January 2020

The road from Punakaiki to Abel Tasman winds through the sparsely populated northwest corner of the south island along route 6; first hugging a rugged coastline and then turning inland toward mountains and streams.  After 3 hours, we arrived at Kaiteriteri, our beachfront town next to Abel Tasman National Park. 

The Abel Tasman Coast Track is one of New Zealand’s “Great Walks,” a 4-day walk along the northern coast of the southern island that crosses a dozen spectacular undisturbed beaches.  We were able to do parts of the track by using water taxi’s that drop you off and pick you up at a prearranged location.

Day 44 we hiked the most beautiful section, the 11.5km Bark Bay to Anchorage Bay.  This hike weaved along the coast and across beaches.  Bryce did not do well on the boat, but enjoyed his time in the sand and the waves.  Once back on shore, we spent some time in the small cove near Kaiteriteri where Bryce can walk during low tide and throw shells.   

Day 45, we hiked from Marahau (starting car park) to Apple Tree Bay.  After Bryce’s meltdown on the small water taxi, we decided to do the part of the Track that you can drive to.  This hike was about 3 miles each way to an amazing beach where we hung out for a few hours, ate lunch and threw shells into the water.  Once we got back to town, we downed some well-deserved ice cream.

Day 46, we got back into our Nissan X-Trail and headed to Marlborough, the home of New Zealand’s famous Sauvignon Blanc

Our Hotel near Franz Josef glacier was attached to an RV Park and our cottage was only accessible through the RV section.  When we drove past all the RVs with men in their mid-50s sitting shirtless with their wives enjoying a glass of wine in a folding chair, I felt oddly at home… back with my people.

The hike to Fran Josef is about 2k.  The first half winds through native forest and the second half traverses a path through the glacial river bed up to the face of the glacier… BUT WHAT!  THE GLACIER WAS GONE.

Pictures from current 2020 Trip

Pictures Below from 2010

10 years ago, I remember standing at the terminal face of the glacier in awe of the size and massive Freezing River flowing from the mouth of the Glacier.  Tour groups were climbing  Today, I stood on a hill 1000M from the terminal face (which was no longer accessible) taking pictures of a dirty ice cube off in the distance.  I suspect by the time Bryce visits this Glacier again, it wont be visible at all.

Our next stop was the Fox Glacier.  In February 2019, a massive landslide pushed the Fox River to where the access road used to be which washed the road out to see.  Engineers determined that rebuilding the road would be a waste because the landslide would continue to move the river.  So, the only view point would be 2000M away.  There was an old access and mountain biking road that gave a view which was the only available viewing point at this time.  The NZ government is assessing other options.  We were able to get close to where the land slide took place.  Its pretty amazing to see the amount of Earth that moves like water when the conditions are right.

The journey to Abel Tasman is 6+ hours from the Glaciers so we planned a stop in Punakaiki to see the Pancake Rocks.  The rocks were nice, but spending the night on the beach in a remote area of New Zealand was awesome. 

On the drive from Mount Cook, we stopped at Lake Tekopo.  The Lakes extreme blue comes from the glaciers grinding rock into a powder that is suspended in the water.  This was a quick stop for a few pictures, let the little man burn some energy, grab some lunch, and breakup the 4 hour drive.

Christchurch, the South Island’s largest city, was decimated by an earthquake back in 2011.  The city is mainly rebuilt, but you still see collapsed buildings and empty lots where buildings existed and have not yet been rebuilt.  There is a beautiful downtown with shops and restaurants along a well-manicured stream as well as lots of beautiful beaches and parks.

Our time in Christchurch was a bit more relaxed than our usual breakneck pace.  We did 2 nice runs through Hagley Park and the Botanical Gardens to start each day.  The first day we did the Godly Head Hike, a rolling set of hills through golden fields on the peninsula just outside the city.  On our walk back the winds got extreme and we needed to pickup the pace so avoid a meltdown by the little man in my hiking pack. 

After the run on the second day, Bryce and I went to Margaret Mahy Playground to splash around for a few hours while Danielle looked in some of the boutique shops (and got some well deserved downtime). 

We left Christchurch to head back cross the island, which meant we would need to go through Arthur’s pass.  We combined the Arthur’s Pass Walking Track with the Devil’s Punch Bowl waterfall hike.  The Arthur’s pass Track weaved through forest with a few brief mountain views and small waterfalls before abruptly ending with a historical sign explaining Arthur’s journey… we were a little disappointed with this ending.  We jumped back into the car and continued our journey to the Glaciers and then Abel Tasman National Park. 

As you approach Mount Cook Village from the south, the road hugs Lake Pukaki, a light blue so vibrant it looks fake.  You then notice the towering snow capped mountain that contrast the blue of the lake.  Mount Cook village consists of 3 hotels, 3 restaurants and a camp site right up against the Mountains. 

We arrived around noon and were denied checking before 2 so we headed out to the first hike.  The Hooker Valley trail could be the most spectacular walk of the trip.  This relatively flat walk rides next to a glacial river with amazing views of the Mueller Glacier and then Mount Cook.  You cross 3 suspension bridges (which Danielle is not much of a fan) and conclude at Hooker Lake.  We spent 45 minutes staring at the mountain while Bryce threw rocks into the lake.  We were in no rush to leave the view.

The next day we started early to climb the Sealy Tarne Track.  This hike consists of 2200 stairs climbing straight up 1800ft.  The government brochures call this the “stairway to heaven,” but with a toddler on your back, its more like a “stairmaster from hell”.  As we climbed the views kept getting better and better.  By the time we reached the Tarne (small mountain lake) our legs felt like jelly.  There I took a time laps video of the clouds crossing the mountains as Bryce threw rocks into the little lake.  We make it down the stairs in what felt like a few minutes and feasted on crushed PB&Js in the parking lot.  The day was not done.  After attempting (and failing) to nap Bryce in his crib, we drove a few miles to see the Tasman Glacier and hike the Tasman Lake and Blue Pools Walk.  Again, Bryce spent 30 minutes throwing rocks into the Blue lakes as we rested our legs.  After a full day, we enjoyed some beers with amazing views of the mountains.

Dunedin is the South Islands second largest city and home to rare wildlife on the Otago Peninsula.  We started our day learning about how rich people lived in the 1800 in New Zealand’s only castle… which was very exciting (Not! But it makes Danielle happy so its good with me).  We then set out to explore the peninsula and bounced around to several places. 

First, we explored Tunnel Beach then road along the coast in 50mph winds.  We took another amazing recommendation from the Waldron’s and visited Alan’s beach to see some sea lions.  The directions took us down a dirt road next to the ocean and then slightly inland before reaching a parking lot with one other car.  After climbing over a small fence (legally), we almost made to to the beach when our path was blocked by a 1000lb sea lion.  We had been warned that the sea lions were very territorial and we needed to keep our distance.  I wore Bryce in case we needed to make a run for it.  All of a sudden the sea lion barked and moved slightly in our direction and stopped… I looked back to make a comment to Danielle and there she was in a full sprint back to the car.  No warning or anything.  Danielle realized that the situation was safe and she walked back to where her husband and son were watching 5 sea lions run around the beach barking at each other,  Bryce loved it and now has a new animal sound in his repertoire.

The next morning, we explore the north coastal area.  The Moeraki bolder are a group of round rocks located on the beach that made for some cool pictures.  We continued our journey to the Katiki Point Lighthouse where we got close to dozens of seals lying around.  Bryce practiced his new sea lion bark hoping the seal would respond.  We spend the rest of the afternoon at one of Dunedin’s many playgrounds before heading back into the mountains.

The southern part of the South Island is far from the tourists’ destinations of the past week.  The landscape transitioned from steep grey mountains to rolling green hills covered in sheep, goats and cows.  Eventually we hit the Southern Ocean and the rugged undisturbed beaches.  We saw no one all day.  As we travelled east, we eventually hit the Catlin Forest and the Waipohatu Waterfall Loop, our hike for today. 

Over 5 miles, we trudged through mud, steps and more mud to reach 2 amazing waterfalls.  We had all that mud and the waterfalls to ourselves.  A really cool and different hike than the mountain summits we have been hiking. 

After trying to get some of the mud off our shoes and pants, we made a quick stop at McLean Falls before continuing along the southern coast stopping at deserted beaches until we hit Dunedin.

10 years ago, we arrived at Milford sound too late to go kayaking and I vowed to Kayak the next time I returned. It turns out that Kayaking with a constantly moving 2 year old in glacial waters hundreds of miles from a proper medical facility is both not recommended and not allowed… so I’ll go Kayaking next time I am in Milford Sound.

We choose a premium boat cruise company, which made a world of difference.  It was a smaller boat with plenty of indoor and outdoor space.  There was no tour bus folks fighting to get their 200th selfie by the railing. This cruise was great.  I took more pictures in 2 hours than in the entire year of 2017 (pre-Bryce).  Milford Sound is an amazing piece of nature.  After the cruise we made a quick stop at “the Chasm” to see a powerful water fall and then on to the “hike dujour.”

We hiked the Lake Marion Trek and it turned out to be the groups favorite hike thus far.  This was a technical 5 mile climb past waterfalls, over roots and through a temperate rainforest.   Our team of 4.5 hikers got a bit lost in the woods on this one by following a false trail.  We stayed calm, back tracked and rediscovered the trail. No Blair Witch on this vacation.  After what seems like an endless climb, the forest abruptly ends and you emerge at a clear blue lake surround by snowcapped mountains.   

There is only one hotel in Milford sound and it needs to be booked months in advance.  We are booking hotels about 3-5 days out so we settled for Te Anau, a small town 120km outside Milford sound… And I am glad we did.  Most of the hikes are about halfway between the two and Te Anau has restaurants and reasonable priced hotels. 

The first day we hiked The Key Summit Track, the last section of the Routeburn Track (a 4 day hike that is often listed in the top hikes in the world).  The Key Summit trail was a great view to effort trek.  We climbed gently for ~2 miles with ever improving views of the fjords and surrounding mountains.  The hike culminated with a view of Lake Marion (which we will become much more intimate with shortly).  On our way up to Key Summit Hike we stopped at Mirror Lakes which offered perfect reflections of the snow capped mountains and then stopped at some grassy field with stunning views of the mountains. Bryce ran through the grass like a crazy person who escaped the asylum.

In the afternoon, we signed up to see the glow worm caves.   Some companies don’t allow little children, but we found one that said, “If he can be quiet and still while on a small boat in a dark cave, then he will be fine.” HAHA… Anyone with a 2 year old knows that is an impossible request… but we signed up anyway.  The caves were really cool… no pictures allowed.  Was Bryce quiet on the little boat in the dark? Nope! He gets a C+.  He was “relatively” still on my lap, but was talking and making farm animals sounds.  The worms continued to glow… I actually think they appreciated a break from silence 🙂

In January 2010, my awesome b-school travel crew arrived at the Kawarau Bridge Bungy at 4pm wanted to take the leap.  They didn’t have any spots left and we were leaving the next morning.  10 years later, I returned for my chance to leap.  After a night of reading safety reviews, I learned 2 things (1) its safe! (2) don’t jump like a sissy.

After signing in and getting weighed 3 times, you are forced to wait and watch people jump for an hour.  Again, the lessons are 1) if you jump feet first, you get whipped around and it looks painful 2) its not easier to jump the second or third time the guy counts down.  I made a pact with a few of the people around me that if any of us didn’t jump on the first countdown, we would all booooo them.  Nothing like some peer pressure from complete strangers to push you off a bridge…

Once you’re next the process is tight.  Every check is done twice and nothing is left to chance.  The guy asked me, “Do you want to touch the water?” and with unsure response, I responded, “No?” which was met with a, “Really?!”.  I settled for a “Touch the water, Lite.” If I jump down, I’ll get me hands and maybe the top of my head and if I jump out, I likely wont touch.

So the moment came and you can watch how the rest played out in the video…

It was an awesome, thrilling experience, but one that I don’t need to do again.  Bryce was watching and got really upset when he saw me on the platform and then jumping off.  For the next 24 hours, he kept saying, “DaDa went bum bum.”

Day 29: In a year of Epic hikes through amazing landscape, we might have saved the best for last.  Ben Lomond is one of the tallest mountains  in Queenstown.  The Trek consists of taking a gondola up the mountain to a viewing area THEN climbing 3200 ft over 7 miles to a summit that offer 360 degree views of snowcapped mountains.  After 2h 45min of sweat and tear the summit did not disappoint.  By the time we made it back down the mountain our legs were like jelly and our bellies ready for ice cream.  New Zealand is the first major time zone to celebrate the New Year… which will technically make 2020 the longest year of my life… and if its anything like 2019, I cant wait to live it.

Day 30: Glenorchy.  The drive from Queenstown to Glenorchy is one of the most beautiful in New Zealand with lake and mountain views the entire 50 minutes.  Unfortunately, the smoke from the Australian bush fires decented on New Zealands South Island so the haze covered the mountains.  Unphased we stretched our legs on the Glenorchy Lagoon Walkway and ate lunch at a cute café before heading back to Queenstown. 

After the drive back, I had some energy to burn.  Our AirBnB was near Lake Hayes, an 8km walk around a lovely lake.  I decided to run the track and wow… it was great.  The trail ended up being 9 miles through marshland, a trail above the lane, and past field of hundreds of rabbits.  I didnt understand the “Australian rabbit problem” until I ran by an open field and dozens of rabbits crossed my path.  I feared for my life… from rabbits.

The second you step out of the airplane at the Queenstown airport, we instantly saw what awaited us over the next 5 weeks; crisp air, towering lush mountain forests,  and rugged snow capped peaks.  I was in Queenstown a decade ago for 12 hours before rushing out to Milford Sound.  This time would be different.

Day 26: We arrived in Queenstown late morning, picked up the Nissan X-trail that we would call home for the next 34 days, scooped up some groceries at the Pak’n’Save, and settled into the AirBnB.  The afternoon was spent exploring the city, walking through the botanical gardens, letting the little man burn off some enegy and having a proper meal on the water.

Day 27: Wanaka day trip.  Wanaka is a small town on Lake Wanaka about an hour north Queenstown.  Today, Lisa and Ali would get their first taste of camp Davis.  We hiked Mount Iron, a moderate hill with great views of the surrounding area and mountains in the distance.  The team then walked a few miles around the lake and got a picture of #thewanakatree.  We rested on the pebble beach the bought some gourmet chocolate.  The next day was new years eve and we had quite a trek planned…

Day 23: The great ocean road is a must see in Melbourne.  We didn’t realize that there would be nowhere to stay out on the road around Christmas.  People were advertising their garden shed as an “off grid eco home”.  So, we did it in one day with a lot of driving and unfortunately had to cut a good portion of the scenic drive.  The highlight of the Great Ocean Road is the 12 Apostles, a set of magnificent columns emerging from the ocean.  This experience reminded me of many easily accessible natural wonders… completely overrun with thousands of tourists taking selfies that try to give the impression that they are not in a human cattle run.  After our turn at taking a few pictures, we took Gibson’s Steps down to the beach.  This was the experience we were looking for; few tourists and 95% of the natural beauty.  Bryce and I played in the water and threw rocks.  This is the part of the experience that I will remember.

Day 24: Another jam packed day at Camp Davis.  We hired a driver for the day and the first stop was the Healesville Sanctuary.  Bryce had his second experience with the Australian wildlife before falling asleep in the carrier from all the excitement.  Whenever we say Kangaroo or Wallabies, he hops.

It happens that Healesville is located in the heart of the Yarra Valley, one of Australia’s premier wine regions.  Danielle, Ali, Bryce, Dennis (our driver) and I visited 3 wineries across the valley: Innocent Bystander (great lunch), Oakridge, Yering Station.  I am impressed that in our late 30’s, we weren’t sleeping in the car on the way to the second winery. 

Our last day in Melbourne was spend relaxing and seeing some of the “Lanes” and tourist sites in the city.  And just like that, our time in Australia comes to an end.  If I am lucky, we will return when Bryce can do a little more walking on his own.  Next Stop… NEW ZEALAND, and I couldn’t be more excited.

We had a great apartment in Melbourne just off the South bank.  The first full day, the Davis team explored the city.  The day began with a run along the Yarra River, then a tram around the center city.  We explore a few of the parks and crowds at the Victoria Market.  We ate a terrible meal at HoppHouse with a great view of the river.

Day 20 was a jam packed journey to see the parade of penguins at Phillip Island.  We picked up the rental car early and headed to moonlight nature reserve.  Bryce was reunited with his Wallaby friends from Tasmania.  He fed the kangaroos, chased ducks, and roared at the sleeping Koala bears… a good time was had by all.  We stop in Tooradin for some fish and chips and to let the little man run around at the lighthouse playground.  Fish and Chips always seems like a great idea when your hungry, but by mid afternoon you proclaim that you’ll never eat that again.  Next stop was the Phillips Island Chocolate Factory.  The little man ate chocolate so fast that he spit up on himself and we decided to go.  We spent an hour on the beach and playground on Phillips Island and then headed to the main event… the parade of penguins at 9pm.  We selected the underground seats so Bryce would have more space to run around before the penguins and then actually see them up close.  At 9:02, he was approaching meltdown.  By 9:05, the penguins arrived and he was on cloud nine as the little blue penguins marched past.  His excitement and the look on his face when each round of penguins came ashore made me melt… an experience and a reaction that I’ll never forget. (we weren’t allowed to take pictures so to best I got was Bryce smiling at the stuffed example penguin)

Day 21-22 (Christmas):  On 12/24, we returned to the chaos of Victoria market to buy an assortment of seafood and meats for the next two days.  On the way, Bryce got to meet Santa. You cant see it from the picture, but Bryce kept yelling, “where is Hanukkah Harry?!?!” We then headed down to St. Kilda beach to celebrate Christmas Eve with people in bathing suites and Santa hats.  Its odd having the holidays in the summer.  On Christmas, we visited the aquarium (one of the few places open), returned to St. Kilda and then welcomed a new member to our traveling crew… Ali!  Ali was hold up in LA for a few days but arrived just in time for the Christmas Seafood extravaganza.

Day 16: Freycinet national park is the jewel of the Tasmanian national park system located on the east coast of the island.  It’s a mix of mountains, undisturbed beaches, rugged shore cliffs and forest.  We planned to do the Hazard Beach – wine glass bay circuit which consisted of climbing a small mountain, descending on a deserted beach, crossing the peninsula through a forest and emerging on another undisturbed beach. Unfortunately, Bryce was sick that morning (completely stuffed up and quite irritable) so we passed on my 7 miles hike and settled for the wine glass bay viewpoint and Cape Tourville Lighthouse and Sleepy Bay. I have already started a list for the next time I’m in Tasmania. 

BTW, there are Wallabies all over…

Day 17: We departed Launy (what the locals call Launceston) early and drove to Cradle Mountain National Park.  There are many attractive day hikes around Cradle Mountain.  We choose the Crater Lake, Wombat Pool, Marion’s Lookout combo hike.  The hike began around Dove Lake, the tourist stop, then quickly ascended past 2 alpine lakes before a final steep climb to Marion’s Lookout.  The second we got off the shuttle bus, the wind was howling and we were concerned for Bryce who was still stuffy.  After some Davis Family debate, we wrapped Bryce and the pack in one of my hoodies so he was completely enclosed then gave him my phone and a new 1 hours Super Simple Songs movie.  The hike was amazing and Bryce only maked a peep when he wanted us to restart the movie.   I don’t know how prior generations did it without the “emergency screen.”

We were scheduled to fly to Melbourne the next morning, but pulled an audible.  It was going to be 106 degrees in Melbourne and we didn’t have a change to explore the Tamar valley, an emerging wine/sparking wine region with a great food scene.  So we picked up an extra day in Tasy.

Day 18: After 4 intense days, we slowed down for our last day in Tasmania.  We took a run along the river, made a proper breakfast and then drove to the sparkling wine vineyard that exports to the US.   We then dropped the car back at the hotel and took an Uber to a vineyard that had a great restaurant and beautiful views.  We relaxed tasted some wines, ate some great food and drank a bottle in perfect sunshine.  We finished the day at an outdoor concert and some local craft beers/ciders on the river.

If you like raw nature, completely deserted beaches, and a great beer, wine, and food scene, Tasmania is the place!  After a brutal 7am flight, we arrived with our usually truck worth of baggage and quickly stopped at our Airbnb in Hobart.   

Day 14: Our host thought we had an unreasonably busy itinerary… just the way I like it (not sure when the next time I will be in Tasmania will be).We immediately headed down the coast stopping at the Eaglehawk lookout and devils kitchen before arriving at Port Arthur, a historical prison site.  On our way home, we saw the most spectacular beach with the tide pulled back exposing small sandbars with crabs, snails, and small fish in each one.  I took off my jeans and walked about 800m out into the sandbars to take in the experience. 

Day 15: The second day in Tasmania was all about Bruny Island, a small rugged island, off an island, of an island.  We explored miles or completely uninhabited and untouched beaches, took in some scenic view points, and did the Fluted Cape Track walk (2.5 hours up a cliff along the coast.  On the way back, we stopped for some beer and cheese (along with everyone else on the island) at the Bruny island cheese company.