Auckland International's control tower. On this particular trip, the airport was pretty much all I saw in Auckland.
Braided river on the approach to the airport in Christchurch
Former University of Canterbury building.
Invercargill Airport. We were supposed to fly into Queenstown, but bad weather caused the flight to be diverted to Invercargill.
Welcome to Invercargill.
Countryside and sheep along the road from Invercargill to Queenstown.
Lumsden was a stop on the rail line (since removed) between Invercargill and Kingston. Travellers would then catch the lake steamer from Kingston to Queenstown.
One of many cabbage trees in NZ.
I took the gondola up from Queenstown, then hiked a bit further to where a number of paragliders were taking off.
A nice view, but a bit dark of the airspace the paraglider was flying into.
Lake Wakatipu and the mountains on the other side.
Downtown Queenstown in 1993 as I was on my way to the Te Anau airport. If you have been in Queenstown, note the lack of the steamboat terminal in town.
Flying over the bush. There is an amazing treeline with the mountains in NZ.
Te Anau is that clump of trees next to the lake. I only got about 10 minutes in town on this trip as our plane arrived late.
The Twin Otter we flew from Queenstown to Te Anau. This plane wasn't pressurized, and I could see through a few gaps where the door closed. Nice views with the high wing.
On Lake Te Anau. We just got to the boat in time, to meet the rest of the group to do the Milford Track.
The bush along the shoreline.
North end of Lake Te Anau. It's the start of the Milford Track, and the end of the Clinton Valley.
The official start of the Milford Track in Fiordland National Park.
This was the cool old steamer that took people to start the Milford Track for many years. I think they have replaced it.
The first thing Liz, our guide did was to take us on a side trip hike up where we could get a good view of the lake. Liz also gave us a great introduction into the vegetation that we would see.
I should look up the name of this mountain. This was the backdrop to our group picture as we started the track.
A view up the Clinton River
Welcome to Glade House! At this time accommodations on the track were still pretty rustic, even on the guided version of the trip.
The swingbridge across the Clinton River. Liz mentioned that this bridge was built by the Fijian Army as an exercise.
A friendly Kea. These mountian parrots can be too friendly, and this one almost took off with lunches and a camera. Don't feed the Kea!
This rockfall was called 'The Big Slip' and it created the alluvial fan we walked across in the next picture.
The damage caused by 'The Big Slip' was extensive.
The view from Clinton Forks hut. A few years earlier the hut here had been washed away by the river. You can see and old water pipe sticking out of the river bank. A few years later the hut you see on the edge of the picture was also washed away. Now DOC has moved the hut well away from the river.
Dead Lake. Or at least I think that was the name. The Big Slip cased the formation of this lake, and the death of the trees.
Big mossy tree along the track.
In a tunnel of fuschia trees.
A Paradise Shelduck with two Shelducklings.
A particularly nice tussock grass. One of Liz's favorite plants along the track.
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Traveling alone makes it hard to get pictures of oneself. So I took along my toy hedgehog, who obligingly posed in many situations when needed. Nice lake and waterfall as well....
Yes, the water really is that color, and that clear.
Almost to Pomplona lodge. We have to cross over the pass in the middle the next day.
Looking back through the Clinton Valley
A weka running around.
This part of the track is surrounded by cliffs and waterfalls coming down. The wind will often blow the waterfalls around.
The huts are serviced by helicopters. This is the landing pad at Pomplona Lodge.
The next day we got quite a bit of rain, but it just made the waterfalls so much better.
More waterfalls.
How could I not get my picture taken here. We only stopped long enough for the picture. Then we promptly tramped through as quick as we could. Remember what 'The Big Slip' did?
The head of the Clinton Valley from the trail going up across McKinnon Pass.
Looking down the valley at Lake Mintaro.
Here the trail gets a bit harder. It also gets quite slippery when it rains.
Here I am at the monument on the pass. The trail however, keeps going up a bit to the hut for lunch.
If you look carefully you can see the monument. The rocky outcrop on the right is 12 second drop. It's the quickest way down from the pass, straight down in 12 seconds. It's only recommended for the Keas.
Sign on the way to Sutherland Falls.
Sutherland Falls, from the spot in the previous picture where the sign is.
Sutherland Falls from near the base of the falls. Or as near as I was getting with my camera. We walked behind the falls, which was an amazing experience. There is a cave behind the falls that you can safely walk into.
The old Quentin Huts. It was replaced in the next year or two after I made my trip.
After the rainy day, we had another nice sunny day for our final day on the track.
MacKay Falls.
The rarely photographed rapids just below MacKay Falls.
Lake Quill from the top of Sutherland Falls
The other side of Lake Quill
Lake Quill's outlet, and the beginning of Sutherland Falls.
The Clinton Valley from the helicopter.
Mt. Balloon
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Looking down at the top of Sutherland Falls
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Milford Sound from my hotel room.
Are we going to fly though that gap between the two mountains?
Apparently so.
Mitre Peak on a perfectly cloudless morning. On my two visits to Milford Sound, I have always had perfect weather.
Milford Sound.
Milford Sound looking inland.
Sleeping sea lions.
More Milford Sound
Stirling Falls.
A New Zealand 'Christmas Tree' with red flowers, and a wood pigeon above it you look really carefully.
On the way back to Queenstown, we got a couple more views of lake quill.
Mackinnon Pass. I was initially a bit sad when I took this picture, and that the pass was covered in cloud. After I developed the film however, it turned out as one of my favorite pictures I have ever taken.
One last picture of Lake Quill.
Glenorchy in foreground and the deltas of the Dart (left) and Rees (right) rivers.
We dropped off a couple of passengers here in Glenorchy. Before we landed the pilot buzzed the field to scare the sheep off the runway.
Our plane in Queenstown, with the Remarkables in the background.
Sheep!
Jet Boat trip on the Shotover. It's not bad, but the trips on the Dart or the Paradise River (near Makarora) are much better.
Spinning the jetboat around.
Relaxing next to lake Wakatipu.
InterCity used to be the major busline in NZ. It was owned by the government, and pretty good. I used it to go up the West Coast from Queenstown to Nelson.
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Along the West Coast.
Another nice West Coast picture.
Lake Moeraki.
Mount Tasman (left) and Mount Cook (Right)
Mount Tasman
Mount Cook
A nice side waterfall at Franz Josef. Two years later this area would all be filled with ice as the glacier had advanced quite a bit.
Franz Josef Glacier. Two years later you weren't able to get to this point.
Franz Josef Glacier. Two years later all of this area was under the glacier.
A nice close-up of the Franz Josef glacier. Notice the sub-tropical vegetation on the cliff.
The hedgehog's chillin.
Looking back down the valley. The parking area was next to the shelter left center. The current viewpoint is on the hill behind that.
A bit of nice vegetation near the glacier.
The Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki.
Downtown Nelson 1993
Lake Rotoiti
Going up the Travers Valley in Nelson Lakes National Park.
Inside Hopeless Hut. Sir Ed was here.
I arrived at the hut in the dark. The next morning I had this view out the window.
Looking up the valley. There is a track that comes down from Mount Angeles.
I took this picture thinking how much it reminded me of what Middle Earth should look like.
Hopeless Hut
A bit of the trail to Hopeless Hut.
DOC puts these markers on trees to help you find your way.
River bed? Yep, but it's also the trail.
More mountains in NLNP.
Quite the alluvial fan here.
Back to the bottom of the valley.
Ol' Cap'n Cook really got around.
Split Apple rock on the Abel Tasman Track.
Torrent Bay. It was completely empty when I left, but had filled up by the time I had walked to this point.
Kayakers along the way.
A nice bit of river scenery.
A lagoon along the way.
The beach at the end of the day's walk where I caught the boat back.
The old Cora Wilding hostel in Christchurch, since closed, was a cool old mansion. It had a wonderful huge kitchen, and was in this nice park.
Christchurch, near Christ's College.
Robert Falcon Scott.
A nice old School building.
Punting along the Avon.
The Christchurch Airport
