Take a Hike - Milford Track, New Zealand

Hiking The Milford Track

The Milford Track is an amazing 35+ mile hike through a pristine and impressive ecosystem.  Hikers encounter lazy rivers, mirrored lakes, lush valleys, steep cliffs, and countless waterfalls.  Wildlife abounds and crowds are nonexistent.  It truly is a nature lovers’ paradise.

Only 90 hikers are permitted on the trail each day, all headed in the same northward direction.  While one may encounter others in the early part of the day, the afternoon provides space and presents an enjoyable sense of seclusion.

We began the hike on April 1st, completing it on April 5th.  It should be noted that the bulk of our progress was recognized on April 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, a three day period during which we covered much of the total distance.  Along the way we encountered:

• Friendly wildlife – Blue Duck (endangered), Kea, and Weka along with eel and huge trout (rainbow and brown).
• Hostile wildlife – Sandflies and many of them, each with a bite far worse than that of a mosquito.
• Adventure – We traversed slippery and narrow terrain, crossed large areas where rock slides had occurred, and were rattled awake during a relatively minor earthquake.

The sheer beauty of this trek makes it unlike anything we’ve ever encountered.  We highly recommend it to anyone traveling to New Zealand and seeking a rewarding challenge.

We’ll close this entry with an insider tip to anyone contemplating the Milford Track – Consider departing from the lovely little town of Te Anau instead of Queenstown.  This approach shaved many hours from the somewhat lengthy bus ride.

The Weird and Wild Landscape (Final) - Wai-O-Tapu Mud Pools

The third and final entry in New Zealand's Weird and Wild Landscape feature submits a constantly evolving lake-sized cauldron, percolating with plops, fizzes, and plenty of steam.  While the embedded video reflects a relatively calm bubbly mud bath, we were fortunate witnesses to a few impressive eruptions that launched hot viscous muck high into the air like a spectacular fountain.  We resisted the urge to chuck in some local coins and submit wishes for consideration by Rūaumoko, the Maori volcano god.

Bringing Back Cocktail Hour - Rotorua, New Zealand

Bringing Back Cocktail Hour in Rotorua!People do not tend to give the North Island of New Zealand enough credit.  It possesses a different kind of beauty and allure than its neighbor to the south.  One North Island town we loved is Rotorua, an "active" town...Active with geothermal activity.  Bubbling hot springs and steam vents can be found next to the streets, in parks, and by homes; it's literally everywhere you look.  One other thing Rotorua has going for it is a selection of great restaurants.

Scott, our Bring Back Cocktail Hour sponsor, helped us end a hectic day with rewarding food and drink at the Leonardo's Pure Italian, a top spot in the heart of this hot town.  While enjoying a delectable bottle of 2011 Renzo Masi Chianti we read through a bit of Italian trivia - Did you know that in Italy the primary lucky number is 17 and if you order a pizza with pepperoni you will receive a pie with peppers?

We were in the mood for healthier, heartier fare, so we ordered a large Italian salad bursting with peppers, olives and 2 giant mozzarella/prosciutto rolls.  We then moved on to a main course of lamb stuffed with spinach placed atop of variety of vegetables.  It was a filling meal and with no room left for dessert we closed the evening enjoying the last sips of wine.

We would like to thank Scott for feeding our bodies with a delicious dinner and scrumptious wine while also topping off our minds with fun trivia-Italiano.

The Weird, Wild Landscape - Wai-o-Tapu Thermal Wonderland

The Devil's Bath really is this eerie yellow-green color.When a park has "Wonderland" in its name, you have to question whether it will live up to the hype.  It was a dreary day when we visited the Wai-o-Tapu Thermal Wonderland - So much so in fact, we had to take shelter when a sudden down-pour interrupted our hike.  Did we care?  Nah...We laughed, chatted about what we had seen, and were excited to head to the next section of the park when the deluge diminished.

Between the bright colors of the thermal pools (oranges, reds, greens, blues and yellows), the harrowing walkways over bubbling sulphur lakes, and the vastness of the formations, we were left in awe of this surreal and visually stunning experience.

The Weird, Wild Landscape - Moeraki Boulders

The Wonderfully Weird Moeraki BouldersIt's rare for us to want to return to a site we accidently passed on a road-trip, but we recently backtracked...and for good reason.  The Moeraki boulders are rock formations left on one particular New Zealand beach; they were formed over 55 million years ago when shells, mud and pebbles were deposited and buried on the sea floor.  Over time, deposits of lime encased each item to form these spherical boulders which are revealed as wind and surf erode the no longer submerged cliffs.  The quantity and unique shape and size are truly a site to behold.