I can’t believe it is two years ago we were there. Time for another trip. We have not seen Long Point, the Slaughter Burn, Big River…I was reminded of this by our jet boat pilot (Roffy) posting this on Facebook yesterday. The trip out to Westies is the journey of a lifetime. Do not be …
South Coast Track Fiordland NZ: Waitutu to Westies: Read More »
Day one was totally passive, involving a jet boat ride over the beautiful Lake Hauroko and then helter-skelter down the fast-running Wairaurahiri River to the sea. There we stayed overnight in lovely wilderness accommodation and prepared our packs for the big walk ahead. Our jet boat waiting. Lake Hauroko was like a mill-pond: Lake Hauroko …
South Coast Track, Fiordland, NZ, Della’s Version: Read More »
Since we were there last year some new alternatives have emerged. On the way out we were able to follow a lovely dry even old hunter’s route along the coast to the crossing of the Crombie Stream, then walk up the ridge on its true right bank (facing downstream) and rejoin the South Coast track. …
South Coast Track Fiordland NZ Wairaurahiri to Waitutu 2016: Read More »
One of the things which most surprised us about this beautiful forest was how warm generally it is – around 3-4C WARMER than nearby Invercargill, so very similar to Southern Victoria. I saw little difference between food growing in our hosts vegie garden at the Waitutu Lodge http://www.waitutu.co.nz/ than you would find here. We lived …
South Coast track Fiordland NZ: Waitutu Forest Fiordland: Warm Air Pockets Read More »
Westies Hut, Price’s Harbour, Fiordland NZ. I have encountered this once or twice before (also with the Australian series): Westies Hut, at the end of the South Coast Track is marked in the WRONG position in the DOC and Linz topo maps. It is actually located at the WESTERN end of Price’s Harbour, as a …
South Coast Track Fiordland NZ: Westie’s Hut: Topo Map Errors Read More »
We had a bad trip with one of these guys at Queenstown airport. Every other time I have been in NZ, they accepted I knew what I was doing, had cleaned my gear properly, had only proper hiking food (no dangerous, illegal imports etc), but this time we encountered a Pommie import who had not …
On our recent walk on the South Coast Track NZ this interesting zpacks innovation worked really well for me, keeping me warm (but not too) and dry above the knees, and providing a dry seat whenever I wanted to rest on a log. At 54 grams you are hardly going to notice it in your …
Following our gruelling walk to the Waitutu River, we had a rest day at the WaitutuLodge (http://www.waitutu.co.nz/ on the Wairaurahiri River to pamper Della’s knee and socialise with the delightful caretakers. Well restored we said our farewells to Rose Baldwin who had made us a delicious dinner the night before, and set off to conquer …
South Coast Track Fiordland NZ: Wairaurahiri to Rarakau Read More »
After a delightful night at the Waitutu Lodge (http://www.waitutu.co.nz/) we headed out towards the Waitutu River at 9:30, plenty of time for the 5 hours the sign at the Wairaurahiri Hut (and the DOC brochure opined), we thought. Little did we know that the signs at the Waitutu River pointing back where we were coming …
South Coast Track Fiordland NZ: Wairaurahiri to Waitutu Read More »
OCA (Yams = Oxalis Tuberosa): Pete & Rose Baldwin at the Waitutu Lodge (http://www.waitutu.co.nz/) were growing these prolifically in their vegie garden. I had never seen them before, but obviously they would grow equally well in Southern Vic. I will be planting some this year: http://greenharvest.com.au/Plants/Information/Oca.html PS: I did so and they grew prolifically. See: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/root-vegie-pots-no-dig-no-weed-growing/ …
The next hiking adventure begins! Heading off today to conquer the South Coast Track of New Zealand for 6 days with only our backpacks and stamina. Stay tuned for pics and reports when we return to civilization. (NB this pic is an old one of Steve and I attempting to conquer the south coast track …
Things have been conspiring against our upcoming Fiordland hike. We survived the dreaded Lurgi only last week. Yesterday my trick knee decided it would show me a couple of new tricks (just after I had booked the flights!) and is still having conniptions this morning. Still I have completed a number of long walks with …
BUCKET LIST#1: Westie’s Hut: built in a sea-cave at Price’s Harbour on the South Coast Walk Fiordland New Zealand. Stunning views. Approx six hours up the ‘marked trail’ from the Waitutu River, four days in from Tuatapere; this is our goal for our current hiking ‘project’:http://www.doc.govt.nz/…/things-t…/tracks/south-coast-track/ And we did it! See also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dusky-south-coast-tracks/ http://www.theultralighthiker.com/fiordland-2014-2/ http://www.theultralighthiker.com/a-walk-in-fiordland/ …
Bucket List: Westie’s Hut: South Coast Track Fiordland NZ Read More »
05/04/2015: LURGI: This weekend I begin to know something of the man’s suffering as a misspent youth hanging around The Cross (like too many others today!) Della brought home the dreadful Lurgi from some crafty misadventure or another. She suffered with it most of last week taking to her bed until she finally (generously) imparted …
NZ TOPO: This is a great App for hiking in NZ: BackCountry Navigator TOPO GPS at $12.99: http://backcountrynavigator.com/new-zealand-topographic-maps/ You can go to the map page (http://www.nztopomaps.com./) on the App and colour in the (eg contiguous) bits of map you want to download. Afterwards it works offline with your GPS. IT WAS SO EASY AND WILL …
Insects can ruin a camping trip. You need a Repellent which works. These guys are the solution. There has been a move by the touchy-feely crowd to bombard us with ‘natural’ ones which will see you eaten alive. Be warned. The product must have Deet (not so much it melts your raincoat, but lots). And …
Watched Ken Tustin’s new doco http://www.stealthfilms.co.nz/dvds/dvd005-bundle.html which I mentioned the other day. If you are interested in great scenery, Fiordland, the origin of the moose herd there or just hunting generally you will find something to captivate you here (for a mere $10). On every ‘expedition’ there I have found ‘moose sign’ whilst hunting about …
Venery: This is one of my all-time favourite photos. This was Eddie Herrick circa 1934 in his eponymous creek in Wet Jacket Arm, Dusky Sound, Fiordland NZ with his bull moose. In a moose hunting career in Fiordland which involved Eddie hunting there for nearly three months a year for thirty years (that’s ten years) of …
It’s been a bad year: I have not spent (much) more than a month sleeping outdoors, away from home this year – still, there are nearly six weeks to go! But I have been HERE (and many other beautiful places) – and you have a solid day’s WALK to get there: See also: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/dusky-south-coast-tracks/ …
I’ve just arrived back from a few days walking the Dusky & South Coast Tracks in Fiordland NZ. The South Coast Track, Fiordland NZ: is SO much better than the similarly named South Coast Track in Tasmania. You can have a number of different trips there. What will best suit most is a jet boat …
