Author: Sophie Piearcey

Have you ever wanted to feel like you are part of The Lord of the Rings series? Then get yourself on the Moonlight Track at Arthurs Point in Queenstown. My friend recommended this track to me as she has mountain biked it but said it was more than suitable for hiking… If you are going to bike this track then you are bloody brave.

 

Every Sunday I like to have what hike we are going to do all planned out, this one maybe I should of planned a little better, but it all makes for the adventure. We drove out to the start of the track at Arthurs Point and set off, the day was cool and rain looked on the cards but nothing cold put us off a day in the backcountry. We set off unbeknown to the trail ahead. The track is pretty thin, sometimes steep and rocky and plays host to the biggest cows on the planet. The mountains have the incredible ability of making you feel so tall yet so small in your surroundings. The Southern Alps are in view, the wild grass and tree’s grow in any direction and the addition of fresh lambs make this walk as New Zealand as possible.

 

We started to trek, not knowing where or how long it would take us to reach ‘the end’ I felt like Frodo and Sam Wise setting out on their mission to Mordor the longer we walked. I fully admit on making our hikes last at least an hour longer as I stop for photos. The weather looked like it was about to take a turn for the worst but only a few showers happened along the way. We were walking for hours, up and down and crossing rivers. I am 25 years old yet have still mastered the talent of being able to use stepping stones or steady myself on one foot, inevitably I came out the other side with soggy feet even after trying to listen and watch Robbie glide across the stones. We reached a dirt road, big enough for cars and thought that the end must be near. The end being Moke Lake, somewhere we had both wanted to go to and thought instead of driving there we would walk the long way round. The lake was in sight, she may of been a tiny dot in the distance but it was still there. As we got closer, my legs were working a little quicker for the rest stop. Ben Lomond Horse treks park up their horses here so unfortunately the rest was going to have to wait as I coo’d over all the pretty Horses in the field and tried to feed them tufts of the same grass they were already grazing.

We had walked around three hours to get to Moke Lake and she was a beauty, we sat, ate and got mauled by Sandflies, filled up our water bottles and contemplated the walk back. I was recalling all the hills we walked down, which would mean a walk of total incline to get back to the car. The van to take the keen riders back to Queenstown had just rocked up, did we risk it and hitchhike back? or do we just man up and walk. We clearly deliberated too long and the van drove off. We will just walk, it won’t be that bad… Cut to me puffing and panting up the steepest hill and having to stop to get my breath fully back or risk being left for dead. Im being dramatic of course, it was tough but the views on the way back were equally as inviting as the walk there. A small rain shower was greatly appreciated to help us cool down and the grass flat track back to the car was in sight.

 

We were walking around a thin bend when a Bull came into view, he was on the track and staring straight at us, his Mrs had already made her way up the hill and it was if he was waiting for us to come around the corner. We waited and waited for him to move, dead still, my energy levels were at an all time low and I was not in the mood to be running from a beast. His shoulder muscles were bulging, this guy must work out. After an intense stare down he clearly deemed us not worthy of a fight he trotted off up the verge, we quickly made it past this part of the track to avoid further confrontation! We worked out that we had completed around 32kms on this hike, there and back. It was a tough one but everything I love about getting out for a full day in Mother Natures playground. I was grateful for Robbie’s patience and also the reserve snacks and drinks I had left in the car.

 

 

As we tootled home I couldn’t quite believe the walk we had just done, thats until I tried to step out of the car and the pain in my legs had already kicked in. Fully worth the pain for the experience and another of Wakatipu’s wonderful hikes ticked off the list.

 

 

 

 

Arrowtown is an old gold mining village just a short drive from Queenstown. The main street is a replica of what it used to be just tarted up a little to keep it fresh for all the visitors. It is so pretty and reminds me of an old western, my favourite shop is of course The Remarkables sweet shop where I can still get my fix of home with a good ol’ bag of Yorkshire mixture, they also make fudge in house and let you sample as much as you like, well until you’ve filled your belly and walk away with a big thank you!

We were looking for a walk to do this fine Autumn afternoon and Sawpit Gully looked like a nice easy loop track. Autumn in Arrowtown is truly beautiful, the hills surrounding explode with red and orange and every tree seems to be a different colour. It looks like a painting, its beauty is that well known they hold an annual Autumn festival to celebrate. Knowing Kiwi’s though it is probably just another excuse to get the beers out, but why not! So we went to the start of the track and took a right, I am so happy we did as starting from the right made for a much nicer walk. The track is pretty flat to start so I was loving life, just what we needed, a steady Sunday stroll. The path wound up the Arrow River which doubles for a four wheel drive track that leads up to Mace Town, so we could watch people sink the bonnets of their crazy trucks below. We saw a bridge below and the path led this way so we followed, after hanging round on the bridge and making Robbie star in an impromptu photo shoot, we started to climb up a road… I thought it was weird we were on the other side of the river with no bridge in sight, how would we get back to the loop? Yep, we got lost AGAIN… I blame Robbie, his conversation skills are highly distracting. I managed to get some cell coverage and google mapped us, we hadn’t come far off the track so we quickly hopped back over the bridge. No wonder we missed the turn for the loop, it was a small thin (like bike tyre thin) track going up through the tree’s. Today of all days I decided to hike in a wooly hat, why? It was overcast when we left the house.

We found a small opening that provided the perfect picnic spot and a place for me to take off my hat and try and dry my hair, it actually looked like someone had poured a bucket of water over my head! It is a good job that you don’t have to share these trails with loads of people. Cooled down and dry hair we were off again, up and over hills and then stepping over the small streams that ran through the gully. This quick became one of my favourite walks we had done, it was such a different view every time you turned the corner and not just a long uphill slog. When we reached the top of the trail the view of Lake Hayes and The Remarkables was amazing. Perfectly framed by the hills of Arrowtown it was picture perfect.

The track then continued downhill and eventually met up with the Arrow River, over bridges and streams again and back on level land as we followed it all the way back to the start. I was also quite proud that I had completed a walk with no hiccups, I stayed firmly on my feet you know like a real adult and Robbie’s ears got a well deserved rest from my constant cries of surrender. There is a small house in the old Chinese settlement that is very much abandoned but on everyones Instagram hit list, one day it is going to make someone very happy. We waited until everyone had moved their cars and I went in for the shot. I fell in love with it and I hate that no one has given it a little make over, someone must own it though as there is remnants of life inside.

The Autumn colours and beautiful weather made this Sunday perfect, I am so happy that we live somewhere where there is always something different to do and places to see, another visit to the sweet shop rounded our day off right, you can’t beat good old fashioned rhubarb and custards!

 

After trawling through Instagram for our next hike adventure I came across Mt Alfred in Glenorchy. The view from the top looked like somewhere I needed to experience. Sometimes before doing these hikes I like to read about other peoples experiences to get myself psyched up. I couldn’t find any blog posts, only the official info on the DOC site which recommended proper hiking equipment and a time of 6-8 hours return so we knew we were in for a good one.

The drive out to Glenorchy is a little adventure in itself and such a beautiful drive. The road is called the road to Paradise as Paradise is a location in Glenorchy, for all the Lord of the Rings buff’s out there it plays home to the scene of Gandalf riding to Isengard on Shadowfax. After driving past the car park (sorry I was in charge of directions again) we pulled up next to one other car, we were there pretty early so the other hikers must of been in for a sunrise hike. We set off into the dense forest, Frodo and Sam Wise eat your heart out, this is what I would call real Middle Earth. The path wound up and up zigzagging the whole way to the top.

It had rained the day before so most of the track was slippy which then led to a few bails from me. We don’t hike in hiking boots and we don’t own poles so it’s no surprise when we have the odd fall. For three quarters of this track you are in the native beech forest, it was never ending, we couldn’t see the sky for most of it so we didn’t know how much further we had to go. The sunrise trekkers passed us around half way up and advised us we had a good old slog to go, offering to fill up our water bottles and giving us a little motivation they carried on down. I honestly thought this one was going to defeat us and we wouldn’t make it to the summit.

BUT the sky appeared and the track seemed to get a little steeper, it felt like we were climbing several staircases. The last of the orange markers pointed us to the end of the bush line and we could see day light once more. Now to get to the top, maybe the is why people use poles. It turned steep and exposed, the rocks were loose and the tussocks provided me with the support I needed when I couldn’t physically lift myself to the next rock. Robbie had darted ahead and I was too busy concentrating on where to put my foot so it was safe when I saw his head pop over the edge… he had somehow already climbed the rock face, right I am coming for you! A few more big steps and a final scramble and my feet were firmly on the top of Mt Alfred.

WOW the view was unbelievable, there was some bad weather coming in from Fiordland and we were getting a tad damp while I quickly took as many photos as I could. The GoPro decided to pack in at the top and my camera was still in the post so I had to just use my phone, which is disappointing but the end result I was pretty happy with. I had to get my shot with my arms flung out looking out on to whats below.. Someone said to me recently, Do you just climb mountains and take pictures with your arms out? Yes my answer is YES I do, I don’t think there is any finer feeling than standing on the top of a mountain you just hiked up, nearly given up getting there and throwing your arms out, for me its my sense of accomplishment.

 

 

Robbie was brave enough to play near the edge but the wind was too much for me so I stayed safely in the middle. As Glenorchy is the mouth of Lake Wakatipu you can see it being fed from the Dart River, the view was beautiful but my god it was cold. We decided it was far too windy to eat our lunch up there so we decided to head down and eat it in the car. As it was my birthday we had bought some fancy cheese and other picnic necessities and I wasn’t going to sacrifice my crackers to the wind today! Now knowing how hard it was for us to get up there I was really weary and scared to get down the first bit, the rocks were so loose and where to put your feet was sometimes sketchy so I went down most of the way on my bum, using my hands and anything else I could grab hold of the slow me down. There was a rainbow appearing in the distance and the views on the way down were equally as inspiring as the accent. I was one happy tramper. When we reached the bush line again I was on the hunt for a stick to help me down some of the muddy slopes under the bush but we couldn’t find one big enough for me and the rain seemed to be getting heavier. I only fell ONCE much to Robbie’s amusement and it wasn’t as bad as I anticipated.

We passed fellow hikers on the way down who all looked a little worse for wear and everyone asked us “how much further” I always give a super positive reply and wish them a happy hike! Back at the car we were on the hunt for coffee, we stopped at Mrs Wooly’s general store in Glenorchy which is the local market/book shop/sports shop and cafe. We then found a nice place to eat our gourmet picnic by the lake and rest our sore limbs. Another successful hike ticked off the list.

Ive always been a nature lover and an avid admirer of a beautiful view or place. New Zealand takes this love to a whole new level. The views, the diversity of the landscape, the people and the mountains. No matter the weather in this place it always looks beautiful. I have fallen in love with this country. I have a new found respect for landscapes and new places and I crave the days we can walk and drive to find these.

Being based in Queenstown was ideal for us when we first arrived last July as our first objective was to learn to snowboard which by the end of the season was accomplished. This is also where my love for the mountains came from, spending every weekend high above the clouds and racing each other down the hill. It is only six weeks till the snow takes over Queenstown again and I think we are the only people actively wishing for it. When the snow ended in September we needed to find something else to fill our weekends and as were too poor to own a boat or other lake fun paraphernalia, we turned our attention to the DOC site. The department of conservation in New Zealand is amazing. They provide a full list, maps and advice about all the trails they have their name too, just go on the website and type in your location and an extensive list of all different graded tracks comes up. Our first ever hike was in Wanaka so it was time to look up the hikes in Queenstown, equally as challenging and amazing. When you stand in Queenstown CBD and look up you will see the Gondola, above that is Ben Lomond. The big pointy facade is iconic to Queenstown and many people stick it on their list of things to do. Now theres two ways you can tackle Ben Lomond, you can ‘cheat’ and catch the Gondola up but we were being avid hikers for the day and took the route right from the ground. The start is The Tiki Trail which leads to the skyline building and then links up with the rest of the track, we have walked the tiki trail before and I remember it being pretty steep, yep I remembered right. We somehow managed to get to the top in about 40 mins, I think maybe because we left a little later than anticipated and this trail wasn’t new to us so I didn’t have to stop and take thousands of photos, much to Robbie’s delight.

Off we go, the accent to the summit. I am in no way an experienced hiker nor do I think I am physically fit enough to do all these walks until I have completed them and proudly tell myself it wasn’t that bad as I descend. Ben Lomond is pretty awesome, the views on the way up and looking back down onto the shrinking town below is the motivation you need to push you to the top. I wasn’t as much as a baby on this hike and managed to even carry the bag for a while. The whole time we are walking up I am saying to Robbie ‘look not that much further’ pointing to our right, it didn’t look as steep and it looked more inviting than previous tracks… I was wrong, I was so wrong. When we reached the saddle, pulled up a pew and wolfed down our snacks I was looking at the mountain to the left and the tiny dots of people scaling the ridge line, THAT was Ben Lomond and we were soon to be one of those little dots, sorry nice rounded hill next to us, we may climb you another time. Oh Jesus, after double checking with some people coming down, Are you sure it is the one to the left? They assured us that we were on the right path. Off we went to tackle what my mind and body was ill prepared for, I had multiple rests and very very nearly gave up. This is going back to me thinking I am fitter than I actually am. When you get closer to the top it becomes a little bit more technical, you have to climb and use your hands to steady yourself, take huge steps over rocks and seriously watch your footing. I am in no way trying to deter anyone from doing this hike, just be aware it aint no Sunday stroll.

So we can see the top and for some reason Robbie full on turned rock climbing extraordinaire and took us up the rocks, if I didn’t follow his every step I would of fallen and that would of been the end of my adventure. He must of just not seen the path that wound nicely up to the top and fancied a go at rock climbing OR he’d had enough of me moaning so thought this was the quickest way to get me to the top, fed and watered.

We seriously took our time up here as I was in no hurry to tackle that again anytime soon. You can literally see for miles, the whole lake, The Remarkables and the Southern Alps blanketing the landscape behind us. Mother Nature was sure putting on a show for us today. Now we have learnt that getting down is just as challenging on your body as getting up there. I am somewhat a Grandma, I have bad knees and zero balance so for me its super tricky but I can’t see to be lagging behind so I full on power down behind Robbie. Back at the saddle it was time to race each other to the skyline cafe for a much deserved ice cream… HOWEVER me being me and useless at directions we managed to somehow veer so far right we ended up taking a different route down that eventually met up with the bottom half of the Tiki Trail, but we made it and I got my ice cream from Patagonia and enjoyed it at the lake instead! Another successful hike and one more thing ticked off our to do list!

 

After feeling like we had pretty much exhausted all our Queenstown walks and the snow was no more it was time to take a trip over to our neighbour Lake Wanaka. I booked the bus as our car finally had given up on us after putting it through it’s paces driving up and down the mountain. Like true trampers with just a backpack full of clothes and food we set off, the bus was a little to big to cross over the crown range so we took the long way round through Cromwell and Dunstan finally ending up at Wanaka. Our bus driver also turned out to be a tour guide so we were highly educated on rabbits, weasels and other pests to the New Zealand landscape!

We had booked a few nights at a hostel and ended up in a private cabin outside which was perfect. One of the main reasons we choose Wanaka was to hike. Inexperienced and some would say not at peak physical fitness but still we were both determined. From the DOC office we had found out that it was 8hours return which just sounded crazy and I was rushing around trying to get myself out of the hostel door. Having no car we had to find a way to the base of this hike, I went to the info centre to be sternly told no! Track is closed for lambing.. Gutted, so out of interest I just enquired where the start was? She pointed on the map and said ‘oh about 8kms out of town, but again don’t go!’ Sorry lady we had a weekend and a mission. (Lambing disclosure-we were super respectful, stood still whenever we saw a sheep and didn’t make any noise as we passed them) so we set off.. 8kms doesn’t seem a long way when you have a paper map, no idea where you’re going and you can touch the two points using your thumb and forefinger.

We were walking along a road that just never ended, no footpath and the mid afternoon sun starting to pick up heat. With the traffic just driving on by we sure looked lost, but we carried on and finally came across the car park. Looks like we had the same idea as a few people as there were cars there and a lonely walker rubbing and resting his sore feet-something that would put anyone off what we were about to do. We climbed the fence and off we went, the track itself is really wide, wide enough for what looks like a vehicle as the whole track is farm land and it’s grassy for the most part which is always good when you’re first setting off.

As we started the climb it was clear that this wasn’t going to be easy, it was steep and relentlessly uphill. Sometimes you wish for a little flat part to catch your breath but no, this track just verticals. The track winds back and forth in a zig zag pattern from the bottom, as you climb views of Wanaka township and more of the lake become visible, don’t get me wrong it is stunning, as far as the eye can see is Lake Wanaka and we made sure to take regular breaks to enjoy the view. About 2/3 of the way up the path changes into more of a gravel road, this is also where it becomes so unclear, you can see the path in front of you but you cant see how it gets to the top, I sat down and pretty much gave up. Stupid me had bought and worn brand new trainers so they were added into the equation of intense foot and leg pain. Some parts the track are that steep I was on my tip toes, hence the new ankle blisters. I was still determined to get to the top, Robbie is just a trooper and only stopped because I was being such a wimp. You climb the final fence and the path thins out and you can feel the end is near, about another 500m and you are there.

My pace defiantly picked up here, I could sense that my legs were about to get a much needed rest. Then there is was, The most iconic shot in Wanaka, 360 panoramic views over the snowcapped mountains. I was so happy we had climbed our first mountain. We stayed at the top for ages taking loads and loads of photos and eating the food Robbie had carried all the way up there. You can see for miles and miles and we chose the perfect day. The sun was shining and the clouds all looked like little poofs of candy floss, I was determined to take photos from every angle and ran around at the top like a crazy person, it’s a good job Robbie is so patient with me as I move him around in various positions to get ‘that’ shot.

The descent is not easier than the climb, but we found a way to protect your knee’s, just run, but run from side to side it made it a whole lot easier and quicker to get down. We were trying to figure out on the way down if we could be bothered to walk back into Wanaka or if we should hitch. When we got to the car par there was a couple waiting for us with the car doors open, we jumped in before they could pretty much ask, they had air-con, we were grateful! After getting back to our room, We were both fighting for the shower and also a lay down but dont sit for to long as you most likely won’t want to get up!

We went for a walk around Wanaka and decided fish and chips by the lake would be the best reward with a view of the mountain we just climbed. The next day we had to check out, Robbie is the king of exploding backpacks, so while he was pruning himself in the shower I spend my time picking up his socks and making sure that all items we arrived with are accounted for. A bakery breakfast was on the cards and then a walk round the lake to find the tree in the lake. A famous tree, aptly named That Wanaka Tree. Robbie did not for a second believe me that it was called this, until we walked and walked some more until we hit a sign pointing us in the direction of… wait for it THAT WANAKA TREE, little victory dance for me!

We sat in front of the tree as a torrent of people made their way to get a selfie with the tree. For a Sunday afternoon we were pretty lucky to get the area to ourselves for a while, we took pictures, danced around and sadly had to say bye to our weekend break. After a short spot of retail therapy we were back aboard our vessel home nursing our sore muscles from the day before.

Our trip to Wanaka was the perfect little getaway and quickly cemented my love for climbing mountains.

 

So one of the main reason we flew to Queenstown straight away is so we could be in the south island for the winter and hopefully learn how to snowboard, this was Robbies number one rule. Why Queenstown and not Wanaka or Christchurch? If you’ve ever been to Queenstown you will understand why. Its a quaint little mountain town situated on a lake surrounded by amazing views, the weather is beautiful, the people are so friendly and theres always something to do here. There is also three mountains to choose from and all within driving range.

We decided to book a lesson as we didn’t want to just get up there and not have a clue what we were doing, plus we found a pretty good deal from a shop in town which included all our gear hire and transport for the day. Trudy had kindly leant us some of her sons old snowboarding jackets too so we were all set to go up the mountain. We didn’t realise until we were on the bus and driving out of Queenstown that we were having our lesson at Cardrona which is the Wanaka Ski field, however it didn’t matter the views across the crown range and up to the mountain made up for the long drive, the view is incredible.

After getting our boots and board from the rental desk we joined the rest of the first timers at the bottom of the slope. I have never ever done a board sport before so I was convinced that I was setting myself up to fail here, super Robbie on the other hand who can put his hand to anything was excited to strap up and throw himself down the mountain. We had to endure the patronising tone from the instructor for two hours as he shouted at everyone in the group for not just ‘going’… by going he means one foot strapped in the other balancing on the back of the board which makes it super tempting to take if off all the time and put it in the snow to stop yourself, which also results in falling over. The ski lesson area wasn’t that great either, behind us was the back of a run so people were coming down super fast to finish their runs and we were practicing straight into the waiting lift queue, It was all very daunting and I was listening to Robbie and watching him more than the instructor. Eventually we were allowed to strap both our feet in which I instantly found so much easier, we were taught how to follow your lead foot down, turn onto your toe side and back onto your heel side and start and stop yourself. I thought I was doing okay until I picked up a really bad habit of not going on my toe side as I was afraid of falling backwards. In the lunch break, we stayed on the learner slopes on our own and Robbie taught me how to do some other things. He had picked it up straight away and was having the best time. After the lesson was over we went up to the top of a green run. Thats right, after your lesson they stick you on a chair lift and push you down the hill! terrifying!!!!!

The chair lift itself needs its own lesson, as It comes up fast from behind and your awkwardly have your board strapped onto only one foot, I knew I was heading for disaster at the top. They slow it down a little for new people to get off but it doesn’t make it any easier! You just have to gracefully dismount and ride your board down the little ramp to the top of the run, Naturally I was a heap on the floor pulling myself to the edge to avoid getting hit by the next lift, But we were at the top of our first green run, the views at the top are to die for and I was to busy taking pictures to notice everyone strapping themselves in. But we were off, Robbie was doing great and as i was super nervous I pretty much went down on my heels and didn’t get any turns in, I was just happy that I got from the top to the bottom without seriously hurting myself. When we got home we were both absolutely buzzing and just wanted to go again, So we went out and got Robbie all new gear, boots, board, bindings and clothing. It was like christmas and so much fun! I was happy loaning a board off a friend until I found out she didn’t want to sell it so the next weekend we did the same for me, the whole lot and what a difference it made!

This board was smaller, faster and so much easier to use, I was totally in love with it. I spent some time getting used to it on the baby slope as it had just been waxed which is just a ridiculous accelerator! I was learning to trust my boots, one of the most important things you can do is get good fitting boots and trust them, trust that when you lean onto your shins you’re not going to fall! Another important thing is learning to fall properly. Learning to fall is equally as important as actually learning how to snowboard to avoid injury, this was also something I was getting pretty good at. The lower you are, the faster you go which also meant the more time I spent with my bum on the snow. BUT I was learning and I was getting somewhere, Robbie was just being a little champ and racing down the runs and now he’s started to teach himself tricks and everything! So after a few weeks of tantrums from falling over, some pretty heavy stacks down the runs and in some serious need of some bum padding I was finally getting it. Speed is really important something I didn’t actually realise until this weekend, the faster you go the easier it is to turn and get down the mountain upright instead of making slow mistakes and being that person sliding down on your bum. I have mastered the chair lift (Robbie is yet to fall off one yet even from day one!) and I even gave someone a little lesson in getting on and off one. I never ever thought I would find a sport I loved as much as I do snowboarding, something clicked this weekend and it felt really natural just getting from the top to the bottom, Ive tried new runs and finally not being left behind with all the babies at the bottom.

Theres a real calm atmosphere when you’re up on the mountain and everyone looks out for each other especially when you fall, even the people going super fast will shout to see if you’re okay because trust me it hurts a lot! The drive up to the ski field is a 13km winding road, I’m sure it doesn’t do wonders for your car but the views are incredible and as it slowly changes halfway up and snow starts appearing its like you’re driving into a different land. We spend our weeks checking the snow reports and I never thought I would be excited about it snowing and raining, but rain down here means fresh snow on the mountain which means perfect conditions to ride all day. We take up our little flask and sandwiches and have a full day racing each other down to the bottom, I am yet to win.

If anyone was to try snowboarding for the first time I would 100% recommend a lesson to get the basics and then just get your stuff and go teach yourself, Its so much fun and once you found your confidence it becomes so much more enjoyable. We have now found that much of a love for it we are planning our trips around our snowboards and looking at what countries we can travel with our boards.