Henry & New Zealand: Time Alone and Kepler Track

Now I'll return to our semester break. After Queenstown it was east to Dunedin. Originally, we though we might have a chance to catch a few of the students from our program studying there. We had last been together during the beginning of semester orientation, and it would have been fun to catch up with them, but their break had just started and everyone was gone. Except for Shane. Shane does some work for the program, but is also a student in Dunedin and wasn't going anywhere for break. He's a good guy, and we hung out with him for the night. I got a good laugh out of his southern and cowboy impersonations.

Can't go into much detail on Dunedin since I was only there one night, but I can say the street our hostel faced was a bit steep.

After a day spent in Dunedin in which we unsuccessfully looked for sea lions and penguins, it was time for me to split from the group. I had made bookings for the Kepler Track and everyone else either was heading back home for the second week, or knew they didn't want to go on a serious hike with me. Taking off solo in the car with no definite plans for the next couple of days was probably the most exhilarating feeling I've experienced other than the bungy jump. It was pure freedom, and a realization of how amazing exploring this little island somewhere between Antartica and the rest of civilization had been. After a couple of hours driving, I found a clearing near the coast and slept in the car. I woke to a stunning sunrise the next day. I smile now just thinking about these few days. Everything just felt right.

The only thing I had to do that day was end in Te Anu, where the Kepler Track begins, so I could start tramping first thing in the morning. I slowly made my way there, making several stops in the Catlains region. I was still searching for seals and penguins, and I was lucky enough to find both that day. I came upon the seals quite suddenly while walking along a rocky beach. I don't know how clear the picture is, but there were dozens of them. It was nice to just sit and watch them for a bit.

This grumpy looking penguin was on a petrified forest beach. I'm glad he was there, because the beach wasn't much to look at.

Then it was around the bottom of the South Island, and I took a short sidetrip to Bluff. This was largly unspectacular, but I did get a picture of this mile marker, so I now have proof of being at the northermost and southernmost points in NZ.

I checked in at the DOC center at Te Anu and got my hut pass. Since the huts were fairly expensive, I decided I would do the suggested 3-4 day hike in 2. The lady at the DOC looked at me like I didn't know what I was getting myself into (fairly accurate). I have tons of pictures from this hike. The first day the weather was great, which is rare in Fiordland, and there were so many amazing views. It was ironic that while I was out in the middle of nowhere I would meet a man from Chicago on the trail. The second day was in the valleys, so there wasn't as much to see. It also drizzled a bit and by the end I was exhausted and ready for a shower. I think the total was around 40 miles and lots of climbing and descending. Here is a very brief summary of the hike in pictures.

Looking out over the sounds