Dearest Ones
How are you? How is your soul? Have you found time for nature today? Hugged a tree or a rock? Well here in New Zealand it's fun to do all of that!
New Zealand has been incredible. Yes I want more time here and so does Rob and I’ve tried to talk him into staying but honestly I feel like I’ve seen the best of this country and to try to stay without him here seems very strange. So I’ll move on back to OZ and see my friends in Sydney and Tasmania, hook up with some friends in Victoria and Taz as well.
New Zealand has been one big breath taking place. It seems like every where I turn I want to remember this vision, there is another photo to take to remember to feel to see. I’ve never been in such a beautiful place. I can’t say it’s even honestly hit me how gorgeous it is here. We’ve been so busy traveling, hiking, exploring, laughing, recovering from backpacking, healing from this cough that is almost gone, that to stop to really feel it all is pretty powerful. I keep checking in to see if I want to stay. It’s so magical here. But I feel it’s time to let go, release it and allow for more exploration of OZ and for NZ another trip. I really feel we have seen the best of this gorgeous place.
We have hiked around blue glaciers of ice that are so huge it blows your mind. Then there are all the rivers and waterfalls that are unbelievable. It’s shocking there is so much water here, even without raining daily. But the snow is melting so it keeps it going.
We went to Milfred Sound, which by far is the most incredible place we saw here on the South Island! We took a boat ride to explore it closer in depth and what a magical place! It steals your heart and opens your mind to what is nature, how it can touch you and brings out all your feelings of love of all that is natural. STUNNING, is the best word that describes it! We drove out there in the rain and spent the night and when driving back it was clear and gorgeous. But honestly it was more photogenic in the rain! But both were stunning. It was shocking to see how the land absorbs the rain over night or even within hours. As we had a down pour off and on all day but a constant rain all day for sure and by the end of the day around 8pm when the rain stopped within an hour the waterfalls started to dissipate to almost nothing.
Oh something that is incredible here, is it is still light out until at least 10pm. So here it is 8 or 9pm and you are thinking, “oh it’s time for dinner” and you look at the time and it’s almost time to go to bed. As the sun doesn’t go down at any normal time for us here. So we have adjusted accordingly but it’s still odd to be able to start a hike at 5pm and know you have 5 hours of light. But I love it, more time to hike!!!! Though I think I hiked Rob out!
It’s been such a pleasure to have Rob here, someone to share this journey with, laugh with and have experiences with and backpack with. In Milfred Sound we hiked the Kapler Trail, it’s a 3 day trip, 60km, that’s about 12+ miles a day I think with packs on-yikes! I loved it. The first day was good except we didn’t know how far we had gone, we kept going up and up, through limestone cliffs, lots of green, views of the huge lakes around, with lots of trees, fresh air and blue skies. We got up to tree line, came out to the wind, and a blessing-A SIGN!!! Saying 400kms to where we’d be staying!!!! What a lovely sign! The backpacking here isn’t completely roughing it as you stay in huts and you don’t have to take a tent or a stove, but everything else you need. It’s was great to have an indoor place to be with all the wind. I think they provide shelter as to care for the land as well as the wind would probably take everything away.
I loved how they cared for the land, they at times at trails, at times they’d build a wooden track above the land to not wear it down. AND GET THIS, NO GARBAGE! This country is so clean, no one puts their garbage anywhere. You walk to the most touristed areas and there is not litter everywhere. If they can do this here, why not everywhere!!! How brilliant! I love how clean this country is. You can see how much they respect and love their land and country by how they take care of it. They have a lot of recycling which is nice, we have to look for organic and normally we can find it too! We can find some at least in even small towns. The only odd thing they have that seems out of place is a lot of diesel cars and no smog/emission tests to control the pollution in cars, so they are a bit stinky! Time to change that before it gets too bad but they are doing so well with everything else it’s just lovely!
From Milfred Sound we took off to Stewart Island where we mostly relaxed and recovered from the intensity of almost being blown off the mountain in Milfred Sound. Oh, the backpacking, we fixed a nice dinner that night, watched the sun going down over the rivers, lakes and mountains surrounding us. The mountains turned pink and purple around us. I read from The Mastery of Love and it is blowing me away more and more, how simple love can be and how hard with make it. So beautiful! I’d recommend this to everyone it’s so gorgeous.
The next morning we took off into the blustery wind. They said at times it got up to 75-100knots of wind (not sure that’s how you spell it or write knots, nots, kts, who knows). But we were going up this mountain, got to the top and decided not to go to the peak as it almost blew me off. Then we had to go in between two mountains, we were being pushed and blown this way and that way. I was cracking up, it was hilarious, I felt drunk, as I couldn’t walk straight it was so intense. I felt like I had no control of where I walked. I’d push into the wind and then it would stop and I’d almost fall over, I wouldn’t push into it and then it would almost push me over.
The most intense part though was coming down the other side, after hiking about 4 hours on the top of the mountain. They had these stairs to come down, the wind straight at us from the right and at one point I had to sit on the stairs to keep from being blown off the stairs onto the cliffs of the land. Rob almost got blown off if it wasn’t for a rock that saved him that he got to hang on to and get up and go on. So here I was sitting on the steps wanting to scoot down on my butt but the back pack stopped me from doing that. So I had to keep getting up and sitting down until the wind cut down some and I could stand up and walk down the stairs. As the wind kept going, if it came up from our feet it was fine but directly from out left was hard to handle.
We finally got back into the tree line where we could start taking off our clothes to protect us from the elements, the rain/wind coats, the scarves, the layers for warmth. Then came the trees that had fuzzy moss all over them, bright yellow and green. So gorgeous! Lots of photos later. First part of the day I was looking out over lakes, brilliant mountains and taking photos of the valleys around, almost being blown off the mountain, dropping my camera once when the wind blew me down, (Rob had his sunglasses blown from his face and it took him 10 minutes or so to realize it, but luckily someone found them and gave them to us at the next shelter to stop at) but now in the tree line, nice and comfy in protection, green and beautiful. Then it was 2-3 hours down to the next hut, which was a great home! No wind, calm and gorgeous with a waterfall near by, but lots of sand flies so we didn’t stay out too long.
The next morning we woke up to rain, we were told it was supposed to rain all day. So we accepted that and went off to the pretty flat track all the way out, but it only rained the first hour maybe. So we got blue skies, waterfalls, rainbows in the waterfalls, and lushness all around us for the 7 hour journey out. I have to say I have never backpacked where I have packed everyday for at least 6-7 hours everyday. The first day, since we started late in the day, was hard on me, as I am a morning person. But the second day leaving early was great for me and powerful. Buy the last day it was great, except one toe not being too happy with being in my boots any more. Rob got blisters, but he’s recovering quite nicely!
So Stewart Island was a welcomed restful place to sleep in, take hikes in the late morning and afternoon and evenings. We enjoyed all the nature loving people in the backpackers place we stayed and strolled on some gorgeous beaches that would blow your soul right out of the water to know even on a weekend only 7-10 people where there enjoying them with their family, laughing and playing. So peaceful there.
We found one beach that was very nice, as we walked up it we saw a bird that looked dead but it must have been in shock because as we got closer it jumped up and we could tell it was injured. The poor little thing. He was so beautiful, he is a New Zealand Shag, yes there is such a bird called a Shag, lots of different kinds of shags actually! We tried getting him help in town but since they aren’t endangered they wouldn’t do anything for him.
We were given some gorgeous fish there at the backpackers the first night there, it was caught that day. We almost had Poua with a bunch of people, a local shell fish but we were too late, it was great, everyone would catch fish during the day and there was so much they’d share with everyone at night.
So our last night there was relaxing, we ate, packed and did not a whole lot of anything. This island called for a lot of dreams. Dreamt of my brother a lot and of his wife, very odd dreams, Rob dreamt a lot too. Funny how certain places make you dream. I even dreamt of dance friends at home. NZ has been a great place for putting goals and real dreams of what I want in my life into order. Nature being one of the main things, music, dance, and now that I’m getting my voice back I am starting to sing again. NZ teaches you in small increments to let go of the thoughts and start to see, smell and feel nature. It helps you get in touch with our roots of being one with the earth. The earth has spoken to me and has danced with me. I look forward to more of that.
As for now, we are about to head off to Christchurch and Akoroa, we will be swimming with the dolphins tomorrow and then on Wednesday I fly out to Australia again and he goes home. I will miss him and traveling with him! But I look forward to seeing my friends and going off to Victoria and Taz with friends.
I am off for now. I look forward to hearing from you. I send you lots of love and big hugs. Love, Heather
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