A Long and Fulfilling Hike

October 28th, 2006 Glebe Apartments, Queenstown, New Zealand
My alarm sounded at 6:15 this morning. Even on a normal day, this is entirely too early. But I had stayed up past 2 the night before, trying to upload this blog and just sitting around aimlessly. So, I was tired. I found my way to A-Line Hotel next door, where our group has been served breakfast the past few mornings. I decided to partake of this meal this morning because it’s a good idea to have a little food in your system when you go hiking. I stuck an apple and a banana in my backpack for later. The other hikers (Dr. Byram, Joelle, Kevin Finn, and Derek) came and we were ready to set out a little after 6:45. We had our own little Fellowship; we just decided not to carry our swords. We walked to the base of the mountain behind Queenstown where a sort of ski-lift rose to the summit. It was referred to as a gondola, which I thought strange, since I had never heard this name referring to anything but the skinny boats in Venice.
However, a sign had been placed over the path stating that it had been closed. Of course. That’s just how it goes when it comes to us. Fortunately, down the street and past a campground was another path leading up the side of the mountain. We entered onto the dirt and gravel path and began our long ascent through the trees. Eventually we broke off to the left on a more primitive dirt path. After a good little while, we merged from the woods, sitting for a moment to get our breath. Kevin was not able to continue because of some Indian food that was persisting on attempting to dirty his pants. So he turned around and we pushed on. Before us stood Ben Lomond, a black peak with small streaks of snow resting in the crags. Below us was a forested valley. All around us were hillsides coated in long grass of green, reddish brown, and yellow. A cool breeze followed us the entire day, and the air was clean and cold and wonderful.
The description of the Ben Lomond Trail stated that hikers should be in “high fitness,” and I was beginning to see why. The trail was tough and rugged, slick at times because of recent rainfall. I led for most of the hike, followed by Joelle, and then Dr. Byram, and finally Derek. He’s the kind of guy who really, really likes to take his time. I set the pace with a brisk walk, stopping occasionally for pictures and taking in as much of the scenery as I possibly could. At one point, I turned off the path along a ridge which led up a steep hill. I jogged up to the top where I was presented with a spectacular panoramic view of Queenstown below, ranges of mountains behind the town, Lake Wakatipu to the right, and Ben Lomond behind me. Yeah, I was definitely hiking in New Zealand.
I returned to the path and continued along the hillsides. I finally rejoined Joelle and Dr. Byram and we waited for the straggler to come along. We had almost reached Ben Lomond Saddle, which was our destination. We climbed over a rolling hill sitting between Ben Lomond and a large knoll. I came over the top of the hill and stopped in my tracks. The ground on which I stood slowly fell away into a valley of rolling hillocks. This came to an end at the foot of a long string of black mountains which had been sprinkled with white. It was a beautiful sight and I sat on the tall grass and simply stared out before me. I felt a strong desire to stay right where I was, but the road was long and time waits for nobody. We began walking down, stopping momentarily so a young couple from the northern Alps of Italy could take a picture for us. We entered the trees once again and found our way to the dirt and gravel road on which we had started. Just below it began another path called Fernhill Loop, which went through the wooded ravine I had seen from the top.
It was an invigorating hike, less vigorous than the Ben Lomond Trail, but just as beautiful. I love being in the woods. It really makes me happy. Part of the way through we came to a rushing multi-level waterfall which became a shallow stream that crossed the path. We took a rest here, taking time to crawl all over the area. The moss on the surrounding ledges gave way beneath my feet like the mattresses back at the Glebe, which is most certainly a good thing. I need to put some of that stuff in my bedroom. I lowered myself to the ground and drank from the stream. It was cold and sweet, real mountain water. It was such a relaxing setting, with the sound of the water passing through the trees. A biker passed through, moving swiftly up the hill. We had seen a runner previously near Ben Lomond. I consider myself to be in pretty good shape, but these people make me feel like pansies.
As we went, Joelle and I slowly began to break off from Dr. Byram and Derek. The path broke out of the trees at times, cutting along colorful hills. Finally, the direction of the trail changed from upwards to downwards. At several points the path was no wider than the width of both of my feet and it hung closely to the side of the hill, below which was the valley of trees. We eventually came to another gravel road which ended in a little residential suburb. This ended along the highway, on which we turned left and walked a good ways back into Queenstown. We arrived at the Glebe Apartments at 2 o’clock.
I rinsed off and changed, grabbing a glass of water and just sat down for awhile. I hadn’t been able to run for the past two days, so this was definitely a good substitute for exercise. And hiking is such a perfect form of exercise to see the countryside. I had wanted to hike in New Zealand for a very long time and though this wasn’t exactly the equal of backpacking, it was still a dream come true and I had seen some amazing vistas.
I slept for about an hour, after which I headed into town to the open-air malls. I found a patch for my backpack back home and a t-shirt. On Shotover Street was a pretty large Lord of the Rings shop, filled with souvenirs such as swords, posters, collectibles made by WETA workshop (the designers of the costumes, characters, weapons, etc., for the films), and much more. I was pretty impressed, though most of it was ridiculously expensive. I found a very impressive and limited pewter statue of Aragorn…..so I got it. I have spent very little on this trip so I would be able to spend quite a bit here. I’m still not a big money-spender, so I always feel a little guilty when I do. Oh well.
I went back to the apartments and relaxed for awhile. Ashley and I walked back into the town later and got New Zealand beef burgers. I added a Subway sandwich to the mix because I was really stinkin’ hungry. The reception of our apartments has a variety of movies, so we got a few and watched them as the night went on. It was a good way to wind down.
Tomorrow, we leave Queenstown. I’m a little saddened by this, especially since there is so much else do here. It’s an awe-inspiring place and I would love to spend more time here. But, New Zealand, though a small country, is filled with much more and I’m looking forward to seeing it. I’m also looking forward to getting off my feet. They’re feeling a little sore.