IN THIS EDITION…

• Summer Season – end in sight
• Tourism New Zealand and Google Earth™
• Guide / Client Services Profile – Glenys Erskine
• Personal Encounter – Intrepid New Zealand Managing Director, Ryan Holden, Explores the Secret South
• Share your story - Merino giveaway

Summer Season - end in sight

As the 2006 / 2007 season draws to a close we can take a few moments to catch our breath and pat each other on the back for another successful season at Hiking New Zealand.

The head office team and a few of the guides have just returned from an activity packed weekend in Hanmer. It was a fantastic way to finish the season and say thanks to everyone for playing such a crucial role in making our clients’ travel in Aotearoa a memorable experience. With so many active people together the time for sitting back in the hot springs or relaxing over a glass of wine was all a bit limited. However, we did manage to fit in a couple of hours soaking. Those that took part in the round of Touch Rugby just didn’t get to soak for as long.

The mountain biking was done in waves; the boys first and then the girls. The girls certainly came back the muddiest - we were not afraid of the mud! With so many guides in one place cooking was an absolute breeze, culinary delights for a large group is no problem to those that do it all summer.

Anne, Mark, Dan and the Hiking New Zealand team

Tourism New Zealand and Google Earth™

Tourism New Zealand has teamed up with search engine Google to create a new “layer” on its popular Google Earth™ product.

Google Earth combines satellite imagery, maps, terrain and 3D buildings to provide in-depth, easily accessible geographic information.

The 100% Pure New Zealand layer will introduce and graphically illustrate visitor centres, points of interest and scenic highlights on Google Earth. This is the first time that a tourism authority has developed an official “layer” for Google Earth.

Ministry of Tourism

Multi skilled, multi tasking, salt of the earth southern woman – Glenys. You may have already talked with Glenys, because as well as guiding 3 of our 10-day safaris a season she is also our frontline Client Services representative. When you ring up just listen out for the rolling rrrrrr’s on the other end of the phone and you’ll know you are talking to Glenys. The rolling rrrrrr’s are a legacy left behind by those hardy Scots that came out to tame the deep south way back in the 1850’s. Glenys’s ancestors were true blue quilt wearing, bag pipe playing Scots that eventually settled in a place we pass through on our Secret South Safari called Tuatapere. Glenys’s mum still lives there and treats Glenys and her group to fresh tea and scones after two days hiking in Fiordland National Park. Tuatapere’s other claim to fame (other than being the birth place of Glenys) is for producing New Zealand’s best sausages, totally self proclaimed of course. Whatever you do don’t get Glenys talking about sausages!

Glenys’s expertise extends well beyond sausages, not only a qualified nurse her local knowledge and passion for hiking in Aotearoa is appreciated by many clients, both those fortunate enough to have her as a guide and those that seek her advice on booking with Hiking New Zealand.

No more guiding for Glenys for a few months now so give her a call or an email and let her help you plan your next adventure – sausage consumption is not compulsory!

Ryan Holden explores the Secret South

Ryan Holden is the Managing Director of Intrepid New Zealand magazine. Ryan’s feature on exploring the wilds of the South Island with Hiking New Zealand was published in the March / April edition. Following are the first two days of Ryan’s journey.

Blanketed in trees, mountains, rivers and lakes, the southern half of the South Island of New Zealand is a hiking paradise. Having never visited this region of the country, a Hiking New Zealand safari provided me with the perfect opportunity to experience the South Island at its best.

Day One of my 10 day ‘Secret South’ safari began fittingly in New Zealand’s adventure capital, Queenstown. A crisp early morning saw the group of nine would-be adventurers meet and load up into the Hiking New Zealand van. After a quick introduction by guide Mark O’Connor, we headed to New World to pick up our food supplies for the first few days.

From here it was off to Key Summit, our first hike and the last leg of the world famous Routeburn Track. Before beginning we were treated to the first of many ‘icebreaker’ type games Hiking NZ guides offer to help everyone get to know each other. Without getting into details, we began the hike after five minutes of waving our buttocks and screaming our names, much to the amusement of everyone else in the parking lot.
The Key Summit hike was the perfect introduction to the trip and provided a taste of what Fiordland National Park has to offer. An easy three hour return hike rewarded everyone with spectacular views of the Humboldt and Darran mountains, with the prominent peak of Mt Christina taking centre stage. As he would for the rest of the trip, Mark provided detailed commentary on significant geological features as well as pointing out and describing important plants and wildlife.

Our first night we stayed in Hollyford Camp which I affectionately remember as Sandfly Alley. They will eat you. Founded by David Gunn in 1926 as a base for guiding tourists, the camp certainly has an eccentric air, which is probably a result of its extreme isolation. After the ‘Deliverance’ quotes and theme song had finally run their course we unloaded and set up our tents. Volunteering for cooking duties on this first night were myself and fellow hiker, British film producer Jonathan Challis. A documentary producer for networks like the Discovery Channel, Jonathan was full of interesting little anecdotes. Quizzing him on some of his different adventures he would respond, blasé, “oh (sigh), I chased tornadoes once and flew over a hurricane in a Lear jet this other time.” Jonathan is a perfect example of the diverse personalities one can expect to meet on a Hiking New Zealand safari.

Slaving away in the small but well equipped Hollyford Camp kitchen, battling invading sandflies and choking ourselves and everyone else that dared enter with curry powder, we produced the finest Thai Chicken curry meal of all time. We feasted, then slept.

Up at 5am, and it’s still dark. Everyone moves quickly and quietly, packing up the gear and cooking breakfast. Today is one of the highlights of the safari - kayaking the famous Milford Sound. With the sun beginning to rise, we whip out of the campground, sandflies in hot pursuit.

From the campground to Milford we traveled through the two-kilometre Homer Tunnel which runs straight through the Main Divide, and provides the only road access to the Milford Sound.

The first fact we learned was that Milford Sound isn't a sound - it's a fiord. Measuring 12km long and up to 320m deep the fiord runs inland from the Tasman Sea and is surrounded by sheer cliffs on all sides, rising to well over 1200m. Milford Sound is the wettest place in New Zealand and one of the wettest in the world, with rain for 182 days a year. On this particular day, though, the weather was pristine.

Our kayaking was done through the only Milford-based kayaking company, Rosco’s Milford Sound Sea Kayaks. Taking two-man kayaks we headed out into the fiord on a four hour trip. Guide Jimmy Wright filled everyone in on all the interesting facts on the Milford Sound - and threw in a few harmless fallacies for the tourists. Did you know about the rare "raro-berry," which only grows behind waterfalls and produces orange-flavoured juice? Neither did we, until Jimmy Wright told us.

The kayaking was truly an unforgettable experience. Gliding across the glassy water, I couldn’t imagine any better way to see this natural wonder. From staring at the 160m high Lady Bowen Falls to wildlife like Fur seals or Keas, there is plenty to see. After the kayaking we drove south to our Borland Rd campsite, stopping for a swim and dinner beside Lake Manapouri.

For the full article pick up the March / April edition of Intrepid (only available in NZ) or view the full article here.

If you have been on an adventure through Hiking New Zealand and would like to have your experience published in an upcoming newsletter please let us know. Send your story to:

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