PHOTOS

Story of first trip >

July 2nd to July 4th

June 20th to June 30th

June 12

June 5th to June 6th

April 19th to 25th

April 8th to 11th

March 19th to 21st

The Hokitika Wildfoods Festival: Bonfires, fire-dancing, and thieves

March 12th to 14th: After a little climbing at Castle Hills, I park the car at the Arthur's Pass Hut and catch a ride with Dave and Katy in Holden Caulfield, their new 86 wagon. We camp out on the beach and party till 4:30 before we sleep next to the bonfire. The next day we drink a few beers from Todd's keg before heading to the Wildfoods Fest. 20,000 people, piss-drunk, and eating crickets, worms, eel, bull penis, anything, you name it.  >

March 7th: Ian knocks on the door of the New Zealand Alpine Club hut at Arthur’s Pass at 5:00am. I quickly get changed and eat a little muesli. We cruise down the highway to the trailhead, turn on our headlamps, and make a start up the Otira Valley trail.

Ian and I had a slight miscommunication the previous day. We planned to climb the Central Direct route of the Otira Face on Mt. Rolleston. He said we wouldn’t need a rope, so I didn’t bring my harness—just my ice axe and crampons. I brought along my rock shoes just in case, but if I need to put on my rock shoes, than we probably shouldn’t be soloing. I guess we’ll see how it goes. >

February 17^th to 19^th:  I arrive to Lincoln University in time for orientation, but find that registration does not start until the 20^th. So what do I do? I go on another adventure of course. I join six other Americans from California, New York, Colorado, and Oregon on a road trip. Dave, Katy, Katrina, Molly, Ryan, Nate, and I head north to Abel Tasman, a National Park featuring beautiful coastal forest and sandy beaches. We rent a van for $40 each and drive up. Most of us hardly know each other, but we all get along quite well.                                           >

Driving back in my Peugot 305, I stop on the way at Moeraki Boulders. The plastic windshield seems to be holding up well. The tape flaps in the wind a bit, but its not bad. There are a few dozen round boulders like this. I guess its a big mystery how they got so round.

February 10^th to February 14^th:  We take the ferry across to Oban, the only town on Stewart Island, and check in at the Department of Conservation. Stewart Island is to the south of the South Island. I will hike to Mason Bay to see kiwis and Karen will continue on the North West Circuit Track for 8 days because she has more time before classes start.

The island is a bird and fern paradise. It rains here 275 days a year. By the time you put your rain jacket on, it stops raining, but this happens nearly a half dozen times during the day. This far south, the furthest south I’ve been, weather changes really fast.                                                          >

February 6^th to February 10^th:  The next couple days after the Aspiring trip were rest days. I developed my photos, checked email, bought groceries, ate well, and chilled at the lake. I met up again randomly with Scott and Billy, the dudes I bouldered with at Caste Hills. Down by the lake, I met Alexis from the States. After talking a bit about climbing, we arranged to climb the next day down the road at Riverside. It would be her first time climbing so Dave and I would do the leading and belaying, and get to climb a bunch as well.                                                              >

January 27^th to February 7^th

WARNING: No words or photos can adequately describe this trip. I advise you to fly down to the Southern Hemisphere and climb Mt. Aspiring yourself. Here is an abbreviated day-by-day account of my experience  >  

January 26^th:  The drive takes a lot longer than I thought.  Along the way, I give 2 blokes from the Czech Republic a ride.* I stop in Frans Joseph to take my first photos of the tree ferns and silver fern. Tree ferns look more like palm trees, growing up to 30 feet tall. Silver fern is a national symbol of NZ. The rain begins to fall hard—the first rain since I left the States. I pass over probably a couple dozen one-way bridges along this windy road through the coastal temperate rainforest and up into the Southern Alps. One waterfall even lands directly on the road, washing the car as I drive through. >

January 25^th:  I wake up to a mischievous bird standing a few feet from my face. My first question is, what is a parrot doing in the mountains? Yes, it was a kea, the only alpine parrot in the world, native but accustomed to humans. A couple other parrots live in NZ, but they are endangered. Where will I be going today? Who knows. I have to be in Wanaka on January 30^th to climb Mt. Aspiring with Matt from Brisbane, Australia.

After a short drive to Arthur’s Pass, Dave, another Aussie from the alpine club calls me on my rental mobile about climbing beforehand.  After hanging up the phone... >

January 22^nd to January 24^th: On the plane to New Zealand, I sit next to a Fijian woman living in Christchurch. After talking for a bit during a six hour layover in Auckland, she invites me for dinner sometime during my stay in NZ. I keep meeting some of the friendliest people on my trip. After no sleep that night, I take a bus into Cathedral Square, the center of town and conveniently the location of Base Backpackers, my hostel for the night. Outside, at least a thousand people gather around a street performer. I don’t know why at first—is this an average Thursday? A roommate informs me that it’s Boxer Weekend, a local tradition of street theatre in Christchurch. That explains the bicyclist on a bike the size of fruitcake riding through a ring of fire. >

Bula! Welcome to Fiji

January 19^th to January 21^st:  After 20 hours of traveling and waiting in the Nadi airport, I take a bus to Tubakula Beach Bungalows on the Coral Coast. It’s called the Coral Coast for a reason: there is almost more coral than sand! Chacos are a must. You can walk out knee deep into calm water for nearly a kilometer into the ocean, weaving around the beds of coral while tropical fish dart by your feet... >