Backpackingmatt

A Day on the Routeburn Track

Throughout New Zealand there are a series of Great Walks that allow hikers (called trampers in New Zealand) to take in some of the most remote and untouched landscapes in New Zealand. These multi-day Great Walks are exceptionally well maintained and have basic backcountry huts for accommodation along the way.

The Routeburn Track stretches 32 kilometres through the Mount Aspiring and Fiordland National Parks and along the way passes a huge variety of landscapes. The three to four day Routeburn Track offers up fantastic views and is one of the most popular tracks in New Zealand.

You could argue – in fact – that it’s too popular. Walk the Routeburn Track during the high season and you’ll not realize you’re miles away from civilization as you’ll be sharing the track with hundreds of others seeking New Zealand’s untouched wilderness.

I didn’t get that feeling when I walked a day hike on the track recently. As it’s nearing the end of winter, we met all of maybe four people throughout the entire day. It was great to escape Queenstown’s busy resort town feel and be reminded of one of the many reasons New Zealand is such a fascinating place to visit.

Here are some photos from one of New Zealand’s Great Walks – the Routeburn Track.

A stream near the start of the track.

One of the many swing bridges found along the track – while these weren’t tricky to walk across, you felt slightly odd on your feet after getting back on solid ground.

It was a perfectly clear day with some well needed sun. We started early in the morning and these clouds hadn’t yet burned off.

The track starts through thick Mountain Beech forest before opening up at the Routeburn Flats.

Looking down towards the Routeburn Flats.

After walking along the Routeburn Flats and passing the first hut on the track, you quickly begin to gain elevation. While the track becomes a bit more physically challenging, it’s still not difficult. At about 900 meters you reach a point where a massive slip has totally cleared out the native forest.

The slip occurred in 1987 and had the result of opening up this remarkable view of The Humbolts. It’s a great place to drop your pack, grab your lunch and really allows you to appreciate where you’re at.

Check out this photo album on Flickr which features many photos of this exact view taken from different people hiking the track.

Still from the slip, looking slightly to the left.

Looking back at the Routeburn Flats again.

Here is a bridge which was taken out. My guess is it was a massive boulder which came tumbling down the creek valley after a heavy rainstorm.

River along the track.

If you’re keen to do the whole track (and I’m told it only gets more impressive), it has become so popular that a booking system is in place.

Bookings are required during the high season from October to April and it will cost you $45/night to stay in the huts along the track – quite pricey given your hut accommodation is a bunk in a very large room. In the low season, you’re not required to book in advance yet you’re still required to pay $15/night to sleep in the huts.

If you don’t have three or four full days to commit to walking the whole length of the Routeburn Track, I highly recommend you do single days walk as a day trip from Queesntown. You’ll have to start early as the start of the track is just past Glenorchy, or about an hours drive away from Queenstown. We walked from the Routeburn Shelter to the Routeburn Falls Hut (17.6 kms) in about 7 hours return yet spent a lot of time taking in the views from the slip.

It’s a truly impressive area of New Zealand and the day hike offers an excellent taste of one of New Zealand’s famous Great Walks.

Have you done any hiking in New Zealand? Leave your experiences in the comments section below.

Technorati Tags: Backpacking New Zealand, Great Walks, Hiking New Zealand, Queenstown Day Trip, Routeburn Track

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5 Best Drives in New Zealand

New Zealand is a country that begs to be explored via road trips. It’s small, has well maintained roads, and cars or campervans are cheap to rent or even easy to buy. Most importantly, New Zealand is home to some of the world’s most beautiful natural scenery – all in an extremely compact area. Drive for three hours and you’ll pass white sand beaches, thick rainforest, glaciers, and towering snow-capped peaks.

While New Zealand isn’t a cheap place to travel to, a road trip is by all standards a pretty budget friendly activity. The views are free and will defiantly last a lifetime. If you’re backpacking or traveling around New Zealand, these are five of the best drives that I don’t think you can miss.

1) The Rugged West Coast from Westport to Greymouth

The SH6 skirts the rugged and wind-swept West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island and along the way passes some of the greatest scenery in New Zealand. If coastal drives are your thing, then you definitely won’t be disappointed after driving from Westport to Greymouth.

Along the way you’ll have the mighty Tasman Sea pounding the coast on your right and the majestic snow-capped Southern Alps on your left. Aim for a sunny day, yet be flexible and realize that this is the one of the wettest areas of New Zealand. If you’re keen to wait for the sun (and you should), break up the journey and spend the day in Punakaiki where you can check out the fascinating Pancake Rocks which (as the name suggests) appear to be layered pancakes.

When you get to Greymouth, you can continue on the SH6 down to the Franz Josef Glacier or hop on the Trans Scenic Railway which crosses the Southern Alps on the way to Christchurch.

2) Te Anau to Milford Sound Highway

This is often described as one of the greatest drives in the world. After driving the two hours from Te Anau to Milford Sound, you’ll understand why. The road cuts through thick rainforest, passes mirror lakes and towering, moss-covered mountains, and runs along sheer cliff faces. They measure rain in meters in this area of New Zealand, so don’t be surprised if it rains for a week. The drive is equally impressive after a rain as from the heights of the mountains come some truly amazing waterfalls.

One of the most impressive parts of the drive is the section right before you enter the 1200 meter long Homer Tunnel. As you sit at what must be the world’s most remote traffic light, you realize you’re in a massive glacier carved amphitheater with towering, sheer rock cliffs on either side of you.

3) Wanaka to Queenstown via the Cardrona Pass

This drive is in the Southern Lakes region of the South Island – it’s New Zealand’s playground with skiing, white-water rafting, bungy jumping, and other adventure sports all on offer. The drive from Wanaka to Queenstown over the Cardrona Pass is one of the South Island’s best.

Leaving Wanaka, the road slowly climbs before passing through picturesque Cardrona which is home to the most photographed pub in New Zealand. The Cardrona Hotel is featured on a Speights advert with dozens of sheep outside the front door. As you leave Cardrona the road becomes steeper, twists and turns and soon you’re granted a stunning view with Queenstown, Lake Wakatipu, and The Remarkables mountain range in the distance.

Take some pictures before conquering the road which seems to drop off the side of the mountain. And go slow if you sampled a Speights at the Cardrona Hotel.

4) Christchurch to Marlborough Wine Country

The drive from Christchurch to Marlborough isn’t one that would probably get picked by most as one of the best drives in New Zealand, yet I’m convinced it should be. Leaving the “Garden City” of Christchurch, you’ll pass through flat Canturbury countryside with some great views of the Southern Alps which split the South Island in half. The road eventually makes its way to the Pacific Ocean and skirts the coast into Kaikoura. Pull over a have a look around the rocks and you stand a great chance of seeing some New Zealand fur seals.

Stay the night in Kaikoura before going on a whale watching tour where you’re almost guaranteed to see gigantic Sperm Whales. Continue on then along the coast before entering the arid and Napa Valley like region of Marlborough where you can sample some of the world’s best Souvignon Blancs.

5) Thames to Coromandel Road

The only North Island drive on this list is an excellent one that should be part of your New Zealand travel plans. The Coromandel Region of New Zealand is a chilled-out, relaxed place with mountains, sandy beaches, green rolling hills, and picturesque bays. The drive from the small town of Thames to the smaller village of Coromandel is an epic one.

The narrow roads twists and turns along the coastline of the Hauraki Gulf – an inlet off the Pacific. This drive is most impressive either at sunset or in December when the pohutukawas (New Zealand Christmas tree) are in full bloom. This road eventually climbs and you’re granted some superb views of the island-dotted Coromandel Harbor.

With such amazing scenery tucked into a country so small, New Zealand is ideal for a driving based visit. Rent a car or a campervan and set off to explore New Zealand’s many hidden treasures.

Have you driven around NZ? Leave your favorite New Zealand drive in the comments section below.

Technorati Tags: Backpacking New Zealand, Best Drives, Travel Tips

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Friday Travel Photo: Coromandel New Zealand Sunset

If you’re backpacking in New Zealand, you can expect to see some stunning sunsets and sunrises. Today’s Friday Travel Photo takes you to Coromandel on New Zealand’s North Island. This shot is looking west off of the peninsula towards Auckland (check out these Auckland budget travel tips).

If you’re planning a trip to Cormandel, check out these tips for your time in one of my favorite areas of New Zealand.

Do you have a photo you’d like featured on Backpackingmatt? Email the photo to matt [at] backpackingmatt [dot] com. I’ll gladly feature it with a link back to your blog.

Technorati Tags: Backpacking New Zealand, Coromandel, New Zealand

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Friday Travel Photo: New Zealand Sheep

New Zealand is a country of just about four million people with a whopping forty million sheep. There are sheep everywhere. And they’re delicious. Today’s Friday Travel Photo features one of these forty million sheep.

Her name was Gloria and she lived near one of the greatest hostels I’ve found in New Zealand. Perched at the top of a hill on the South Island’s Catlin Coast, the Catlins is an area of lush forests, rolling farmland, and rugged bays. The greens contrasted with the vivid blues of the sea will remind you what a stunning country New Zealand is.

We were quite shocked when we looked out the front door of the hostel to find this massive sheep looking right back at us. I would venture to guess that Gloria might be the friendliest sheep in New Zealand. If you’re backpacking through the Catlins, stay a night (or three or four) at the Hilltop Backpackers in small little Papatowai and chances are you’ll meet Gloria too.

Do you have a photo you’d like featured on Backpackingmatt? Email the photo to matt [at] backpackingmatt [dot] com.

Technorati Tags: Backpacking New Zealand, Friday Travel Photo, Sheep

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A Budget Travel Option in Queenstown – Frisbee Golf

It’s easy to come to Queenstown – the Adventure Capital of the World – and break your budget. Never mind the budget breaking activities like bungy jumping or skydiving, but Queenstown in general is a pretty bloody expensive place to travel to. Food, drink, accommodation – everything you need as a backpacker is significantly more expensive in Queenstown than it is elsewhere in New Zealand.

There are budget friendly options for the backpacker or budget traveler – take, for example, a day spent Frisbee Golfing in the beautiful Queenstown Gardens.

The Queenstown Gardens are only a five minute walk from central Shotover Street, yet they provide a welcomed escape from the resort town’s busy streets. City parks often do this, and this is especially true in Queenstown.

The gardens are accented by towering English oaks, rose gardens, a pond, and fountains – all with the backdrop of the beautiful clear waters of Lake Wakatipu and the majestic Remarkables Mountain Range. Add to this mix 18 frisbee golf holes and you’re guaranteed an excellent – and budget friendly – day out.

Frisbee golfing (or, disc golfing) is a simple game to figure out. Similar to proper golf, frisbee golf takes place on a purpose designed course. Instead of using a golf ball, you use (you guessed it) a frisbee. Add to that a tee box, 18 holes, set pars on each hole, and metal baskets for a target and you’ve got frisbee golf.

It’s an excellent game that can be taken as seriously as you want to. While many dedicated frisbee golfers will have an actual bag with multiple frisbees for each shot situation, you can get by using one multi-purpose fisbee. The frisbee will be significantly harder and somewhat smaller than the typical frisbee you’d throw at the beach – this allows you to theoretically throw the frisbee further.

Frisbee golfing is a great opportunity for you to get out of your hostel and enjoy this beautiful part of New Zealand – without spending a fortune. I’ve spent a couple months here and found the Queenstown Gardens to be a perfect place to get an appreciation for how epic this town is. You gain a whole new perspective on the sheer size of Lake Wakatipu, the Remarkables somehow look even more remarkable, and the gardens themselves are quite peaceful.

If you’ll only be in Queenstown a short time, and don’t imagine you’ll get out and frisbee golf more than a couple times, your best bet will be to simply rent your discs from one of the local shops in Queenstown. I recommend you check out the Shoe Clinic on Beech Street. The staff are extremely friendly, willing to answer your frisbee golf questions, and rent out good quality frisbees for only $7/day.

Days out like this are a must if you’re traveling long term. You have to learn to appreciate the small things in travel: a walk around town, a coffee in a local cafe, or an afternoon in the city park. These activities allow you to gain a unique perspective of the place you’ve traveled to – a perspective that won’t break your budget.

Thanks to Puna and the crew at the Shoe Clinic (2 Beach Street) for the complimentary disc rentals for the day.

Technorati Tags: Backpacking Queenstown, Budget New Zealand, Budget Queenstown, Budget Travel Ideas, Queenstown

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The Ledge Bungy in Queenstown, New Zealand (Travel Video)

A trip to New Zealand isn’t complete without a bungy jump – a topic that has been written about often on Backpackingmatt. I’ve reviewed my experiences at the Lake Taupo Bungy and on the Nevis Highwire Bungy.

I put together a quick travel video which outlines the workup to my recent jump here in Queenstown. While we were short on light, and the filming was a bit rushed – in part thanks to my nerves – it should give you a great view and a different perspective on the experience.  Below, you have Backpackingmatt’s second travel video: The Ledge Bungy in Queenstown.

Quick Tips and Facts

• How high? The Ledge Bungy is 47 meters high.
• How much? A single jump will cost you $175. If you’re extra keen, consider purchasing a package which will get you jumps at other AJ Hackett sites with a slight discount.
• The Ledge Bungy is unique as you have the added option of jumping at night – putting a whole new twist on bungy.
• While the typical bungy attaches you at the ankles, on The Ledge you’re attached via a waist harness and therefore have a number of different ‘jumping styles’ to choose from.
• AJ Hackett surprisingly doesn’t pick up the cost of the gondola ride to the site of their jump. Save yourself the cost by hiking to the top. There is a trail that leaves by the Skyline Gondola … it might be a good way to walk off those nerves …
• Read about my jump here.

Full Disclosure: AJ Hackett provided me with a complimentary jump in return for this review on Backpackingmatt.

Technorati Tags: Adventure Activities, Adventure Sports, bungy jumping, New Zealand, Queenstown, Travel Video

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