We hiked for the day, but found ourselves wishing we could hike the full track, end-to-end, over 4 days.
Farewell Spit
Walked through a monotonous landscape on Farewell Spit, a sandbar near where we’re staying. Unseen by us were big numbers: it’s the longest sandbar on Earth (16 miles); the sea recedes up to 4 miles at low tide; this month, bar-tailed godwits will migrate 7,500 miles to Alaska.
Abel Tasman National Park
Until now, we’ve avoided Abel Tasman National Park on the north coast of New Zealand’s South Island: it’s just too popular. We prefer to even the tourist load and enjoy a quieter experience by visiting less popular “B-list” places. We would be passing right by Abel Tasman on our way to a remote VRBO (Vacation…… Continue reading Abel Tasman National Park
Queen Charlotte Track 2020
Last week we hiked the Queen Charlotte Track for the third time. Including a rest day we took five days to walk 72 kilometers along a well-engineered and maintained trail. This was a walk in the park, especially as our backpacks were transported ahead of us by boat. We took a boat to the start…… Continue reading Queen Charlotte Track 2020
Final Leg, Queen Charlotte Track
Continued our walk, another seven hours along the ridge to the end of the Queen Charlotte Track.
Punga Cove
View from our A-frame, Punga Cove, Marlborough Sound, half-way through our hike.
Swanky Coffee
Walked the Minneapolis skyways to avoid subzero weather. Stopped for a coffee and pastry at Spyhouse Coffee in the Emery Hotel in a beautifully repurposed bank building.
Augsburg University
Wandered through Augsburg University with a friend who studied mathematics there in the 1960’s.