In April 2014 Longtime Touchstone Staff Members Michelle Leung and Jeffrey Kosoff travelled to New Zealand to spend a month recreating amongst birthing Volcanoes, glacier carved Mountains, heavily polished limestone, sandfly infested coastlines and the living descendants of Old Gondwana. Check out their jaw-dropping trip report!
The following photos reveal a slice of this journey purposefully excluding sheep, roads and mass tourism all of which are plentiful in this South Seas Switzerland. If you have not yet experienced this beautiful uncrowded country filled with kind enterprising rugby fanatics do yourself a favor and go immediately. No seriously, go now. It ain’t getting cheaper!
Michelle traversing volcanic ridge between Tongariro and Ngurahae AKA Mount Doom Tongariro NP, North Island.
Volcanic lakes Tongariro NP
Egmont vert/forest. North Island, Egmont NP Taranaki AKA Misty Mtn. Here we saw a rare glimpse of the symetrical summit cone. Mt. Taranaki is typically hidden in deep cloud cover bathed in constant rain fed by the Tasman sea.
Kaikoura, South Island ruins, a chimney stack at a former whaling station with North Canterbury Ranges to the West. The Kaikoura Peninsula North of Christchurch stretches out into deep water and is populated by seals, penguins and rare seabirds.
Wilderness of Stone, Flock Hill Station, Canterbury, South Island.
To enter this remote private Sheep Station you must register at a nearby lodge. There is no guidebook in print for this absolutely giant boulder field. If you are willing to tackle the arduous 1hr. approach you will be delighted by the silence, immensity and unsullied wilderness feel of this world class boulder field.
Flock Hill.
Spittle Hill, Castle Hill South Island. This boulder field has great access and many classic problems, consequently the holds are icy slick. This is limestone with few features aside from an occasional pocket or hueco, friction climbing without friction. Approach with humility!
Quantum Field, Castle Hill, South Island. What a sunset!
Weka, Native Rail, Fiordland, South Island
New Zealand is a country of invaders. the original plants and animals have largely disappeared. those that have survived are cheeky and resourceful. The Weka raids campsites poking under rainflys and purloins unattended belongings.
Raikura Track, Stewart Island
Across the Fouveaux Strait south of South Island, with only 400 inhabitants Stewart Island remains largely wilderness and a stronghold for species that have disappeared from both North and South Island.
Veranda sunset over Moorea, Tahiti
On the way home we were holed up in a resort, on Tahiti. To escape the stifling air conditioning and artificial light and sounds of our oppressive suite Michelle insisted that we drag a mattress onto the veranda. We soaked in the humid tropical air, the sounds of crashing waves and the light of the sun descending into the Deep Pacific Ocean.
