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Spring 2025 Trip
  • Mark E
  • Janine Westlund
  • Mark E
  • Janine Westlund

Spring 2025 Trip

LA, Hawaii, Tahiti, Fiji, New Zealand Read more
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  • Spring 2025 Trip

    Cruising Milford Sound

    March 16, 2025 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F

    A definite bucket-list area. The entrance to Milford Sound is so small, the famous Captain Cook missed the fjord completely and mapped it as a bay.

  • Spring 2025 Trip
    So besides the 'Manu' competition we saw in Auckland, there c/b more?So here are a few cruise pics from jw's phone.....

    The Boat (+ a few 'Sound' pics)

    March 16, 2025 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 54 °F

    Just a few pics of the vessel we were on cruising through Milford Sound.
    And b/c we couldn't collectively pare down our pics from the cruise to the 20-pic Penguin-limit, jw's cruise pics are added here.Read more

  • Spring 2025 Trip
    Local Harbor
    Local swimming area. Beach is more gravel than sand.Looks like the SS Minnow from Gilligan's IslandLocal area with 10k bike/hiking trail30 minute show

    Rain Day - Short harbor walk

    March 17, 2025 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌧 68 °F

    Weather report indicates rain all day, so we canceled plans for a bike ride. In town, we found the local theatre had a 30-minute presentation on the local fiord called "Ata Whenau Shadowland" which we found entertaining. Had some seafood soup for lunch, grocery shopped, and did laundry. Took a short walk to the lake to check out the harbor and noticed 30% of the boats have seen better days.Read more

  • Spring 2025 Trip
    A few nice stops along the bus route from Manapouri Lake to the Sound.
    Kiwi humor (read the bottom sign).Looking out to the Tasman Sea.

    Doubtful Sound

    March 18, 2025 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌫 41 °F

    Another bucket-list area ....
    We boarded a boat in Manapouri, went across the lake (~50 min) to reach Fiordland National Park. We then boarded a bus for the ~1hr trek to the Sound, and then boarded the boat that took us through Doubtful Sound for ~3hrs; we turned around at the Tasman Sea.
    It poured all last night which only made the waterfalls all the more prominent.    Read more

  • Spring 2025 Trip
    1

    Short post cruise hike

    March 18, 2025 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 52 °F

    Driving back from Manapouri we found a nice little walkway along the river.

  • Spring 2025 Trip
    The boat as it arrives in port.
    Boats Specs from 1912Interior (yes, that's Mark (at the table on the right) making friends.Another deck below where we sat (it's all open seating).Seating for those who either want to be outside or were just late to the party.Views from walking around the deck.Actual coal loaded into boilersThere was a little historic section in the front of the boat.Approaching our dining/farm destination.That's the e farmhouse on the right.View of the steamer from the farmhouse shore.The focus of this dog exceeded most people I know.Watch how efficiently this guy shears this sheep!!Approaching Queenstown and the evening lights on our boat.Queenstown at night from the boat.An interior of one of the commercial areas near the port -- pretty fun!

    Cruise

    March 19, 2025 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F

    The TSS Earnslaw is another one of those neat little touristy things to do: cruise up Lake Wakatipu from Queenstown to Walter Peak on an historic (1912 Edwardian twin screw) steamer, enjoy beautiful vistas along the way to Walter Peak High Country Farm where there's an amazing BBQ buffet laid out followed by a pretty neat sheepdog/sheep-shearing demonstration.
    The TSS Earnslaw is the only remaining commercial passenger-carrying coal-fired steamship in the southern hemisphere.    Read more

  • Spring 2025 Trip
    The beginning of the trail. Looked like we were entering a dark forest.
    That perspective changed after the first few hundred meters.The trail was unsheltered for the entire path.That (up left) is our destination. Looks easy enough...🤔That box is an artfully (?) camouflaged toilet.After a little sandwich break, we prepare for the 'unmaintained' remainder of the trail.Once again reminded of our size relative to the nature around us.The Summit!!360 view from the top1'Proof of Life' pic @ the summit. 🤣Commencing the return trip.Seeing what's behind him, the forward path wasn't much easier on the knees going fwd.Back through 'the forest' -- means we're (finally) almost done!Aerial perspective of our journey. (That's Queenstown @ the bottom.)

    Ben Lomond Summit hike

    March 20, 2025 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 57 °F

    7 miles return
    Elevation gain: 3,372ft
    Duration: ~5.5hrs
    Weather: perfect
    Experience: priceless.

    Those are J9's notes. Mark's thoughts:
    We had perfect weather and a big challenge. Normally, we like hikes under 1,500 vertical feet at varied distances (2-8 miles). This hike was 3,372 vertical elevation with a distance of 7 miles. The peak elevation was 5k. The hike was hard for me, j9 did much better. The first 2/3 to Ben Lemond Saddle was not so bad. Then, we started the harder section to the Summit. I had to stop every 10 minutes for a rest. My heart beat was around 130 bpm, but would not drop after a rest. J9 heart rate was much higher even though she wasn't struggling. After reaching the summit, I noticed we were the only two other people over 30 years old, as all the older wiser hikers stopped at the saddle stop. The view was fantastic and possibly our first summit. It makes you feel alive to, on occasion, hike a trail of this vertical. The walk down was easier than we thought with the large rocks and loose stones. We are so blessed that we are healthy enough to do this hike. Obviously, I will need to be on the step master more often.Read more

  • Spring 2025 Trip
    I love these signs!
    Crossed the Shotover River on the original bridge turned into a bike bridgeNotice the low water in the river; this is where we were supposed to be rafting.If you look closely you will see the new bridge in the distance.Queenstown bike trail is a network of paths that cross residential & rural areas.1Finally found the lake! (Lake Hayes)And the path along the lake was worth the effort.It's hard to see here, but there's a swing-rope attached to this tree accessed by a little platform.Expensive homes near the lakeMore views of the lakeside trail.Happy ev rider. :)

    Local bike ride

    March 21, 2025 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

    Our rafting trip was canceled due to low water levels on the Shotover River, so Plan B: bike ride. One thing about Queenstown: there is no shortage of things to do here.
    So we got a map from the bike supplier, worked out what we thought w/b a good route of the many paths available, and hit the road. Our plan involved connecting a few paths to get to what's supposed to be a highly recommended lakeside path.
    That was the plan.
    Using the supplied paper map we succeeded in taking about 10 wrong turns that unexpectedly lead us through a beautiful golf community, large farms and some sheep fields. Switching to google maps we eventually made our way to/around the lake and took the shorter route home due to the extra miles we spent 'exploring' the area. We were e very thankful to have rented EV bikes as there were a number of hills that would have made the ride difficult, but the EV power settings worked nicely. We returned to the store ~4:15pm & rewarded our efforts with some ice cream. 🍨😋    Read more

  • Spring 2025 Trip
    1Another spectacular day!
    It was raining when we got there; not our most enthusiastic start.But the view from the start showed promise of a good day.The pathway/approach (aka: a via ferrata, or cable climb) was pretty unique & fun.1Letting go (despite the dual carabiners securing me) was way harder (for me) than it appears here.For Mark, just another adrenaline rush...Our group consisted of three climbers and a guide1Still very securely attached to the cable. Very securely.We finished the first stage and discovered this little canyon our next stage. We're going up there!I (jw) eventually let go here w/ my hands; for me this was ridiculously difficult...And yet we (eventually) did it again here...but at this point, really: what do we have to lose?1Twin Falls: 320m high.After such a thrilling 'up', the path back down to the base was significantly less so.

    ROCK CLIMBING

    March 23, 2025 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 52 °F

    Ok, this was SO MUCH FUN!!
    It's actually called ferrata or cable climb. It's a lot easier than mountain climbing because its a climbing route that employs steel cables, rungs, or ladders, fixed to the rock to which the climbers affix a harness with two leashes, which allows the climbers to secure themselves to the metal fixture and limit any fall. In New Zealand, they add a 3rd leash to use when you switch between cables. They also gave me a helmet to attach my GoPro for additional pictures. We started at 9 am with a slight rain, but the rain ended at 9:30am and turned into a beautiful day.Read more

  • Spring 2025 Trip
    1This was the promotional poster.
    This was the spot for the promo poster.Regretfully, we had clouds today, so we couldn't get the reflectionBorrowed from All Trails application. This was the view 3 days earlier

    Hike #2: Lake Matheson Walk

    March 25, 2025 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F

    2.7 miles, just over 390ft elevation gain, loop walk around the lake.
    One of the lookout points around the lake was the spot used for a NZ promotional poster from the 40's; it's still in the stores as a vintage-looking postcard. Kinda cool.Read more

  • Spring 2025 Trip
    The path to/from the gorge.This was the original walking path to the Gorge that was washed away by recent flooding.1

    Hokitika Gorge

    March 26, 2025 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 61 °F

    The water in the Hokitika Gorge is of a color that just doesn't exist in the box o' Crayolas. So we took pics from multiple angles &, not surprisingly, every view was stunning yet no comparison to the real-life view.Read more

  • Spring 2025 Trip
    Note Smeagel on the roof w/ his 'Precious' dangling from his hand.
    An old Morris auto; not manufactured since 1984.Pictures of the men that used to work in the area mines.Some people collect card-plaing dogs on black velvet, some like aggressive varmints.This guy was real.I like the 'Cocaine tooth drops' advert.Leaving the hotel, a roadside view of the Otira Viaduct from one side......and the other.

    Otira Stagecoach Hotel

    March 26, 2025 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

    A neat little stop en route to Arthur's Pass. The current owner is clearly a Hobbits fan as well as a general collector of 'stuff'.

  • Spring 2025 Trip
    This fine little feathered friend fluttered around us making a clear pic of him really tough.The trail initially had some interesting terrain...We're guessing this is another dry spell of a usually wide, full river in early Spring.And then we came upon this big, open area...It seemed to go on for a long time.At this point, we decided to turn around.360 view of our turnaround spot.Part of our return path.

    O'Malleys track

    March 27, 2025 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F

    We thought we'd squeeze in one more little hike before we head to Christchurch & (ultimately) leave NZ.
    O'Malleys Track winds through a beech forest along the Waimakiriri River that ends in a 'Turkey Flat': a wide section of riverbed. It felt like the middle of a giant field.Read more

  • Spring 2025 Trip
    There was this beautiful little Hawk sitting on this rock...

    Kura Tāwhiti (Castle Hill)

    March 27, 2025 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

    Located in Canterbury, this was a nice little stop en route to Christchurch. It might look like just a big field of rocks, but these limestone outcrops hold great significance for the Ngāi Tahu, the principal Māori iwi (tribe) of the South Island of New Zealand.Read more

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