APPLES

Hi All,

We have just come to the end of what is probably the longest week in our lives! We have been packing apples (to be sent to Tescos and M&S!) in a packhouse near Motueka. Apple packing is pretty dull. You stand on a conveyor belt, pick up apples, check them for blemishes and put them in cardboard trays... for nine hours a day! Honestly - I dont know how apples with bruises ever make it to our fruit bowls with old ladies breathing down our necks moaning at us for packing apples with a a slight little bruise. By the end of the day you are exhausted and your back is aching like mad from stooping over the belt. Also the apples come out pretty fast and there is no let up at all!

Anyway - enough of boring apples! Other than that we have done little but watch TV! (British repeats mostly - thats all there is!) Unfortunately (!) there packhouse is now closed for the season so we are out of work again but we have lots of apple based crumbles, pies and cakes to bake so that will keep us amused for a few days or so!

Ruff decided apple packing wasnt for him and lazed around in bed all day - we were not impressed!

Laura, Niall and Ruff. xx

Abel Tasman - Great Walk No.2

Hi All,

We have completed our second great walk in much less dramatic fashion than the last. Billed the easiest of the great walks, we made it slightly tougher by aiming to complete the bulk of the 51km in just 2 days. Still we managed to get back safe and sound with little more than aching feet and some nasty sandfly bites.

Day One: 21km, 5.5hours

Setting our alarms for 6am to ensure we got an early start, we fuelled ourselves up with toast, eggs, beans and sausages and set off for Marahau, the start of the track! We were aiming for 21km and the first 11 or so were pretty uneventful. The track was fairly flat and mainly passed through bush close to the coastline. By 11.30am we had arrived at Torrent Bay - the bay was only passable within 2 hours of low tide so we had a one hour wait - we had some lunch and watched the water gently slope away before taking off our boots, rolling up our trousers and wading across. We made it to our hut by 3pm and were able to have a relaxing afternoon. The hut was beautifully situated a few measly metres from the sea and by a tidal estuary. When we arrived the beach was huge! By high tide there was little sand left. All in all it was a nice day of tramping without being overly spectacular. We both agree that the path should have spent more time on the beach!

Day Two: 24.5km, 7hours

Day two started with slightly more weary legs and backs and with a much less satisfactory breakfast! There was no need to get an early start as we had to make a couple of tidal crossings and the low tide fell at a bad time. So at 9am we strode out and were quickly faced with a pretty steep climb which meant we were stripping off our thermals half an hour after putting them on. The walk became more pleasant with more glimpses of the coast and more stretches of beach to walk on. After a couple of hours we came to our first tidal crossing that went pretty smoothly. An hour and a half later we came to Awaroa. A stunning beach/estuary area. The hut warden warned we would have to wait at least an hour. So wait we did for the waters to lower. A few sandwiches and slabs of chocolate later and it was trousers off time as we waded across. Wincing as we trod on sea shells, but avoiding getting wet despite the water level being over our knees in places. We reached the other side at 2pm but with the bulk of the km still to do we faced finishing in the dark so we strode on as fast as we could. The walk was certainly nicer but also a little tougher as we kept descending on to beaches and then reascending to the bush and cliff tops.



Just as the sun started to set we came across a lone seal pup swimming in the surf close to the beach. He was very curious giving us a long hard stare, he seemed a little lost so we hope he is ok! We then faced an hour of walking in the pitch black in the bush. Headlamps strapped on, we braced ourselves and delved into the dark. The track was very clear and straightforward so we soon arrived at the hut where we chatted to a very friendly kiwi couple. She had been to Luxembourg and not the UK (fairly rare!) and her boyfriend has sung in Ely Cathedral! A small world indeed! They were real south islanders - having seen less of the north island than us!

Day Three: 13.5km (5hours)

We began early as we wanted to head out to Separation Point - a seal colony and beautiful spot to watch the sunrise. Leaving our packs in the hut we set off at 6.30am, again in the dark! We arrived at the point at 7.15am. Just in time to watch the sunrise and watch some sleeping seals on the rocks below! (Lazy little buggers - we got up early to see them and they slept in!) As the sun rose higher in the sky we were able to head back to the hut for breakfast and put our torches away. We faced a morning of retracing our steps as the sea taxis you take back to the start of the walk dont go as far west as the walk does. We decided to take it easy and spend a little longer lingering on the beautiful beaches. We made it to Totaranui campsite in three hours and with plenty of time to spare. We spent much of the two hours killing as many sandflies as possible. However a short rainshower led us to the safety of the 'day room' and a remarkable coincidence! Niall opened the visitors book and believe it or not it fell open on a page and the first thing Niall saw was "Philip and Ida" and their entry from 2006! Truly amazing!

The water taxi was an unexpected adrenaline rush! The tiny and very fast boat jumping and lurching over the huge waves! Our hunger certainly subsided! The boat completed our three day walk in little over an hour! Returning to the house in Motueka with the exciting prospect of hot shower, pizza and tv was a lovely prospect - but there was not quite the same relief as retuning from Tongariro!

Amy and John have arrived from Auckland to spend a long weekend here in Motueka so we are spending a few days with them before beginning work in a packhouse on Monday - rest assured, next week's blog promises to be very dull indeed!

Love

Laura, Niall & Ruff

(Ruff has decided not to work - he wants to be a kept dog and he has too much fun chasing kingfishers!)

Arrived in Motueka

Hi to all,

We have now made it to sunny Motueka in the north-western part of the south island. By the good graces of one Mr. Sutherland we are living in the lap of luxury at his house in this bustling seaside town. The house backs on to a golf course, is but a short walk from the beach and boasts a pool table (current score: Niall 4-0 Laura). The weather has been superb every day since we arrived enabling us to stroll each evening along the beach and to make the most of the surrounding countryside and its walks. On top of that we have now been for a wonderful kayak around Marahau (starting point for the Abel Tasman great walk). The sea was very calm and we were able to sit on deserted beaches and (unexpectedly) kayak with very friendly seals who delighted in swimming under and around the kayak.
They were beautiful, graceful animals and were very playful, one tried chomping on the rudder and a few nudged our paddles. All the while we were just arms length away from them. We also came across some pups who were very curious but also a little nervous to get in and swim near the kayak (see below for photo).

We spent around an hour alone, with the friendly beasts before heading back to shore via beautiful coves and shorelines with crystal clear water. All in all a lovely day out and one of the highlights of our trip so far.

From next week we hope to use this spell of good weather to our advantage by completing the Abel Tasman great walk before starting work in either a packhouse of pruning - oh the joy.

In any case we are all (Ruff included of course) in great spirits and looking forward to discovering more of this lovely region of New Zealand before starting up our travels again and seeing the rest of the South Island.

The next update will bring you information on the Great Walk and our progress on the job front.

Niall and Laura + Ruff

Tongariro Northern Circuit - The Adventure

Hi All,

As you all know we spent a fair few days in Taupo waiting for the weather to clear so we could begin the 4 day trek that is 'The Northern Circuit' in Tongariro National Park (Central North Island) - on of New Zealand's 9 Great Walks.

We arrived in Whakapapa (the start of the walk) to beautiful weather as you can see from the photo so we decided we would start the walk the following day.

The larger mountain to the right is Mt Ngurohoe (more famously Mount Doom in Lord of the Rings). To the left is the smaller Mt. Tongariro. The full walk takes us a good way up Ngurohoe, then across to Tongariro.

Day One: Whakapapa Village - Mangetepopo Hut (9km, 4hours)

Despite some rain we set of on Friday morning as the weather at the weekend promised to be decent enough. We rainproofed ourselves and set off for a fairly muddy slog to Mangetepopo Hut. We saw little asides from scrub land thanks to the cloud, but passed a pleasant evening alone in the hut (we saw zero people on the walk all day). Arriving at Mangatepopo hut meant that we would be all set for the next day - which would be part of the famous Tongariro Crossing (often cited as being the best one day tramp in New Zealand and by some as one of the best one day walks in the world).

Day Two: Mangatepopo Hut - Ketatahi Hut (10km, 7hours)

We awoke to a dusting of snow but our friendly Japanese Hut warden promised the walk would be do-able. The weather quickly became beautiful with bright blue sky and bright sunlight falling on the shimmering snow. We ascended steeply up to the saddle between Mount Ngurohoe and Mount Tongariro. The higher we got the thicker the snow became and parts were icy. Laura had a mild panic attack on an icy ledge with a steep drop to the side - Niall saved the day carrying both packs. As we continued to climb the saddle between the moutains (reaching 1886meters at the Red Crater) the stunning views of the emerald lakes awaited us.

It was amongst the most beautiful landscapes I think either of us had ever seen - made all the more stunning by the snow. Indeed a Kiwi guide that we met (who must have done it a thousand times) said it was the most beautiful he had seen it. Photos do not do it justice. The other good news was that Ketatahi hut was downhill from there! So we began a leisurely walk past the Emerald and Blue Lakes to Ketatahi Hut. A tough walk certainly but a beautiful one - and despite the snow and ice the weather was good and we had the toughest bit behind us (or so we thought...)

Day Three: Ketatahi - Waihohonu Hut (16km, 7hours)

We awoke early on Sunday to the sunrising over the beautiful landscape of Lake Rotoaira and Lake Taupo beyond. The weather forecast for Sunday was the best yet so we set off in decent spirits despite some rather ominous looking clouds. After some tricky downward (and slightly icy) slopes and ridges the landscape became quite beautifully volcanic. Snow began falling (better than rain) and wasnt settling so everyhting seemed just fine. The trekking was quite tough, but manageable. Lots of ups and downs but the landscape made it worthwhile - the snow lending the huge lava chunks a msyterious air. The snow began to settle and we descended into forest. It felt like walking into Narnia (or any such fantasy possibilities).


We trekked up and down through the forest for over an hour before reaching the welcome warmth of the hut. There was a large group of Argentinians and a couple of Germans. A very friendly group - we, however, were shattered and asleep at 8.30pm both keen to get a good nights sleep for an early start. Both groups had completed the stretch of the walk we were due to start the next day and completed the 14km in 4 hours. It was due to be the easiest section of the walk so the snow (getting heavier by now) was no worry to us. We were off the mountain and at relatively low altitude.

Day Four: Waihohonu to Whakapapa Village (14km, 8 hours)

Probably the toughest day of our lives! We awoke to thick, thick snow. However, the walk was meant to be easy so, expecting it to take a little longer than the estimated 4 hours we wrapped up warm and made an early (8.30am) start. Out of the forest and into the valley the snow remained thick (between 30 and 60cm). Walking through snow like that is unbeliveably draining on your legs and very slow (especially for Laura). We were also soon pretty wet as the snow came over the top of our boots and soaked up underneath our waterproof trousers. A couple of hours in, cold and tired we realised the walk was going to take a lot longer than we thought, but mistakenly thought we were further along the track than we were so pressed on. The snow did not let up for a moment, and Laura struggled to keep up. We had to keep going for warmth. Once again the hero (insert - Laura is writing this by the way), Niall took both packs so Laura could walk a bit quicker. Six hours in we saw a sign that signified where we were. However, we had taken that long to complete a 3 hours stretch and were fearful that we would now finish after dark.

Fifteen minutes later we saw a heavenly sight - footprints!!! We followed them up to a crest and saw... brown! Ground that was not covered in snow! As we descended the walk became easier and our pace quickened warming us up and sending our adrenalin levels up! Laura (still unladen by packs) stormed ahead and was able to see Whakapapa in the distance. We completed the last part of the walk to scheduled time and were in the hotel and soaking our bones in the shower by 5pm. Starving we indulged in a three course meal in a local bistro before getting a very, very early (and most importantly) warm night beneath our duvets.

Thankfully we were well equipped for our walk. We were concerned about the Argentinians (half of whom wore trainers and jeans) and hoped they had made the sensible decision to stay in the hut (when we left they were still asleep). We informed the DOC of how tough the walk had been and asked them to check on the Argentinians. We learnt the next day that two of the group had a got into trouble and dialled 111. Mountain Rescue was dispatched. In the end all the group made it to safety.

Now in Wellington it is scarcely believeable as the sun shines and the temperature is a warm 15 or so degrees celsius. Mountains are indeed beautiful but dangerous things and the weather is fast to change (and does not listen to weather forecasters).

Ruff - he can't understand what the fuss was all about - his coat was quite warm and could happily of trotted round in two days flat!


4 days makes a big difference!!