Mountains, Lakes and Glaciers

The South Island, the largest of the two main islands of New Zealand, has the most natural, picturesque landscape imaginable. The Southern Alps run the entire length of the island with 18 peaks at more than 9,800'. 

At the very top of the South Island is Abel Tasman National Park. It's home to sheltered bays and the famous Coast Track that follows the coastline through bush, cliffs and beaches. One of New Zealand's Great Walks, the Track is 51 km, and I enjoyed the first 12-14 km from Anchorage to Marahau, our base camp for 2 nights. It was a scenic, enjoyable trek with Stray pals from the Netherlands and Germany. Add this to my "top spots" that I'd definitely revisit (when I have 5 days!).

Through scenic byways, we then landed in Franz Josef, a cool little town in the rainforest, and yes, home to the glacier of the same name that's 12 km long, and one of the fastest moving. You can take a heli-hike for a mere $450 NZD (ha-ha!) or take a 10 km walk right from town to within 750m of the glacier. And yes, there are numerous hikes within the Westland Tai Poutini National Park to explore the rainforests, waterfalls and lakes. 

From there, a one-night pause in Wanaka was not enough, though the stops on the way at Fox Glacier, Lake Matheson and through Haast Pass, along the rugged West coast, was an adventure all its own. Wanaka is a lively, but classy little holiday town for New Zealanders, with lakeside trails where I caught a stunning sunrise. 

Last stop (for today) -- Queenstown, billed as the "adventure capital of New Zealand" -- think bungy-jumping, sky diving, jet boating. Queenstown is the ONLY place where I heard one person beep the car horn and another use the annoying FOB! It's where I opted out of the Stray itinerary, and not only stayed at a different hostel, but day-tripped out of town. 

I hopped a bus and a cruise boat into magical Milford Sound, a fjord with cliffs that rise from the dark water and skyscraper-high mountain peaks. When I boarded the boat, I headed straight for the best viewpoint and never moved! Besides the magnificent views in every direction, I had my first sighting of penguins in the wild. Magical! 

There's one more chapter of the New Zealand adventure coming soon (honestly) as I'm almost ready to start 2019!