The view north from the summit of Mt. Arthur taken this morning as the sun crested the tops of the peaks surrounding the tiny town of Paradise at the head of Lake Wakatipu.
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Seven full (and two half) days in New Zealand is just not enough! Even six months has proven to be far too little time to explore the thousands of miles of coast, trail and ridgeline. However, Matt only had seven days to spare, so we did our best to cover as much ground as we could.
He cruised through three flights and 36 hours of travel time to earn a 6 am wake-up call on Day 1 when we kicked off the week with an alpine start and a breath-taking hike above the city to the Ben Lomond saddle. We followed that up the very next day with a three-night trip to Aoraki/Mt. Cook National Park highlighted by the Mueller Hut overnight.
Lugging stuffed packs and mountaineering boots up (and down) more than a thousand meters of rocky, icy and snow-covered elevation did a number on our leg muscles and joints, so we happily took things easy for a few days in Queenstown. Then, it hit... the itch. The pressure of having too little time and the anxiety of needing at least one more adventure – one more big day (or two) in the mountains.
We had plans to make dinner with friends on Saturday night, but decided to make a break for the top of the lake early Sunday morning. I'd been to Paradise on my first trip to Queenstown in January. It was a magical place then... deep, damp New Zealand rain forest giving way to tussock-covered hills and high peaks. I could only imagine how an espcially cold winter and "heaps" of early snow had changed the landscape. Matt's flight home didn't leave until 12:20 Monday, so we could spend the night in Glenorchy or hike into a hut and still get to the airport in time.
"Plan A" needed a rewrite when a fantastic dinner carried on well past our anticipated bed times, but we eventually got everything into the car and set off... rolling along the edge of the teal, sunspeckled lake. After a great lunch and extended coffee break inside Foxy's Cafe, we had officially (through silent, mutual understanding) scrapped the idea of another miserably cold overnight in a hut.
It was 2 pm and we were both falling asleep. But, the sun was shining and the road to Paradise was calling, so we rallied again for a mosey down the road from Paradise to the head of the Dart Track. We carried on well past the logical turn-around point given the frequency and size of the icy fords, but J-Dub, our 1989 Toyotal Corolla, valiently forged on. Giant icicle chandeliers glistened in evening light beneath the forest canopy. As the road curved around Chinaman's Bluff, warm sunshine gave way to a frozen valley – trees, grass and the road were all coated in a thick frost.
Alive again, we returned to a warm fire, hearty meal and a few games of cards at the Glenorchy Hotel and vowed to not waste another day. When the alarm buzzed at 6 am, we robotically packed the car and made the short drive to the Mt. Arthur trailhead.
Usually a half-to-full day hike, we were going up light and fast. Water, small snacks and of course cameras in tow, we hit the beech forest trail and worked our way up tight, frosty switchbacks to a disheveled gully where the unmarked trail continued steeply to the ridgeline. The crystal-clear sky, which was a blanket of stars only moments ago, had faded into the pale pink dawn as we began to claw our way up this shaley nightmare. Sprinting along the ridge, we reached the summit, just before the sun's rays flooded the horizon.
Well, Matt's currently somewhere over the Pacific Ocean; heading back to an uncharacteristically rainy east coast summer. While it certainly felt rushed, we really had a great week of enjoying the outdoors and all that New Zealand has to offer. We were so fortunate to have cold, but otherwise "fine and frosty" days almost straight through. Clear night skies and bold, beautiful mornings have made each hard-earned moment even more wondrous.
It's never easy to pull yourself out of a warm bed before even the sun shows its face. But, it's always worth it.
