esk nz newsletter 2

7/29/2019 esk nz newsletter 2

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Abel Tasman Coast Track TheAbel Tasman Coast track is locatedon the most Northern Coast of the South Island.

The trail is one of the nine Great Walks in New

Zealand. A boat took us up the Coast a couple of

hours where we started our journey.

We hiked on high ridges 50-200 feetabove sea level, there were steep drop-offs all the

way down to the ocean. We also had to cross a few

tidal flats, these crossings had to be timed just

right because 2 or 3 hours before or after low tide

the exact spot we were walking would be covered

with water. We hiked on many beaches that were

only accessible by boat or the track. In total, over

3 days we covered about 35km. We stayed in huts

at night that were about 10km apart, the huts

were a great place other meet other people and

chill out after a long day hiking.

Abel Tasman was so fun, it was verydifferent to be hiking on the beach instead of in

the mountains, it was a stunning was to see the

coast!

Golden Bay

Golden Bay is a very beautiful area, itscharming small towns have art galleries, cute shops

and restaurants.

To get to Golden Bay you must go over awinding mountain road, it makes it seem like its in

its own magical world.

While visiting Golden Bay we went salmonfishing, it was a great place that raised salmon until

full grown. Once the Salmon were large enough they

are placed in a fishing pond, anyone can come and

grab a rod free of charge, most likely youll have

dinner in just 10 minutes. We caught two 3lb.

salmon, they were delicious, eaten fresh that night!

SOUTH ISLANDthe NZ


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The Routeburn Track is a mountainous hike through all sorts of terrain; river valleys, highalpine and dense forest, with incredible scenery.

Day 1

We hiked through damp forest, lots of moss and everything was very green.

Trees were everywhere, thick forest. Multiple river crossings, mostly dry beds, suspension bridges.

Day 2

High alpine, 1000 ft cliffs on narrow trail, views of whole Southern Alps and valley below.

Harris saddle at the top of the trail, highest point of the Routeburn Track at 4078 ft. Beautiful lake at the

top, incredibly scenic hike, one of my favorites

Day 3

Raining and misty, rivers high and dry creeks raging. Had to toss Mira across a creek and we had to climb

across a log to cross river.

It was scary going across the suspension bridges, wobbling and swaying over the waterfalls and rapids.

I will always look back on this hike as a great experience.

Franz Josef Glacier ontheWestCoastoftheSouthIslandstoodoutlikearainbow,itwas aplacewithglowingcolorseverywhereyoulook.Itgavetheauraofpure,peaceful,beautifulnature.Fromthe

bluesoftheiceontheGlacier,tothegreeninthelushfieldsbelow,theiridescentfeathersoftheKeaBird

andtheyellowbuttercupsdottingthefieldsaroundourcottage.Thewhiteofthesnowcappedpeaksandthe

grayofthecloudsbringingstormstothemountains.Theairoutsidewascrisp,itmadeeverythingfeelclean

andfresh,itsmelledofthespringsnowmeltandasiftherewasntacityforathousandmiles.

TheGlacierisanaturalbeauty,andisalsoverydangerous.Itcanonlybeaccessedbyhelicopter

becauseitiseverchangingandpiecesofthebasearefrequentlycollapsingorfallingaway.Theglacieris

currently12kmlongandis19kmawayfromtheTasmanSea,scientistsbelievetheglacierreachedthesea

10,000to15,000yearsago.From1940-1980theglacierwasinaretreatingphase,fromthenuntil2008itmovedtoanadvancingphase.After2008ithasbeenrapidlyretreatingandscientistbelieveby2100the

glacierwillhavelost38%ofitsmassasaresultofglobalwarming.

FranzJosefisaneducational,beautiful,andwonderfulplace.


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Doubtful Sound-Fiord Land We woke to fresh snow in the peaks, when heading out by boatto Doubtful Sound. The sound is part of Fiord Land National Park which

is in the Southernmost corner of New Zealand. The climate here is cold,

even in summer. There are fiords all over the world in Europe, Greenland,

New Zealand, USA, South America, Canada and Antarctica. What makesa Fiord what it is? Fiords are formed by glaciers and have extremely steep

cliffs on either side of an inlet. The Doubtful sound is home to many

unique animals like the Southernmost population of bottlenose dolphins

and a few different species of penguins. We were in the sound for about 4 hours and the entire time itwas mostly misty with patches of sunlight, it is very rare to get a beautiful

sunny day in Fiord land.

The weather here is very

unpredictable. When we

came upon a pod of

d o l p h i n s t h e b o a tstopped and cut all the engines, we stood outside watching

them for what seemed like hours. It was a beautiful silence,

you could hear the dolphins breathing when they came up

for air and there was no wind to speak of, everything was

perfectly still. Doubtful Sound was a spectacular place chosen tobe protected, and listed as a World Heritage Site. It was

beautiful beyond comparison.

Wanaka was our home away from homeover the Holidays. One of the fun and different

things about living in Wanaka was that even though it

was December and Christmas time, we were

swimming and boating going to the beach.

After traveling to for nearly 4 months it wasgreat to be in a place that reminded me of home;

with the big lake, the lupins and friends to be with.

We also had the chance to hike, fish andhorseback ride. We had a beautiful Christmas in our

house and for Christmas dinner we barbecued. On

Christmas day we went to the beach and it was the

hottest day of summer. The warm days made a

different kind holiday season I enjoyed very much.

By the end of our time there I knew my wayaround town and the best swimming spots, I loved

Wanaka and would return in a heartbeat.

Wanaka


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First was the September 2011 quake, damagewas not horrible, it was in the middle of the night so

not many people were in the city where the center of

quake was. Then the February 2012 quake hit and

the destruction was immense, many people lost their

homes, their jobs, and some even lost their lives. Whathappened to this city is more than you can imagine.

A city once beautiful, devastated byearthquakes, the people of Christchurch love their

city and are doing everything to restore it. It will take

time and tremendous effort but it will be beautiful

once again. Many look on the bright side and say that

this is an opportunity to start over and make the city

even more than it was before. There are visions to

rebuild with many parks, green spaces and

earthquake safe buildings. Nearly every building must

be torn down, cranes are everywhere.

Christchurch was fascinating and very sad, Ifeel it is important to see natural disasters before your

eyes to understand the world we live in.

Queenstown Picture a town of cobblestone streets, oldbuildings, filled to the brim with character. Built

on a crystal clear lake surrounded by the highpeaks of the Southern Alps, there are amazing

views around every corner. In the evening the beach is filled withfamilies picnicking and people sitting to watch

the orange sun dip beyond the mountains. Queenstown has no shortage of shopsand restaurants on its many pedestrian streets. In

the evening the town comes alive with people

roaming the streets. Laughter and music fills the

air. Down on the pier excursion boats bob up

and down, waiting to be taken out on lake.

We visited Queenstown as often as wecould, less than an hour from our house in

Wanaka it was a trip worth taking. The road

there took us over the highest paved road in NZ.

We could never have enough time in this

unforgettable place.

Christchurch and theQuakesBy

Ellory

Kearns

The shipping container mall is a new and vibrant partof Christchurch, it is all that is alive in the downtown

area, here a street performer entertains visitors.

esk nz newsletter 2

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