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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. 

The fires in southeastern Australia made the air quality unpredictable.  One day, the wind can blow the smoke away from the city and another day, Sydney could smell like your living in a camp fire.  We scheduled 36 hours to see the city.

Fortunately, the air quality was decent the day we were there.  We spent the day seeing the big sites: Opera House, Harbor Bridge, Botanical Gardens, Bondi, and Bondi to Coogie walk, Dinner in Darling Harbor. 

We added Tasmania, which could have been the best decision of the entire trip…

Day 10 we relaxed.  Took a run in the inferno and spent some time by the large pool lagoon.  We couldn’t go in the ocean due to the highly poisonous and virtually invisible Irukandji jellyfish (also why we are wearing stinger suites in several pictures)

Day 11 we headed out to Whitehaven beach, regularly rated one of the top beaches in the world.  The sand was so fine it felt like baking flour.  We spent 3 hours playing on the beach and dipping into the water with our stinger suites on.  We then piled back into the boat for some drinks on the way back to shore.

Australia is currently experiencing awful bush fires with over a thousand homes destroyed and a dozen people killed.  Much of southern and eastern Australia is blanketed with haze on good days and smoke and ash on bad days.  Our original plan had 3 days in Sydney, 3 days on Bondi Beach and 2 days hiking in the Blue Mountains.  Unfortunately the Blue Mountains are closed due to the fires and Sydney has been blanketed with hazardous air quality.  We reshuffled out itinerary and will only be spending 36 hours in Sydney to avoid prolonged exposure to the poor air.

We arrived in Airlie Beach with our usual entourage of bags and were greeted by 95 degree heat and no taxis… so there we are loading our 2 large suitcases, large tote bag, car seat, hiking baby carrier, hiking back pack, baby stuff backpack and running stroller onto the bus as the other passengers looked on in horror.

The first day we headed out on the Great Barrier Reef Excursion which was rate very highly for children.  The 3 hour boat ride was rough for Bryce.  Once we hit open water, we think he got sea sick from trying to watch his shows with the waves… that didnt go well for anyone aboard.   We arrived at the pontoon on Hardy’s Reef.  We took a glass bottomed boat around and Bryce got to see the big fish swimming.  The pontoon also had a glass room that we frequented a few times. It was great for children who cant swim.  Danielle and I took turns snorkeling which was outrageous and before we new it, it was time to head back to shore. 

Byron Bay is a hip coastal town in the southeastern Australian state of New South Wales, known for its beaches and surfing.  The Davis clan set up shop for a few days of light hiking, beach time, and working on our Australian accents.  My little blond surfer baby loved the beach, nearby playground, eating ice cream and talking gibberish to anyone that walked by. We hiked the Cape Byron State Conservatory, marveled at the huge lizards, visited some local farms, found some great places to drink Australian Beers, and rushed to seafood store each day before it closed at 6 to pickup some of day catch. The days flew by and we were back on the plane headed to see the Great Barrier Reef!

After the 32-hour journey, we hit the ground running.  No crashing.  We took a walk along the Brisbane River waterfront to stretch our legs and see some of the sites.  We needed to stay awake until 7pm to begin adjusting to our new time zone.  We stumbled upon Felons Brewing, a micro brewery on the river with an amazing outdoor space.  The beers were calling our name, but after 2.5 beers, our 7pm sleep target seemed a bit aggressive.  With our exhaustion and Bryce’s fear of the Australian white ibis (these birds are everywhere) roaming around, we decided to head back to the airbnb.

We were up at 4am and by 8am, we were at streets beach on the south bank.  The South Bank of Brisbane could be the most livable area of any city I have ever visited.  The public spaces were meticulously care for with children’s parks, public pools, and cute shops and restaurants.  If this city wasn’t so far from home, I could see myself living here. The next morning, I tested out my injured ankle with a run around the botanical gardens and south bank then packed up our 50 bags of luggage and headed south the Byron Bay.