All The Gear No Idea: best hikes

Thursday, 23 March 2023

Mount John Summit Walkway

Mount John 23-03-2023

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Route: Tekapo, Tekapo Springs, Mount John, Tekapo Mt John Walkway, Tekapo

Date: 23/03/2023
From: Tekapo

Parking: Tekapo Springs
Start Point: Tekapo Springs
Finish Point: Tekapo Springs
Region: Lake Tekapo

Route length: 8.5 km
Time taken: 02:00
Average speed: 4.9 km/h
Ascent: 376m
Descent: 385m

Points of Interest: Mount John, Lake Tekapo

Mount John can be found at Tekapo in the Mackenzie area on New Zealand's South Island. Tekapo village is probably most famous for the dazzling blue lake, but it is also home to some of the best star gazing in the world thanks to its relative remoteness to light pollution. It is located within the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, which is the largest dark sky reserve in the world. There are plenty of accommodation options in Tekapo if you're looking to use it as a base for a few days.

The Church of the Good Shepherd is a popular spot in Tekapo village

So good are the dark skies that Mount John is home to the University of Canterbury's astronomy site, home to six telescopes including the largest in the country — more on those later.

The hike to the summit of Mount John forms part of a pleasant 8 km circuit that starts and ends in the village, visiting the summit of the hill and then returning along the shore of the lake. It is a perfect hike for the morning or late afternoon, as was my case.

The track begins at Tekapo Springs, where it climbs around the back of the spa complex until it enters the wooded hillside of Mount John. Here it winds its way uphill through the trees on a well-defined track, emerging on the tussock-covered hillside below the summit. This is easily the most challenging part of the hike, simply because it gains 150m in a short space of time.

Mount Edward (1,916m)

Tekapo village

The path from Tekapo Springs climbs the steep side of Mount John

Mount John

The observatory occupies the summit and is closed after 5pm to allow the safe operation of the telescopes. This doesn't prevent you from seeing any of the views, however. If you can't manage the hike or don't have the time, you can drive to the observatory by paying a modest fee to use the road. The Astro Café awaits you at the summit, where you can enjoy a coffee while marvelling at the views.

Views over the Mackenzie Basin

Lake Tekapo

The Mount John Observatory

On the subject of the summit — the University of Canterbury owns the observatory atop Mount John, which is home to the 1.8m MOA telescope, the largest optical telescope in New Zealand. They operate tours through the Dark Sky Project, and we were lucky enough to spend some time at the observatory on a crystal-clear night that coincided with a strong Aurora Australis or, Southern Lights. The results were spectacular.

A strong Aurora Australis was on show when we visited the observatory

The Milky Way over Tekapo

The Astro Café atop Mount John

Geologically (or glacialogically), Mount John is a roche moutonnée on a vast scale. These rock formations are created by the passage of glacial ice over underlying bedrock resulting in asymmetrical erosion as the ice is slowed on the upstream face of the rock and then accelerates over the downstream side.

The entire landscape of the MacKenzie region was shaped by the most recent Ice Age with glacial flooding creating the flat terrain in the Mackenzie Basin. Situated at an altitude exceeding 600 meters and located in the rain shadow of the mountains, the dry, and cold region surrounding Lake Tekapo experiences a climate similar to that of Siberia. It has extremely hot summers and freezing winters, with little rainfall. These factors contribute to the arid nature of the area.

The best view of the Mackenzie Basin is from the top of the track after it emerges from the woodland.

The view from the trail over the Mackenzie Basin

The Mackenzie Basin

The trail continues along the spine of Mount John, heading north down a fairly gentle slope. The views to the north are spectacular, encompassing Lake Tekapo, Lake Alexandrina, the Gamack and Hall Ranges and part of the Southern Alps.

Clouds spill through Tekapo Saddle

Mount Ardmore (1,989m)

Lake Tekapo and the Southern Alps

Lake Alexandrina

Descending from Mount John

At the north end of Mount John, the path turns through 180 as it descends towards the lake and begins its route back towards Tekapo Springs. Here, you'll get the best of the views of Lake Tekapo.

Looking north across Lake Tekapo

Motuariki Island and the Two Thumb Range

The pleasing lines of the Sibbald Range, crowned by Mount Sibbald (2,811m)

Descend off the north side of Mount John

Motuariki Island and Mount Ardmore (1,989m)

Tekapo village

Lake Tekapo is one of three lakes that run roughly parallel along the northern edge of the Mackenzie Basin, the other two being Lake Pukaki and Lake Ohau. The lake is fed by water from the Southern Alps, specifically meltwater from the Grey Glacier, Classen Glacier and Godley Glacier (among other, smaller ones). The glacial silt carried in the water gives Lake Tekapo its distinctive colour.

Lake Tekapo

The route back to the village follows the shoreline of the lake along the eastern side of Mount John. This section is fairly flat, all the way back to Tekapo Springs.

Lake Tekapo

Clouds spill through Tekapo Saddle

Lake Tekapo

Tekapo village

Lake Tekapo in Tekapo village

The scenery around Mount John makes a climb to the summit well worth the effort. In addition, the summit of Mount John, with its observatory and state-of-the-art telescopes, offers a unique opportunity to explore the depths of the universe and witness the brilliance of the stars above. It seems Tekapo is fast trying to position itself as a main tourist destination on South Island, and I can see why. The scenery, both during the day and the night, is truly stunning.

Friday, 17 March 2023

Milford Sound / Piopiotahi Foreshore Walk

Milford Sound 17-03-2023

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Route: Milford Sound Lodge, Milford Foreshore Walk, Freshwater Basin, Milford Sound Harbour, Milford Sound Highway, Milford Sound Lodge

Date: 17/03/2023
From: Milford Lodge

Parking: Milford Sound Lodge
Start Point: Milford Sound Lodge
Finish Point: Milford Sound Lodge
Region: Fiordland National Park

Route length: 7.3km
Time taken: 02:30
Average speed: 4.7km/h
Ascent: 77m
Descent: 85m

Points of Interest: Milford Sound / Piopiotahi

Milford Sound / Piopiotahi is a breath taking fiord located in the southwestern part of New Zealand's South Island (Te Waipounamu). Renowned for its awe-inspiring natural beauty and pristine wilderness, Milford Sound is often regarded as one of the most stunning destinations in the world. Milford Sound is part of the larger Fiordland National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site that encompasses over 1.2 million hectares of untouched wilderness.

The Earl Mountains from State Highway 94 - the only sealed road into Fiordland National Park

We spent a couple of days camping at the Milford Sound Lodge, located a short distance from the fiord itself. The reason we spent a few days in the area was to give ourselves the best chance of actually seeing the fiord given its reputation for wetness, which we got to experience first-hand.

One of the accommodation blocks at Milford Sound Lodge

The Cleddau River

Fiordland National Park is renowned for its wetness, earning it the title of one of the wettest places on Earth. The park's unique geography, characterized by towering mountains and deep fjords, creates an environment where moisture-laden clouds from the Tasman Sea collide with the steep slopes, resulting in abundant rainfall. The park receives an average of 200 days of rain per year, with rainfall measurements often exceeding several meters. That said, Milford Sound / Piopiotahi is worth visiting when it is raining as thousands of ephemeral waterfalls form on the steep cliffs, some for only a few hours at a time.

Ephemeral waterfalls on the cliffs of Fiordland

Many people will experience Milford Sound looking a little like this

Despite the beauty of its location, there is precious little hiking in the area, unless you set off on one of the multi-day hikes into the wilderness. This includes the most popular of all of New Zealand's Great Walks, the Milford Track which makes a four-day journey from Te Anau to Milford Sound / Piopiotahi. The most accessible and most popular walk in the local area is around the foreshore.

Once it had finally stopped raining, we ventured out of our campervan to the village. The foreshore walk, though short, gives some of the best views of the fiord, even on a grey day like today.

Milford Sound / Piopiotahi

The views of the fiord are dominated by the mountains and Mitre Peak in particular - it is an iconic landmark that rises dramatically from the water to a height of 1,692m. The distinctive shape of Mitre Peak resembles a bishop's mitre, hence the name.

Mitre Peak

Speaking of names, you'll notice that I have been using the dual name for Milford Sound / Piopiotahi. This is thanks to the Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998, which included the alternation of significant place names to receive an official dual English and Māori name. Other areas included in the settlement are Aoraki / Mount Cook, Franz Josef Glacier / Kā Roimata o Hine Hukatere and Lake Rotorua / Te Rotorua nui ā Kahumatamomoe.

The English or European name, Milford Sound, is largely incorrect and fairly meaningless. Milford Sound / Piopiotahi is actually a fiord, not a sound. Sounds are formed when a river valley is flooded by the sea, whereas Milford Sound was formed by the erosion of ancient glaciers. The Milford part was described by sealer John Grono in 1823, who named it Milford after Milford Haven, his place of birth.

The Māori name, Piopiotahi, relates to the legend of Maui and his quest to win immortality for mankind. The quest required Maui to kill the goddess of death, Hine-nui-te-po, but Maui failed and was killed instead (I'll let you find out yourself how that came about). His partner, a piopio (a native thrush), flew to Milford Sound to mourn the death of Maui. Piopiotahi translates to 'a single piopio'.

A South Island Piopio specimen from Te Papa, the National Museum of New Zealand

If the tide is out you'll be able to get out a short distance onto the sandy bay which gives the best views of Bowen Falls (Hineteawa), the tallest permanent waterfall in Milford Sound / Piopiotahi. Given the amount of rain that had fallen the previous day, the waterfall was looking at its best when we visited. The river that feeds the waterfall also drives a hydroelectric turbine that provides all of the power to the small collection of buildings at Milford Sound / Piopiotahi.

Heading out at low tide

Bowen Falls (Hineteawa)

Following the sweep of Freshwater Basin took us to the cruise terminal that forms the hub of tourism in Milford Sound / Piopiotahi. Several cruises depart from the wharf and will take you to the mouth of the fiord and for a close encounter with Stirling Falls.

Freshwater Basin

The Lion and The Elephant guard Stirling Falls

Milford Sound / Piopiotahi Harbour below Barren Peak

Mitre Peak

The two-story vessels give a sense of scale to the mountains

The clouds continued to clear throughout the afternoon and, by the evening, we were treated to a cloud-free sunset over the fiord. For the first time in a couple of days, we could see Mount Pembroke, one of the tallest mountains that surround Milford Sound / Piopiotahi.

Freshwater Basin below the steep slopes of Cascade Peak

Milford Sound / Piopiotahi

The terraces show successive glaciations

Milford Sound / Piopiotahi

The Lion and The Elephant

Mitre Peak

Milford Sound / Piopiotahi

The Elephant, The Lion and Mount Pembroke

Mount Pembroke

Milford Sound / Piopiotahi

We returned the following day to spend a morning kayaking on the fiord, which is an incredible experience. What was more amazing was that we had managed to pick the only dry, sunny period of the entire time we were in the area. Getting out on the water is the best way to experience Milford Sound / Piopiotahi and this was an experience that will live long in the memory.