Finding My Way In Zealand’s South Island
I see the light
Midnight on a Tuesday I am sitting in a moon chair in a field somewhere in New Zealand’s South Island. It is cold. I am wearing all the clothes in my bag plus a borrowed wool blanket. A cup of savory lemon ginger tea warms my hands. Birds chirp and screech their night song. I look up to where Dan, our star guide, is pointing a mini laser beam to the sky. The Southern Cross. Finally. I’ve been looking for it for three months. And there it is. So obvious now. I forget about being cold. I’m struck by its boldness and brightness. It’s confidence. For centuries the Southern Cross has guided many to safe haven. The foot of the cross always points south. The direction of my journey. I may have not been able to identify it before, but its always been there showing me the way.
I wasn’t sure what I’d write about after I left trail. Hiking Te Araroa gave me plenty of interesting days and inspiring moments to document. Trail angels and hiking buddies added color and life to my experiences. I was surrounded by companionship and excitement. The other day Mark posted pictures of his Richmond Ranges trek. Wow, they are amazing and his descriptions of the infamously difficult eight-day section stressed me out just reading them. But I don’t miss it, not really. Every day I am hiking or walking. And even my travel days on the bus are filled with amazing views of this country and stories from interesting people who, like me, are out here for adventure. I have not once fallen asleep on the ride. Barely have closed my eyes. There’s always something to look at or someone to talk to. And I do a lot of both.
Get on the bus, Gus
The night I went stargazing, I was somewhere near Lake Tekapo, three weeks into my South Island Adventures. It was an amazing night in an amazing place. The above photo is when I got back to the Haka House Hostel at 1:30 in the morning. The moon over the lake was stunning. This was my fourth town on the South Island. After I left the Queen Charlotte Track in Picton, I traveled to Kaikoura on the east coast and hiked the wonderful Peninsula loop track. I loved it so much, I hiked it again in the opposite direction. Both times, I got to see fur seals up close. On my second hike, one lazy guy lay right across the trail. I clapped hard and shouted at him, but he just lifted his head up for a moment, glanced at me and laid right back down. I went around. After Kaikoura, the bus took me to Christchurch, where I spent five nights in a Book-A-Bach, NZ’s version of an Airbnb. I loved Christchurch. More than half of the South Islands 800,000 people live here, but it is so spread out, it didn’t seem that crowded.
The weather wasn’t that great in Christchurch, but that didn’t keep me inside. I hiked through a forested park, then back along the shoreline on the northern coast. I walked through the botanical gardens and along the Avon River to and through a “Red Zone.” In 2011, a major earthquake killed 185 people and destroyed thousands of homes and buildings. Today, some of these neighborhoods are like wastelands. The houses were demolished years ago. “Temporary” fencing closes off entire blocks. Overgrown weeds and unattended bushes and trees are all that’s left. These are areas where the city has determined it’s not safe to rebuild. Paved biking and walking paths were constructed around the perimeter and as I walk them, I am thinking about the wildfires destroying parts of Southern California on the other side of the world. They will rebuild there, and I hope the loss of life will not be so devastating.
I ended my Christchurch adventure with a hike around Godley Head, another peninsula loop hike. I am learning that most peninsula hikes are pretty spectacular. Any chunk of land jutting out from the mainland surrounded on most sides by water is an opportunity for incredible views, and this hike did not disappoint. It took me an hour bus ride and a hop on an Uber to get there, but it was worth the trip. I got dropped off at Taylor’s Mistake Beach, wondering what the heck this guy or gal did to merit a beach being named after their mysterious screw up. I’m not even googling it because I got the best answer from my dear friend Wava when I shared my photos of this beautiful, warm place. “I think their mistake was leaving the beach!” Hahha! A good one, as she messaged me from the United States East Coast, freezing in the middle of a Polar Vortex. Blessings counted as I stopped and ate my lunch in paradise.
Can it get any more beautiful?
Yes. By now I’m wondering just how much more beauty and awe my brain can handle. But I think I’ll manage just fine. Think about those movies you’ve watched where the doctor tells the guy, “I’m sorry, you have six months, maybe a year if you’re lucky. Better go do the things you always wanted to do. See the things you always wanted to see.” I know in the end it’s usually not the places or things that matter. It is about the people we love and the clock we can not rewind. I get it. But I’m not waiting for my end days, whenever they will be. In my mind, my imaginary movie doctor said, “You have 20, 25 years if you’re lucky, or maybe you’ll catch a cold and die tomorrow.” I know how the movie ends. We all die no matter how many stamps we have on our passport or how many fancy cars we have in our garage. For now, I am trying to love my people more – and mind the clock. Fill my heart with glory and my memories with stories.
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Comments 4
Glad to see you are taking advantage of the wonderful sites throughout New Zealand and making great connections as well. You have a great outlook on life! Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for commenting. It’s easy to be happy surrounded by all this beauty. But I know some people never seem happy no matter what joy they’re seeing. Attitude. Gratitude.
Donna (warrior!), it’s great that you are taking the time to explore the other side of the earth, from your home base. Routeburn? Mt. Cook? Milford Sound? I only had two weeks but these and Tasman were stunning. Watch out for the sand flies and the pesky kea.
Milford Sound, yes. I only got to see Mt Cook from a distance and saw the Routeburn trailhead from the window of our shuttle bus on the way to Milford!
I’m going back to Nelson to hike the whole Tasman! And thanks, I’m going to remember to get some bug juice before I go. Damn sand flies.