New Zealand is a beautiful pair of islands of soaring mountains and sparkling blue water, friendly people and not nearly enough sheep. We arrived in the picturesque village of Queenstown, “Adventure capital of New Zealand”, on Easter Sunday. This lovely walkable town on the shores of Lake Wakatipu is crawling with international backpackers. A trekking bus drove us 2 hours to the Routeburn Trailhead, where we began a 3-day trek though Fangorn Forest and up rainbow-bedecked mountains. No self-respecting Seattleite would be put off by a little drizzle. Fortunately we made it to the last shelter right before the big guns came out.

I can see why the Routeburn Track was named a Classic Hike of the World. It was gorgeous all around. The hut system allowed us not to pack a tent or stove, though we did have to put up with bear-like snoring. In the future we might reserve spots for both tents and huts so that we can use the indoor gas stoves, but spend the night in a more secluded location.

We took a lot more photos, which you can see here on facebook. If only a camera was able to capture the true majesty of the scenery. You’ll just have to believe me when I say New Zealand is one of the top places you should go before you die. It’s a hiker’s paradise. We would move there in a heartbeat if we could. Mr. Wonderful also captured snippets of the hike on video camera, which you can see on Flickr. My favorite is from the top of Conical Hill on the beautiful, sunny day 2 of the trek.

Part I: Queenstown & Routeburn Track
Part II: Auckland
Part III: Rotorua & Wellington

New Zealand Trip Reads:

• PACK CHALLENGE, GO FETCH, and HERE KITTY KITTY by Shelly Laurenston
• THE LION’S DAUGHTER by Loretta Chase
• KITTY AND THE MIDNIGHT HOUR by Carrie Vaughn
• WALK ON THE WILD SIDE by Christine Warren
• OH GODDESS! by Gwen Hayes
• JORDAN by Lori Foster
• MEXICAN HEAT by Josh Lanyon & Laura Baumbach
• PRINCE OF MAGIC by Linda Winstead Jones
  

County Kerry is “as close as you’ll get to the mythical Ireland,” according to the Lonely Planet Guidebook. An’ sure it is: a beautiful land of green fields, sheep and gorse, ancient rock walls, with purple mountains hovering in the distance. One can almost imagine behind the fog lie the shimmering gates of Tir na nog. The countryside is what I imagined Ireland would look like – rocky. It is an unforgiving land

Killarney is a lovely town, bustling with colorful shops and pubs, sure to be crawling with tourists in the summer. We enjoyed our stay, but will stay further off the beaten track on our next trip to the Emerald Isle. Our B&B, while the “best pick” of Lonely Planet, blared Enya through the hallways. One of the restaurants showed Riverdance on repeat. If I worked in Killarney, surely I would go mad.

Kerry is home of Killarney National Park, the MacGillycuddy’s Reeks, and the tallest mountain in the country Carrauntoohil. Our hiking guidebook is Carrauntoohil & MacGillycuddy’s Reeks: A Walking Guide to Ireland’s Highest Mountains by Jim Ryan. Our first day in Killarney we hiked part of walk #17: Caher from the Lack Road. With a hunk of good Dingle Cheddar and some crackers, we were good to go. It was steep, but we had pleasant weather and the sheep kept us company. The lambs are in abundance – just as cute as can be. Ryan had to ruin it by ordering lamb stew for dinner, but I, as a vegetarian, can coo all I want over the little fluff balls.

Thursday we hiked the Gap of Dunloe, along a tarmac road. The weather held off for the most part, but we never did find the path up the mountain. Some of the hiking trails are well marked and others are not. On an abandoned cottage I saw my name graffitied for the very first time – thrilling! The road took us over picturesque stone bridges and along blue mountain lakes. It was grand. Next time we will rent bikes in Killarney and bike through the Gap and take a boat ride along the lakes. A jaunting car (aka a horse-drawn buggy) can be hired to traverse the Gap as well.

Friday we climbed the highest mountain in Ireland via the Devil’s Ladder. The thing is appropriately named. I thought for sure if the rocks didn’t kill me, the wind would. It was cold. It was steep. It was intense. It was foggy at the top and the view was obscured. But the company was fine and I felt good having made the climb. Climb every mountain, and all that. Whoot! I even saw a green bunny. It’s Ireland, isn’t it, so why ever not? It matched the mossy grass exactly. I wouldn’t have seen it if I hadn’t almost stepped on the poor wee thing.