Week V – VI

New Zealand – Picton to Invercargill

Right, I rent a small car in Picton and went up to the northernmost part of the South Island (Abel Tasman Park, Golden Bay, Cape Farewell). I did an awesome track at the top of the Abel Tasman Great Walk and earned sunburns on my legs. The weather changed from the best to the worst and it was mostly just rain and clouds. So I headed on to the west coast and downwards. In between in the middle of nowhere I got a dead car battery. Thanks to the couple of Switzerland who helped push-starting the car again.
Then I had my failed river-crossing and another track I could not do caused by too much water and too strong currents. I saw closed roads at the glaciers and not much else. But, you know – tell an Austrian about glaciers. When the weather changed again for a few days, I did one of my best walks into the Mt Aspiring national park. Awesome valley, nature, climbs, mountains, huts and people.
Afterwards I drove over to Milford Sound. Interesting roads, but when I finally got there on a boat it started raining again. So I didn’t get a very good sight and mostly pictures of raindrops. I headed further south on the west coast and did a track at the Green Lake, which got me into pretty deep mud and a night-walking experience that was quite dangerous and stupid I guess. Well, no achievements without risks ..and don’t ask me what the achievements were!

So to summarize..
~ walking at beaches I had all for myself – check
~ driving with no traffic along stunning roads – check
~ river crossings – check (failed only once)
~ walk through deep mud – check
~ stay in a hut surrounded by awesome mountains and glaciers – check
~ do a night search-the-track – check (although unintentionally)
~ tramp alone through the bush – check
~ get bitten by sandflys – check, check,.. (at least 200 times)
~ do something really stupid and dangerous – check, check and definitely check (not what you might think – mac)

But it’s best I’ll describe the South Island with some pictures.

Then February suddenly ended (totally true, on the 28th to be specific!) and it got Autumn. My next stop was Steward Island.