Spring break IV: Kaikoura

We got to Kaikoura, checked out town, and headed once again to the information center to gather some hiking information. This was a funny scene because at this point we'd all been dirty and wearing basically the same nasty clothes for nine days and our socks and shoes were still hanging off the car to dry so half of us were barefoot. They weren't particularly helpful and seemed to be cleaning every surface we sat on... ah well, the price you pay for living the cheap and dirty dream life. Then we headed to our supernice campground – a legitimate, legal free campground again! Yay! There was a friendly couple there who had quit jobs and sold everything in America/Canada and come to New Zealand and Australia to travel and eventually work. They were really fun to talk to, especially since you don’t meet people who are willing to give up so much to go after their dreams very often, and I think it was inspiring for all of us to be reminded that our time in New Zealand is by no means the last travel adventure any of us will have.

 

Gorgeous drive to Kaikoura - beaches and huge mountains right next to each other are a common but still stunning sight in New Zealand

The next morning we woke up bright and early to go climb Mt. Fyffe, the highest mountain on the agenda for our trip at 1600m/5200ft. It may not sound like a lot, but we started at just 200m, so it was quite the climb! It was estimated to take eight hours round trip so I was a little nervous because, as I’ve mentioned, I was a lot slower than the other people I was with and I didn’t want to be miserable trying to keep up. The first hour was pretty miserable – just straight up a steep gravel road with no flats whatsoever. After that misery was over, though, the views started getting good and the trail got more interesting. Before we knew it we were at the Mt. Fyffe hut taking a break and waiting hopefully for the weather to clear up a bit.

 

Early view of Kaikoura Peninsula covered by clouds

The views were great even at the start, not that you can really tell in pictures

From the hut the remaining hour and a half to the summit was all snow. It wasn’t so bad because there were footprints we could all walk in. We climbed higher and higher, eventually reaching a snowy ridge that went up to the summit. This part was so cool! It looked like a real mountain climb, and I was excited because it was still pretty easy and doable just as a day hike for someone of my fitness level. I think we all felt pretty badass hiking up this ridge and eventually reaching the summit of the mountain. The views were incredible - snowy mountains behind us and a valley stretching out in front of us, including Kaikoura Peninsula and lots of ocean. It was such a thrill, I'm hooked on climbing mountains and excited that some really cool ones are easy enough for me to do!

 

 

On the ridge to the top - the two people are Zak and Dahlia

 

On the ridge approaching the summit, I'm the one on the right!

 

Pole at the summit!

We met an Irish lady on the way up and had her take some pictures of all of us

 

After soaking in the views we started our descent, which was harder since we were sinking deep into the snow and by the end all of our knees were killing us. Still, totally worth it.

  

Told you walking down in the snow was hard, right Zak?

We headed back to town to hang out on the beach and bask in the views of the mountain we had just climbed. Eventually we headed back to camp, where our friendly neighbors had conveniently built a fire so we were even able to dry all of our shoes and enjoy a more festive camp atmosphere. Needless to say, we all slept really well that night.

 

We were quite happy. 

 

Beautiful Kaikoura coast

 

 This is Mt. Fyffe! The sun conveniently lit it up to accentuate how awesome it was that we climbed it.

The next day was somewhat of a rest day. We were planning to do the Kaikoura peninsula walk, but after an hour of walking along the road Phil and I got bored and went into town to get some fish and chips, shop for gifts, and relax in the sun instead. Of course the weather was perfect the day AFTER we climbed the mountain, but it still made for some pretty views!

 

 

Seals EVERYWHERE

 

After our tasty lunch it was time to move on to Hanmer Springs!