It took me four
rides to get from Alexandra to Glenorchy. The first ride was with a
local guy about my age in his van with his dog. He works on a road
maintenance crew and was on his day off running errands. A salt of
the earth kind of guy with a good spirit who very much reminded me of
an old friend in Colorado. He’s never traveled outside of New
Zealand. He said everyone from abroad tells him he lives in the best
country in the world so what’s the point in going anywhere else.
My second ride was
with a middle aged couple from Dunedin. The were headed to Arrowtown
to watch a golf tournament. The guy gave me an earful about president
Trump but the conversation moved on to other topics as he seemed
interested in where I was from. They were both into Animal Medicine
or Animal Biology. Something like that and had spent a fair amount of
time in the states and well as having lived in Chicago.
My next ride was
very different. A van pulled up aside a little ways from me and I ran
to catch it. When the sliding door opened it was four dark skinned
men. Two looked black. You don’t see hardly any black people n New
Zealand. I didn’t have a bad feeling or anything but was quite
surprised. Only one spoke decent English. I asked where they were
from and one responded, Vanuatu, which is an Island in the South
Pacific. They had been in the country for 7 months and were headed
home the next day. They were on their way to Queenstown for the day
before heading home. I noticed the driver was driving very carefully
and I enjoyed simple conversation with the one who could speak decent
English. They were really nice guys from a poor country away from
home making as much as they could for a better life in Vanuatu. The
van appeared to be a work van that belonged to whatever farm they had
been working for.
I blew right through
Queenstown to Glenorchy. My final ride was with a woman in her late
50’s who had the aura of being fairly rich. She was from Auckland
but now lives in London. She was back in New Zealand for holiday and
to sell her beach property near Auckland. She suspected it was just a
matter of time with all the crazy weather that there was a risk it
could be washed away. She wanted to cash out before that happened. We
took a leisurely drive up to Glenorchy where she dropped me right at
the backpackers bunkhouse I had previously booked by phone.
The day was going
smoothly and the next day I wanted to start a four day hike that can
be difficult to get to. After I dropped my pack at the bunkhouse I
went for a wander to see if I could figure out how to get to the
start of the trail. I asked at information then went to the
campground. At the campground I saw a solo traveler with a car that
looked like a hiker. I asked if he was by chance headed to the
Caples/Greenstone trailhead. He said he was and immediately offered
me a ride. His name is Billy. He’s 24 and from Northern,
California. He’s been traveling the country for around 6 weeks and
really seems to be having a good time. We met up in the evening. I
bought him a beer at the pub. He said he would pick me up at 10 am.
At 10 am it was
raining. I saw a woman in her early 20’s standing near the small
information/store by the pub. She looked like she was ready for a
hike. I asked where she was going. She had just hitched up to
Gleorchy and had no idea how she was going to get to the
Caples/Greenstone hike. Well I knew Billy had space for one more so I
told her I thought she could ride along. Her name is Bronti, from
Spokane, WA. Billy showed up just after 10 am and we drove up a wet
road with a couple of shallow stream crossings to the trailhead.
The
Caples/Greenstone track is around a 40 mile hike. A strong hiker
could bang it out in a couple of day but most people take 3 nights to
make it more enjoyable. There are three nice huts along the way with
amazing backcountry flush toilets. The route follows rivers up to a
pass and back around. The valley is often broad and affords nice
views of mountains on each side when the weather is good. The trail
weaves in an out of forested and open areas. It’s a nice and
relatively easy hike that has spectacular moments when the skies are
clear. For me I only had really clear skies on day 3. Other than that
is was what I’d refer to as atmospheric with clouds filling the
valley, then thinning, then raining, then occasional clearing for a
short view.
I really don’t
much care from staying in huts unless the weather is really bad.
There’s always someone who snores and when it’s raining the hut
tends to stink of damp sweat and funk. If you camp near the hut and
pay a mere $5 NZD you can use the common area for cooking and hang
out by the wood stove. That’s what I prefer to do. I camped all
three nights. Although I had to pack a wet tent every morning I was
very comfortable and slept well.
The hike was
uneventful and what I expected for the most part. Up and down with
rocks, roots, and stream crossings. Day 3 was the best with good
weather and broad valley views but I started to feel like I’d
gotten my fill, for now. I thought about dad and what it might feel
like when I get home. I thought about how fast the time had passed in
New Zealand although the first two weeks I did understandably feel
out of sorts. I also thought how things would be different when I
arrived back home. This time for real but I see it in a positive way.
Tomorrow will be my
last night in New Zealand. Tonight I am back at the backpacker
bunkhouse behind the Glenorchy hotel. It’s nothing special but the
toilet and showers are nice. I’m in a six bed shack all to myself
for now. Keeping my fingers crossed. For my last night I am booked
into a proper expensive hotel in Queenstown thanks to my hotel
rewards credit card. They said I earned a free unrestricted
anniversary night. From Queenstown I’ll fly to Auckland then home.
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