Starting out, unfit, disorganised with so much unknown ahead and facing a week of bad weather, hence we are starting at Key Summit instead of by traversing the Serpentine Range - photo credit to Maz Krough
The weather threw a late snowy curve ball as climbed up Death Valley
Focusing on the small beautiful things, stopped me from focusing too much on the very big picture
A finch
A cuckoo - yes this isn't a great photo, but I don't feel like I see these birds often so I really wanted to include it.
Mist rises as the weather changes from atrociously bad to atrociously hot
More mist
I really enjoyed this kettle at the Cattle Flat Rock Biv
The Dart Valley really is a rather magical place, and I'd never been until this traverse
Early morning tarn reflections at Rees Saddle, before things got a bit hairy going over to Lochnagar
Making new friends in the mountains
Finally safe, the descent into the stunning place of Lochnagar
Admiring the view at Lochnagar Hut
Works both ways, looking in at Maz heating water for dinner
This has got to be one of the best hut toilet views?
Lochnagar had some truly magical reflections
Just stunning
The outflow of Lochnagar was up quite a bit though, so we found ourselves trusting to an older cable way to get safely across. - Maz in action
View into the home territory of my university stomping ground, Matukituki Valley, from Shotover Saddle
By now spring had sprung and the Matukituki Valley was full of gorgeous lambs
Matukituki River catching the light
Majestic sheep with Sharkstooth peak in the background
Beautiful lighting in the East Matukituki Valley
I love that the mountains are playing hide and seek behind the clouds
Maz on a three wire bridge
The Wilkin Valley is glorious
Mt Cook Buttercup in the upper Wilkin
Rock Wren at Lake Castalia
Now there will be a series of Rock Wren photos as I can never pick a favourite.
Getting closer
My dad came and joined for the section over Gillespie Pass - thanks to Jess Blyth for the photo
Lovely the lushness of the forest
Heading solo up the Landsborough Valley into a gathering storm certainly felt as ominous as this photo makes it feel
Atmospheric
Linking up all of the Southern Alps, also meant crossing some high country station, where I met this wee cutie and his friends
The Dobson, I feel this photo well captures the mood of we slogged all the way up, watched some avalanches fall down, then turned around and slogged the whole way back down.
Admitting defeat after trying another way over the ranges from the Dobson to Mt Cook Village - there's still a 12km section I need to go back and complete. Who's keen to join?
A few days to regroup waiting for weather at Mt Cook, meant playing with ducklings!
Having a wee rest
Sleepy duckling
Nap time and snuggles
Yep that's probably too many photos of ducklings now, but they're so cute!
I always love a stormy day, the photos are somehow better than bluebird day. So as we waited for the weather to clear in Aoraki/Mt Cook Village I was fortunate to get this beautiful stormy of the mountain
First light on Aoraki as the storm clears
Playing with shadow and icebergs on the Tasman Glacier lake
While it's sad that a lake like this indicates the relatively fast loss of a Glacier, it is rather beautiful
Heading up the Tasman
My first real look at Plateau Hut, although I've been up and down the Tasman before I've never really looked for the hut. Fitting that here it is with one of the many Helicopters that bring climbers in and out daily.
Sooji, stoked to be having a snack about the Moraine on our way up to Plateau Hut. I was very glad to make my first trip there a walk in
The Grand Plateau from Cinerama Col
Looking across the East Ridge of Dixon
Scouting tomorrow's route and getting carried away with the lighting
Loving the texture of the Linda Icefall
Lighting play on the Grand Plateau
West Coast Neves, stoked to pass through here on skis
The old Pistenbully on the Tasman Glacier
Skis were essential for traversing fast on the soggy afternoon glaciers
Evening light in the mountains is always special
When you've been stuck in a hut for a few days and don't have enough gas to cook the hut pasta. So instead you cold soak it to a batter and cook it as mini-pancakes over a candle!
Sooji crossing in front of a waterfall in the Perth Valley, travel in this valley is so much improved thanks to the predator control work by ZIP
A pre-used eggshell I found
There was a year that I think I saw Blue Duck on every single trip I went out. It was wonderful to once again see them in so many regions - although there is still a long way to go to protect this species
Sooji, Emily and Adam in the upper Perth
Stunning spot for a campsite in the upper Perth Valley - and it only took a day to get here this time!
Adam, Emily and Sooji relaxing and enjoying a good campfire in the Upper Perth
This pretty boy came to play in camp
Who me? I'm so innocent
There he is
Such a cheeky cutie
Oh Hello there! This would be my closest Tahr encounter yet. He watched us climb up the face for ages below him, and fortunately stuck around for me to take this photo before taking off.
Sooji and Adam climbing up past Tahr Rock on Perth Saddle
After another day rain-bound it was nice to see evidence of clearing on the horizon
Black and White and moody heading up the McCoy Glacier
Sooji surveying the route ahead into the Lyall Glacier
Portrait of Emily
Emily looking like a real badass mountain woman with the mountains reflected in her sunglasses
Emily enjoying the wonderful and newly rebuilt Lyall Hut!
Orange Fungi!
Admire the tenacity of the daisy, growing out of a crack in the rocks
Beautiful landscape and routes ahead
I met yet another kea on my travels! He looks happy to see me
Isn't he beautiful?
Yellow on the edge of his eye indicates he's only just becoming an adult
Views in the Wilberforce
These Harakeke flowers caught my attention
Ah this is a familiar view, from Carrington Hut on Christmas Eve
Christmas Star maybe?
Lake Mavis proved to be a popular place for just after Christmas, with some beautiful lighting too
By now I'd walked many mountains but still had a long way to go
Chris enjoying camp at Lake Mavis
Sooji and Chris waiting for me to stop taking photos and continue walking
But then I found this little one hiding in amongst the rocks and was even slower taking even more photos
She's such a cutie
...
Even closer
In beautiful light
Both sides
And even a cheeky over-the-shoulder shot
A Sooji taking a Sooji-route up Tarn Col
Lake Minchin
A Robin!
Everything in nature is just beautiful
There were also Whio
Calling for his mate
So close - eyeing me up
I love the ripples in this one
It was beautiful to see carpets of flowers
Kea in flight - always the elusive photo, but I'm making some progress
This one's not half bad!
Oh the colour of those underwings!
The feathers!
The power of flight
So this cheeky group of Juveniles came to visit me on New Year's Eve and played the game of sneaking up behind me while I read my book.
I had planned on an early night for New Years Eve, but one of these buggers spoiled that plan by chewing on my tent until well after midnight
Beak set to damage mode
It was a beautiful camp for New Years Eve!Â
Feathered pest! - not really, I love these birds
Clouds from a distant summit
I've never come across deer just chilling on alpine flowers. But then again I guess I rarely travel alone and thus I'm never this quiet.
Just kilometres of beautiful tussocky tops travel
I love tops
Distant snowier mountains
Sunset lakeside camping
It really was a great campsite
Sun in the forest
Who wouldn't want to walk up this stunning sunny creekbed
Beautiful forest
Oh what a wonderful creek to walk up
Brass Monkey Biv. How is it I never see the view when I visit?
I love secret valleys like this
My favourite mountain snack - snow totara! I got so hungry on the traverse, that I was always glad to stop and harvest these!
I actually think the Rifleman might have low key been the bird of the trip, I was delighted to hear them everywhere. A lot harder to get a decent photo though.
Two riflemen in one photo!
Aren't they wee cuties!
They move so quick!
Stunning wee three-wire bridge
Tomtit on the bridge
I love just finding beautiful spots like this. They aren't famous spots and I probably would struggle to tell you exactly where they are, but somehow that makes them even more special. Like they are my secrets.
Just classic New Zealand
Mountain textures - a vegetable sheep
I love the way the light was catching this robin
I love how close I could get to the texture of the feathers of his head
Even closer
Just the perfect model
I love the textures of nature
The number of times I've looked at this photo and only just noticed the insect approaching the flowers!
The Matiri Valley is a strange feeling place, the track has been left to its own devices. Now the river is often better for travel than the track.
Upper Matiri Valley
Climbing up above the Matiri Valley, heading to the Wangapeka (incidentally the site of one of my first ever South Island tramping trips). It's a pretty spectacular traverse.
I love the texture of this tree
I love the colours I caught on this rifleman! Seriously bird of the trip!
Magic forest moment
Kahurangi National Park has so many beautiful green moments
And the green forest goes on for miles
Another amazing rifleman!
Tops nearing the end of the traverse now
And as luck would have it a super cute fluffy weka baby!
The Dragon's teeth looking beautifully atmospheric! - I'll have to do the high traverse/climb them one day.
Route to the Dragon's teeth
Lonely Lake Hut - I actually think this might have been my favourite hut of the traverse. It had been done up since the last time I was there and was beautifully thought out on the inside. As well as so snug for one person, I think that's why I loved it so much after rattling around solo in much larger huts.
I mean what a spot to sit for dinner
What a stunning sunset!
Oh that lighting!
Beams!
Just magical light
Goats are a bit of a pest in this national park, but he still looked pretty cool
Love the Kahurangi Forest, love the tree tumour! Low traverse of the dragon's teeth. As much as I wanted to do the high traverse safety prevailed alone and heading north instead of south...
Adelaide Tarn!
So I feel like I can say that I've now searched the Southern Alp along it's entire length, and this has to be the best swimming hole out there. Right behind Boulder Lake Hut.
Seriously what a waterfall
I love the reflection on Boulder Lake
Just an amazing final morning in the hills
And after 84 days, I've finally reached the coast
The final day, a wander onto Farewell Spit
Pied Oystercatchers facing the weather
I couldn't tell if I liked it more in black and white or colour
