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

Continue reading...

A Local’s Perspective: Vancouver, British Columbia

Thanks to Nancy from Nancy Under the Stars (@nancyunderstars) for providing today’s guest post and latest installment in the “A Local’s Perspective” series.

Vancouver, British Columbia, a city that hardly sleeps, where you can get take away sushi 24-hours a day and has a forest on the edge of downtown. She is fun, outgoing and romantic, a perfect city to take on a date. Whether traveling alone or with a partner, Vancouver is memorable and satisfying. I recommend a minimum three-day date, allowing time to play in Whistler, the hip mountain village.

Everything starts with Coffee

There are no shortage of coffee shops and cafes in Vancouver. There is a Starbucks, Blenz or Waves on just about every corner. Although no stranger to those shops, in my opinion, the best coffee comes from local baristas. Take a walk down Davie and stop in Melriches for an Americano and a breakfast croissant. The squeaky whale will entertain you while waiting for your food.

Walks, Cycles & Sites

Put on your walking shoes or rent a bike and hit the seawall. The seawall is a pathway along the water from Kits Beach, around Granville Island and Stanley Park to Coal Harbour. En route, you’ll pass five beaches surrounding English Bay.

Stanley Park, named after Lord Stanley in 1888, is a 1,000-acre urban park surrounded by the seawall and is filled with fir, cedar, hemlock and spruce trees. There are several walking trails to take you to the Vancouver Aquarium, Totem Poles and the Malkin Bowl outdoor theatre. In winter, take in a rugby game at Brockton Oval. Or, if you prefer, take it easy and meander through the park via horse-drawn tour.

The Vancouver Aquarium is Canada’s largest aquarium. The aquarium is home to more than 70,000 species of marine life and animals. Walk through the various exhibits, sit down and take in a show or participate in an animal encounter. The aquarium will fill a couple hours of the day.

Granville Island, although not an island at all, is a public market with the city’s freshest meats and seafood, handmade pastas and colourful produce. Handmade wares sold by the vendors cannot be found anywhere else. The market is not only a feast for the eyes, but a bouquet of fragrance and an abundance of flavours. Take the seawall to access Granville Island or catch an Aqua Bus from Yaletown, Science World or Hornby Street and get a tour of False Creek at the same time.

Nightlife

If you like a pub atmosphere and want to mix with the locals, Doolin’s, the Railway Club or the Malone’s are your watering holes.

Live music is abundant in Vancity. Check out the local free papers for the latest announcements. If a favourite band is playing at the Commodore Ballroom, you must go. This venue is a House of Blues facility and has been stage to the likes of U2, The Police, Franz Ferdinand, Metric and the Tragically Hip. The Commodore is found on Granville between Robson and Smithe.

The Yale is Vancouver’s Rhythm & Blues Bar. Located on Granville at Drake and open seven days a week. Cover ranges in price depending on the performer for the evening. The Sunday night house band, Brickhouse, is fantastic.

If you’re into clubbing or lounges, take a stroll down Granville Street, as there are many. During the summer months, the city closes off Granville to vehicle traffic allowing pedestrians to take over and bounce from club to club. The lounges found on the cobble strips of Yaletown are higher end, with chic bartenders producing mixology masterpieces to some of the city’s premier residents and visitors like Roberto Luongo, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. You’ll find the Yaletown lounges on Hamilton or Mainland between Nelson and Drake.

Whistler

You can’t have a love affair with Vancouver without a play date with Whistler. Just under two hours up the beautiful Sea to Sky Highway, Whistler is a playground 365 days a year. Home to some of the world’s finest skiing; Whistler is also a summer haven for mountain bike fanatics. If the activities are not in your budget, grab a seat on the patio, enjoy an afternoon beer and take in the wondrous views of Whistler/Blackcomb. Over a weekend, end your nights at Buffalo Bills, Longhorns and Tommy Africa’s.

Winter or summer, Vancouver is an attractive, fun city. She leaves you wanting more. After your three-day date, I guarantee you will fall in love. I did!

Have you been to Vancouver? Add your travel tips in the comments section below.

Are you interested in guest posting on Backpackingmatt? Email me at matt [at] backpackingmatt [dot] com for more details.

Technorati Tags: A Locals Perspective, Canada, Vancouver Travel Tips

Continue reading...

Friday Travel Photo: Piss – Prague, Czech Republic

Today’s Friday Travel Photo takes you to the Czech Republic’s capital city of Prague.

Prague is the geographical center of Europe and one of continent’s most beautiful cities.  Praha is filled with friendly people, world-renowned Czech Pilsner beer, and a stunning range of architecture – Renaissance, Gothic, cubist and neoclassical all sit side-by-side. Did I mention the world-famous Czech beer?

This statue is found outside of the Kafka Museum in the Mala Strana neighborhood of Prague.  It’s called Piss and was designed and created by Czech sculptor David Cerny. Two sculptures stand in an enclosure filled with water. These moving sculptures pee streams of water that write quotes from famous Prague residents. A sign next to the statue gives you a number that you can text messages to. After sending the text, the statues stop and ‘write’ your message.

Some unique artwork to say the least.

Prague is quickly becoming one of Europe’s most popular cities and swells with tourists during the hot summer months. Don’t miss Prague’s famous Charles Bridge – but take a stroll across it at night to avoid the crowds.

Have you been to Prague? Share your experiences in the comments section below.

Do you have a photo and brief write-up you’d like featured here? Email it to matt [at] backpackingmatt [dot] com

Technorati Tags: Czech Republic, Friday Travel Photo, Prague

Continue reading...

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

Continue reading...

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

Continue reading...

Friday Travel Photo: Cappadocia, Turkey

Today’s Friday Travel Photo brings you to Cappadocia in central Turkey. Thanks to Verity (@verty) from With Sparkles for submitting the photo.

The rocks of this area of Turkey have been whipped into shockingly smooth curves – this volcanic terrain, with rock formations known as ‘fairy chimneys’ has been shaped by Mother Nature over thousands of years. The landscape of Cappadocia today seems to belong nowhere else other than perhaps the moon.

Most shocking about Cappadocia perhaps isn’t the actual landscape, yet it’s the work of humans who have built homes into these rocky cones. A stroll around Cappadocia will result in you finding hidden caves, churches, chapels, and other treasures built into the stone. Today, you’ll even find luxury hotels and hostels.

Here are some travel tips for your trip to Cappadocia:

Stay in a hostel built into the rock formations. Where else in the world can you spend the night in a well furnished hostel built into a cave?

Take a hot air balloon tour. As Verity did, I recommend you take the time to take in the magical landscape of Cappadocia in a hot air balloon. There aren’t many places where you can experience a hot air balloon flight cheaper than Turkey, and a trip up shouldn’t cost you much over €150. As Verity said, “It was so beautiful, balloons rising in the crisp morning air over twisting valleys, patchwork farms and the eery shapes of fairy chimneys.”

Hike around the Ihlara Valley. This valley is a 16 kilometer long gorge cut deep into the volcanic landscape of southern Cappadocia. The Melendiz Stream flows through the gorge and the result is an oasis of green in the middle of the otherwise barren landscape. Like the rest of Cappadocia, you’ll find underground dwellings and beautiful churches.

If you’re considering a trip to Cappadocia, you’ll want to allow three or four days at the minimum to fully experience everything this area has to offer. Cappadocia is a 50 Lira (approximately $30) and 10 hour bus ride from Istanbul.

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

Technorati Tags: Cappadocia Travel Advice, Friday Travel Photo, turkey

Continue reading...