And don’t be fooled, it was no walk, it was a 71 km/44 mile hike through native New Zealand bush, beaches, and saddles. As my bonus for work I was given a choice of tours offered through a touring agency that the company I work for owns. A workmate of mine had done the Queen Charlotte and loved it so much I decided to take Ben. I guess I figured we would walk and look around, stay at a backpackers accommodation and it would be pretty chill. I was very wrong, the first day I literally thought I might pass out dead….and to make matters worse, other than Ben the next youngest person was probably my grandparent’s age. I was determined to keep up with them. Although Ben and I set the pace, it was certainly no walk. Before we started hiking the adventure had already begun. We saw dolphins on the boat on the way to Mortuara Island where we did some bird watching. We also spied some little blue penguins. The first day was a lot of steep climbing, and a lot of sweating. We arrived at our accommodation around five and I was delighted to find such a modern lush resort in the middle of no where. Their only water supply is a creek and all of their other needs must be boated in. There was no TV, radio, phone, or alarm clock….just nice big windows with a beautiful view of the ocean. We were given a choice of three different options for each of the three course meal. I had rabbit as a starter, quail as a main, and panna cotta for dessert. It was absolutely amazing; the best part is that everything but drinks are already paid for! The second day was shorter so we were allowed to sleep in. It was a cloudy day with a bit of rain but still a lovely easy walk. We arrived at the Mahana Homestead around 2 and a shower and a nap was on my schedule. This stay was very different from the first, as a couple runs this, they cooked us a three course meal that night and you dine at one table with all the other guests, they cook and serve everything. Also the lunch we have each day is prepared by the accommodation we stayed at the night before. They boast a grotto with glow worms so Ben and I checked that out. It was amazing, more gorgeous then I could have imagined! The third day was our long day but we were greeting with beautiful weather. Shortly into our first day, Ben and I were only the second people up the trail when we encountered a fallen tree. It was a giant green pine tree and I was nearly smothered trying to crawl through it! Lucky Ben’s Leatherman has a saw on it (mine only has a nail file and scissors) so he started sawing through the branches to allow people an easier time at crawling though. Everyone that came by were quite thankful. We were greeted that day with lovely views of the Bay of Many Coves and very sore ankles. Ben and I were the first to arrive at Portage Resort so we checked ourselves in and headed down to the beach. We grabbed a drink at the bar and played a game of giant chess, which must have been very entertaining with our 5 second time limit for turns, since we had many onlookers. That night we were awarded with our certificates for completing hike and our last delicious three course meal. When we woke up we were greeted with wind and rain but no one from our group decided to take the boat back. Twelve other people who were also hiking decided not to finish that day but with pancakes in my tummy I was ready to hike to the finish!
I am not a real hard core hiker and so I do not have real sophisticated gear, I mostly hiked in gym clothes but I did bring wool socks and a rain jacket. So needless to say that for 97% of our hike on the fourth day I was soaking wet. I didn’t get cold unless I stopped hiking, so Ben and I ate lunch, in the rain, while we walked. Either he is tougher or he was dryer. It was a six hour hike to the finish that day and it truly tested everyone. No one finished with dry feet but we enjoyed another angle of mother nature and the bush! It was an amazing experience and I know I will be sore for days to come. I can’t even remember the last time I went four days without wearing make-up before this week! I was impressed by myself as well as the age of the other hikers. There is so much beautiful scenery I still need to explore!
Those are dolphins!
A little BlyuePenguin
Just getting warmed up!
This is a robin
I am a badass!
Oyster catchers
A silver fern
Mortuara Island
This is called a sheep
Feeding the Weka....which is what you are not supposed to do!
Furneaux Lodge
An 800 year old remu tree
Walking super fast
He is mean!
After our glow worm experience
The Bay of Many Coves
Ben saving the day
But the red ones made Mario taller?
31 more kilometers to go!
21 more kilometers to go!
RaiNBoW!
Wet last day!
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