hiking, swimming, and enjoying life

After our stay at Milford Sound, we continued to Queenstown. Surrounded by towering peaks and framed by the winding bays of Lake Wakatipu, we fell in love with Queenstown from the first moment. 

As Queenstown is a top destination for many travelers, there is a lot going on in this relatively small city. But before we explored the city, we first went to the slightly smaller Glenorchy, from where we started the Routeburn Track. Thanks to our luck, we were able to book the highly sought-after campsites at short notice, and so we set off a day later.

After our first day's stage was very short, we only started in the afternoon and visited Lake Sylvan beforehand. After just two hours, we reached our destination for the day and camped against the picturesque backdrop of huge mountains.

On the second day, our path led through forests until we reached the alpine terrain. Around noon, we reached our goal and took a short detour to Conical Hill, where we had a stunning panoramic view and could see the surrounding white peaks of the Southern Alps.

As the temperatures at the summit were not as pleasant as at Harris Saddle, we quickly made our way back down and had our well-deserved lunch break there.

After the break, we continued along the ridge of the mountain, still enjoying the magnificent views. The path then led us back into the valley to our second campsite at Lake Mackenzie. There, we jumped into the pleasant water and enjoyed the last rays of sunshine before heading into the tent.

The third day may not have been the day with the most altitude gain, but it was the day with the most kilometers. We walked over 30 kilometers on this day. First downhill again and then over a saddle to Caples River. From there, we reached the Mid Caples Hut. This section of the trail was no longer part of the Routeburn Track, but we took this variation to march back to the mountains and return to Glenorchy.

After a seemingly endless day, we reached the Mid Caples Hut. It was definitely one of the coolest huts we have visited in New Zealand so far. 

In the evening, we took another dip in the river, which formed a small pool along the trail, and washed off the sweat from this challenging day. On the last day, we only hiked for 2 hours to the car park and were relieved that the weather had been so cooperative during this tour. For both of us, this hike is definitely one of the most beautiful in New Zealand. 

After returning to civilization at a campsite in Glenorchy and enjoying a delicious pizza, we returned to lively Queenstown. There, we joined the crowd of people who, like everyone else on vacation in Queenstown, bought one of the infamous Fergburgers. You actually have to queue up to buy this burger, which is why you can immediately recognize the small shop when driving through the city center. But the wait is definitely worth it, and we enjoyed the very delicious burger by the lake promenade with a fantastic view. 

After that, we spent a few wonderful days at Lake Hayes, which is only a few minutes away from Queenstown, and enjoyed the summer temperatures. We also climbed Ben Lomond, where we had a great view of Queenstown and the surrounding mountains.

 At Lake Hayes, we also had a great afternoon with Judith and Lara. We made delicious burgers and immersed ourselves in the lively nightlife of New Zealand one evening. QT is truly the first city in New Zealand where you can go out and party on a Thursday night. Overall, we had a great time in Queenstown and would go back there anytime.

Wanaka is the little sister of Queenstown. It is just as beautiful, surrounded by high mountains and located on the edge of Lake Wanaka. However, there are not as many tourists and you can't buy a skydive or bungee jump on every corner. Since we were there on the weekend, there was a lot going on at the beach, and New Zealanders queued up to launch their small boats into the water. Kiwis love to come to the water with their whole family on a sunny day and either go waterskiing or pull their children on small rings behind the boat. 

Since the temperatures were also high in Wanaka, we made the effort to hike to Diamond Lake one day but ended up quickly returning to the lake to cool off. The next day, we went to Roys Peak, one of the most popular destinations in Wanaka. Even on this hot day, we encountered several hikers. The trail was consistently steep and without shade. It was really tough, but once we reached the summit, everything was forgotten. The view was unbeatable, as always. 

After our strenuous hike, we took a cold shower and enjoyed a good doner kebab. After our stay in Wanaka, we went to Lake Hawea, where we finally found a small quiet spot to relax and lazily enjoy the sun.