by steve, on February 14th, 2011 (
New Zealand)
We thoroughly recommend Altamont, the small motel we’ve stayed at for the last two nights. Inexpensive but all under one small roof, great shared kitchen and wonderful lounge. That being said we did want something special for Valentines Day so we moved out shortly after 9am.
We decided to spend the middle of the day visiting Rob Roy Glacier. It was an hours drive west of Wanaka, most of it along a rough track which oddly enough got less bumpy the further we went. That was except for the increasing frequency of fords to cross which fortunately weren’t too deep.
We were a bit worried about the weather on the way out because the clouds were low and hugging and obscuring the mountain tops. As the day warmed the clouds lifted and dispersed revealing more of the awesome scenery around us.
From the Raspberry Flat car park at the very end of the road it was easy to figure out the right way to go for the hike as the usual excellent information was at hand. The hike up to Rob Roy glacier took about 90 minutes climbing along side a river of melt water which gushed down through the narrow cut in the rocks. The trail was wooded and cool with occasional rock falls and slips to negotiate. Although it needed some fitness there were plenty of folks making the trail including two carrying infants and many senior citizens. The effort was more than rewarded by the scenery at the end.
Rob Roy glacier was plastered over the top of a mountain rather then protruding down a valley. Melt water cascaded off the mountain in various places forming all sorts of water falls and trickles. We are our lunch surrounded by this stunning vista before making our way back. By the time we we back to the car park the sun had shifted sufficiently to make the whole area look quite different.
Back in Wanaka we picked up some bubbly to give the evening some fizz and checked into the new motel. We got stuck into the internet only to find a bunch of bills and stuff to sort out which took some time.
We did manage to do some longer term research and have settled on a plan (which will no doubt be altered as we go) for the next couple of years.
We’ve decided to stick to this area of the Pacific for the next sailing season returning to NZ next October/November. This will enable us to visit Samoa and parts of Tonga we didn’t visit last year. We’ll also get to spend more time in Fiji which has a vast number of small islands. More importantly it gives us a chance to slow down for a season. We had so many miles to cover and so many different places to see last year it would be nice to try a slower pace this year.
Coming back to NZ allows us to get settled quickly and leave the boat somewhere familiar and leave the country for a while. In November/December we want to visit my side of the family who’ve all moved to South Africa. Following that we want to visit Helen’s family and the boys in the UK for Xmas/New Year. We’ve learned that multi-city flights are a fantastic deal and sometime cheaper than straight through tickets. On our return leg to NZ we’re thinking of stopping off in Vietnam for a sample of the Far East. That will give us 2-3 months left in NZ to sail the islands/coast of the North Island which we don’t have the time to do this time around.
Looking further ahead we’ll sail to Australia in 2012 via Fiji, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Having already done Fiji we may be able to squeeze in the Solomons. In 2012 the 4 yearly Festival of Pacific Arts is being held in Honiara. The dates haven’t been decided but that is something to consider if it can be squeezed in. There’s a possibility that Sam, out youngest, would join us for this leg. Our intention would be to reach Sydney before New Year and see the legendary fireworks from the harbour. In Jan/Feb 2013 a trip to Burma (where Helen was born) is shaping up to visit her relatives there and tour the country – if possible.
Back to today we plan on heading south. We love it here and could easily return. We want to push on south while we can then make our way north again. We’ve decided to hike the Kepler Trail if weather permits but against an overnight cruise on the sounds. We may take a day trip on Milford Sound though. There are a few more things we fancy doing down that way which we may or may not do as opportunity permits. For now, the next stop is Queenstown.