New Zealand Odyssey: Week 33, North, South, East, and West

Lake Wakatipu from Glenrochy Road. This picture was not doctored in any way! Nice one Jen.

Over the course of the past couple of weeks, which have been packed with activity and travel, I've come to appreciate our first four months in NZ, which were quiet by comparison: lots of local cycling, hiking, surfing, and consistent productivity at work.

Since Christmas, the focus has been more on the kids and Jen, having family experiences, and travel. This past weekend, I reached the saturation point, when we went to Queenstown for some mountain biking and tramping. Having had just gotten off of the Rail Trail on Monday, packing up and leaving for Queenstown the next Friday felt like too much, but we had to go, as we'd signed up for a Saturday race and had reserved camp sites for a tramp on Sunday and Monday nights.

It's interesting how quickly these shifts occur. Not ten days before, I was feeling like maybe we hadn't done enough, hadn't taken enough advantage of our time in NZ. March was meant to be when we got in some last summer trips, and Jen and I were committed. But come Friday, in the midst of packing and then the long drive to Queenstown, an equilibrium shift occurred, and 'not enough' suddenly felt  like 'too much'.

Our bikes on the shores of Lake Wakatipu. They were ready...but were we?

Jen and I tagging.

Don't get me wrong, we had a great long weekend, and I'm glad we went. The race was fun: 7 hours at the 7-mile Trail Network. The course was awesome and hard, and Jen and I took turns, representing Team Adventure Bardsley. While we raced, Alex hung out at the dirt jumps on the Dream Track (Jen and I swapped checking on him) and Ellie went shopping with my PhD student Marylesa, her husband Kaleb, and mom Marybeth. Moreover, the weather could not have been better; Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables never looked so beautiful.



Alex at the top of the Zoot Track with the Remarkables behind him.



The view down Skippers Canyon from the top of the Zoot Track.

Then on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, we all went tramping on the famous Routeburn Track. Our itinerary was: Day 1 to Routeburn Flats, where we pitched our tent for two nights, and on Day 2, hiked to Harris Saddle and Conical Hill for stellar views, then out and a marathon drive home on Day 3. The day hike to Harris Saddle on Day 2 was tough: about ten miles round trip with lots of elevation gain and loss, but the kids did great, and the views were worth it. Also, the nights under the stars and the massive full moon rising on Sunday night were good medicine. It was another great tramp, and I'm glad we made the effort to go.

Jen and the kids at Routeburn Flat

Our Routeburn Flat camp site.

Alex and Ellie up above Harris Lake on Harris Saddle, Routeburn Track.

Ellie on Conical Hill

Alex on Conical Hill.

Alex and I on Conical Hill summit.

Jen and I with Routeburn Falls Hut and Routeburn Flat below.

But, as if this action-packed four day adventure wasn't enough, I left at 9 am the morning after we got home (8 pm Tuesday night) for Auckland, where I was slated to give a talk in the Applied Math Seminar at the University of Auckland on Thursday. The talk went well, it was fun to spend a little time in a city, and it was great to spend time with my UM colleague and friend Emily Stone and her kids Billy and Erin, with whom I stayed for two nights.  

I write this on Friday, at the Auckland airport waiting to board my flight home. Sometimes I wonder about myself and why I am such a glutton for punishment ;).

Auckland city center from the harbour, on which I rode the ferry for a couple of mornings.