Tūrangawaewae: WARNING: THIS IS REALLY COOL (The Southland Loop)

Sunday, August 31, 2014

WARNING: THIS IS REALLY COOL (The Southland Loop)

Blue water, golden sands, clear skies, ancient glaciers and peaceful fiords. This trip is further proof that this is the most unique place filled with beauty everywhere you go. The weather could not have been better for our 2,555 kilometer adventure around the south island of New Zealand. My flatmates and I began with a 3-day, 55 kilometer trek along the Abel Tasman Coastal track. For dinner, we made fresh mussels from the beach on an open fire. Our timing on the trip was good as we made all the bay crossings at low-tide and managed to catch our shuttle in time. We returned to our car only to find the battery was dead and had no phone service to contact the insurance company. Thankfully we made a few friends and managed to get into town to have a mechanic jump the battery. After this minor setback, we drove down for a swim in the bluest (and probably coldest) waters of New Zealand at the Hokitika Gorge. We continued our journey down the west coast, stopping at Fox Glacier and Mount Aspiring National Park. There is no better place to see a full sky of stars than in the middle of a remote national park. We then drove down to Lake Wanaka for a spectacular day of sunshine and breathtaking views. After sleeping in the car for long enough, we finally made it to a hostel in Queenstown and stayed there for two nights. From Queenstown, we took Rosco's sea-kayaking adventure through Milford Sound. The Milford truly was "wonderland". There are no words to describe the feeling of being surrounded by steep, glacial-carved fiords and waterfalls. We completed our southland loop through the Catlins, stopping at a few popular locations, such as Nugget point. Finally, we made it back to the city of Dunedin to recover from our overwhelming experiences.