Australasia days 23-25: lasts days in Auckland

I arrived around 6:30pm from Cairns back to the City of Sails .

Nimrod Explorer: Diving in the Great Barrier Reef

Australasia day 11,12: Cairns, Australia

Tropical North Queensland in Australia is a holiday maker's paradise, bursting at the seams with attractions and tours that showcase this remarkable part of the world.

Cairns attractions rank as some of the most original and exciting in Australia. Golden sunny beaches flanked by pristine rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef make Cairns a region that literally has it all!

The city of Cairns has recently been renovated to enhance its image and provide a relaxing place for tourists and Cairns locals to congregate and have fun. Cairns Esplanade, once a huge grassy park, now features a world-class facility incorporating an outdoor amphitheatre, a large sandy swimming lagoon, grassy picnic areas, walking tracks, free public barbeques, children's playground, shops and restaurants, an environmental interpretation centre and a Great Barrier Reef Cruise departure terminal. But Cairns is only really the hub to the attractions of Far North Queensland.

I arrive in Cairns around 11am on Friday and took a $10.00 AUS trip into town to stay at Gilligans

Australasia day 9-10: Queenstown to Dunedin, the flight of the Albatross

After returning from Diving in the Milford Sound, I decided to make a lazy day out of being in Queenstown. This did of course include another visit to Fergberger. This time I had squid rings and a deer burger: "Lil Bambi was delicious" . I checked myself in to my hostel and met two of my roomates, Emma and Kelly, both British girls living in London. (Emma is on the right, Kelly on the left). I spent much of the day lounging around, doing laundry and convincing myself whether or not to go river boarding. In the end, I decided I was too cheap and tired and would go to Yoga instead.

I met back up with the ladies around 8:00pm and we went out to get Thai Food before heading over to the Buffalo Bar for drinks. Emma had what looked like was going to be a rewarding night and so Kelly and I headed back to the hostel around 3am. I woke up the next morning just with enough time to catch my bus to Dunedin.Dunedin used to be the largest city in New Zealand in the 19th Century and was founded by Scottish immigrants. Its the first city I saw brick. The picture above is the train station which sits right on the harbor. After arriving at the train station, I quickly booked myself a trip with monarch cruises. I choose the 2P: (Albatross & Penguins) includes a guided tour of Yellow Eyed Penguin Reserve for $120.00 NZD. Click on picture below for a video.

My goal was to see Northern Royal Albatross, blue penguins, terns, petrels, fur seals. In addition to this teeming wildlife I might also see other types of albatross, sea-lions, dolphins and whales while close offshore, flocks of Sooty Shearwaters feed among other shearwaters, mollymawks and many other pelagic species.

Routeburn Track day 2, 3 AND Diving in Milford Sound

Routeburn Falls Hut to Mackenzie Hut Distance: 11.3 km

This sub-alpine section of track is very exposed and can be extremely hazardous in adverse weather conditions. The track climbed steadily, following the Route Burn to its outlet from Lake Harris. A steep sidle through moraine and the bluffs above Lake Harris leads to the Harris Saddle/Tarahaka Whakatipu (1255 metres) and the shelter. Sub-alpine herbs and cushion plants are a feature of the vegetation. A short, steep climb in an ice storm from the Harris Saddle shelter up Conical Hill which was supposed to give a superb view of the Hollyford Valley through to Lake McKerrow, Martins Bay and the Tasman Sea. I however, also could see the ice forming on my gloves and wind ripping at my face (still worth the climb, unencumbered by pack which I had left dry in the shelter below. From the saddle, the track droped steeply down a gully and traversed along the exposed Hollyford face, before a bush descent onto a series of zig-zags to Lake Mackenzie Hut.

Mackenzie Hut to Howden Hut Distance: 8.6 km

The track crossed a small flat before it climbed steeply to the bushline. It then gradually descended past the ‘Orchard’, an open grassy area dotted with ribbonwood trees, to the Earland Falls (174 metres). The track continued its gradual descent to Howden Hut, situated at the junction of Routeburn and Greenstone/Caples Tracks.

Australasia day 6: Routeburn Track

Ohh, my pounding head, Vodka-Lemonade... I am in a haze from last night. Its 10:00am, and I need to go pick up my hut passes for my tramping of the Routeburn track. Last night, Fergberger...so delicious, uh Fries from last night, how did they end up under my pillow...oh well, yummm, yumm (chewing stale day old fries).

The Routeburn Track traverses 32 kilometres of Mount Aspiring and Fiordland National Parks, part of Te Wāhipounamu – South West New Zealand World Heritage Area and is administered by the Department of Conservation on behalf of the New Zealand public.

Located in the southwest of the South Island the track extends between the head of Lake Wakatipu and S.H. 94, the Te Anau – Milford Road. I took at $36.00 NZD shuttle from Queenstown to Glenorchy to start the trail.

A trail from Martins Bay, up the Hollyford Valley and over into the Routeburn Valley to the pounamu (greenstone) source at the head of Lake Whakatipu-wai-Mäori, was commonly used by Tai Poutini (West Coast) iwi, who regularly travelled south via this route to obtain kokotakiwai. Pounamu was much valued as a material for tools, weapons and ornaments. The tradition of “Ngä Puna Wai Karikari o Rakaihautu” tells how the principal lakes of Te Wai Pounamu (South Island), were dug by the rangatira (chief) Rakaihautu. Rakaihautu was the captain of the canoe, Uruao, which brought the tribe, Waitaha, to New Zealand. Rakaihautu beached his canoe at Whakatü (Nelson) and travelled south. The first Europeans to view the Hollyford Valley were Southland runholders David McKellar and George Gunn, who on 9 June 1861 climbed to the top of Key Summit via the Routeburn. Early European surveyors, prospectors and explorers followed the track route when travelling from Lake Wakatipu to the Hollyford River/ Whakatipu Ka Tuka and western valleys. In 1870 a bridle track was started to link Kinloch and Routeburn with the new Martins Bay settlement. However, failure of the isolated settlement and incorrect routing of the road meant construction ceased after four years. Tourism began in the 1880s, with visitors being taken into Routeburn Flats by horse and thenguided on foot to the Harris Saddle/Tarahaka Whakatipu. The Routeburn Track is one of New Zealand’s most popular tracks, with over 13000 walkers completing the track each year.

Routeburn Shelter to Routeburn Flats Hut: Distance: 6.5 km

From the car park at the Routeburn shelter (458 metres), I crossed one of many swing bridges as I made my ascent. Crossing small streams and waterfalls, I took a little extra care when I crossed the Serpentine Slip, an area prone to mudslides where there was a break in the treeline. I then continued past Sugarloaf Stream, a remnant of the old bridle path built in the 1870s, and climbed directly to Bridal Veil Stream. There were a lot of streams if you get the picture. I continued my ascent sidling along the Routeburn Gorge.

A second swing bridge took me back across the Route Burn to the open grassed flats around Routeburn Flats Hut where the track forks take the right track to Routeburn Flats Hut (20 bunks) and a camping area five minutes from the hut, or take the left track to continue to Routeburn Falls Hut.


Routeburn Flats Hut to Routeburn Falls Hut Distance: 2.3 km



I left the sweeping valley river to climb through beech forest crossing two more swing bridges. A recent slip yielded excellent views of the valley below. I crossed the Emily Creek bridge, another swing bridge to reachthe halfway mark. Most of my hike was filled with the sounds of waterfalls and streams with an occassional birdsong thrown in for fun. When I got to the top, I threw my bags in my bunk and I tried to climb to the summit for sundown. Unfortunately, I lost my pager crossing one of the streams. Oh well, no more alarm clock or watch.