New Zealand, where do I even start?! Planning a trip to a place as beautiful and expansive as New Zealand is always a huge undertaking. I started planning our trip 8 months before we left and from the beginning I felt a little overwhelmed by the amount of hiking and backpacking options that were available.
Read MoreThe final hike of Alex’s and my honeymoon in New Zealand was to Brewster Hut. The hike was another New Zealand classic: relatively short, but strenuous. In less than 3 miles we gained 3,200’ of elevation over gnarly roots and steep ridges.
Read MoreOne of the places I was most excited to visit in New Zealand was Mueller Hut in Aoraki/Mt. Cook National Park. Like most of our experiences on the South Island, our overnight trip to Mueller Hut was affected by the weather. But this time, a weather delay actually worked in our favor!
Read MoreWhen we touched down in Queenstown, New Zealand the weather was beautiful. Blues skies stretched for as far as the eye could see and there was nary a cloud in sight. This seemed to bode well for the trip we had planned for the next day: the Routeburn Track. However, the forecast told a different story.
Read MoreAlex and I sat in our rental car at the Blue Pools Trailhead and listened to the rain patter against the roof. I let disappointment wash over me. The forecast for the day called for unabating rain but as we drove to the trailhead I still held onto some hope that the forecast would be wrong and the dark, foreboding clouds above us would miraculously dissipate. They did not.
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