Queen Charlotte Track

My most recent excursion was traveling to the South Island of New Zealand. Last Thursday I woke up early after a big night out in town. I threw some stuff in my backpack and headed out to catch the bus somewhere, anywhere. I told some people that I was going to find fun for the weekend but I ended up going alone. It was good though, it made for a very neat time! I got onto the ferry at 10:30am for a three hour ferry ride. It was a very large ferry that had a cafe, bar, shop, and cinema. It wasn't too rough but the wind was pretty chilly.

When I first saw the lands of the South Island I was at awe. It is so beautiful, the pictures do not do it justice. We docked in Picton were I had my first meal of fish and chips (which is huge here). I did some light shopping for a baseball hat and a book and waited for the water taxi. I took a small boat over across the bay to a place called Furneaux Lodge Resort along the Queen Charlotte Track. The track is 71km long that travels along shallow shorelines that shoot up to lush green mountains. So I had a room there with two bunk beds for $40 (US that is about $27 or something). It was amazing. It had small cabins, backpackers rooms, and nicer more expensive places. So I stayed in a nice little place and had dinner and a glass of local Sauvignon Blanc.

The next morning I woke up to the poring rain but continued with my plan for the day. I walked four hours to my next stop through a rain forest! I really got the full effect of a rain forest and figured out that my rain coat is no longer water proof. That afternoon I came to a homestay were a lady lives and rents out rooms for backpackers. She told me to strip on the porch and wrap in a towel to go to the shower! So that give you an idea of how much in the middle of no where we are. I had a nice relaxing afternoon of getting warm, eating scones and then dinner with a nice local beer and more fish and chips at a near by resturant. The next morning I woke up early for day just shy of eight hours of walking. I walked up and down mountains, in the trees and on the ridge lines, and through mud inches thick.

But I had a blast. I was so tired by the end of it but the views were amazing. Definitely the most beautiful place I have ever seen in my life. So I was picked up at my destination that afternoon and enjoyed a cold beer at the end of a long day. I hopped on the 6pm ferry and made it back to my flat by 10pm. It was a great trip and I will be going back, taking people with me next time! One more thing, school started today! My first class was very fun and I think the semester is going to fly by.