11 Days New Zealand Itinerary

Its being a long time that I have taken a vacation. I feel sometimes best therapy is a long drive and some music. So here is the plan for 11 days in New Zealand and off course with the minimum amount of funds.  As days & funds are limited, i compensated by driving and I staying in Hostels. I have added my best photographic locations for sunsets & sunrises.

The trip start from Delhi, India this time.

 

Day 1:   Fly to Auckland. Based on the time of day you reach; you can roam around or rest. I took the early morning flight so used my day to see Owharoa Falls. Which is 1.5 hrs from City. Sleep Over at Auckland. New Zealand is the first country in the world to see the sunrise. Amazing right? So you are guaranteed to witness some spectacular sights when travelling throughout New Zealand. Sunrise/Sunset photography points: North Head/Devonport

Day 2:   Spend the next day at Cathedral Cove. Sleep Over at Auckland.   Sunrise/Sunset photography points: Cathedral Cove      Cathedral Cove

Optional - Rangitoto Island or Waitomo Glowworm Caves. If you have additional day should see Mt. Taranaki which has some wonderful hikes.                                          

Day 3:   Flight to Christchurch. Picked up the car from the Budget Car Rental at shefield and not from the airport, which saved me good money. Another good thing is budget does not charge extra if you return the car at the airport. i stayed at Point break Backpackers. The location was nice but the building smelled like weed everywhere. Walked up to the beach and saw a nice sunset.

Day 4: Started early towards Greymouth. The drive was very good. Make sure to stop at Castle hill, then Lake Bruner. There will be plenty of photo stops once you cross Aurthurs Pass. The tiny city was nice and very friendly. I stayed at Noah's Ark Backpackers - This was really a nicely maintained place with nice people. (15$/night). 

Day 5: Did  early start towards Franz Joseph Glacier (2.5 hrs). Driving next to the Tasman Sea was very beautiful. You can pit stop at small cities like Hokitika  & Ruatapu to enjoy the western beaches. I reached the city by afternoon and started the hike to the glacier. There is no need for a guide to see the glacier. A hike of an hour will take you the nearest point. If your planning Heli hike or skydiving, this place has plenty of opportunities. i grabbed a bite from the Snakebite Brewery and spend the night at Franz Josef Montrose. (18$)

 

Day 6: Started early  morning to see Lake Matheson , 20 minutes away from Franz Joseph Glacier. The views was amazing. You can take the full 1.5hr loop of the lake or can just reach the nearest lookup 20mins. You can grab a bite at the restaurant at the lake trailhead also. Then around 9,  i started for The Fox glacier hike. After completing the hike (around 2.5hrs)  i started for my next destination - Queenstown. Plenty of lakes to stop if u get tired. LoL. Sleep Over at Black Sheep Backpackers (15$/night)

Day 7:   Drive Early morning by 5am towards Milford Sound. Take the first Cruise if possible, as during the day time it pretty crowded. If you are lucky you might see wildlife or dolphins. i planned my Sleep Over at Te Anau, Te Anau Backpackers (15$/night). Sunrise/Sunset photography: Milford Sound.

Day 8: Drive early from Te Anau towards Queenstown and arrived around noon. So we drove towards Glenorchy, which s arounf 1 hr drive from Queenstown. Make sure you pit stop at Moke Lake, Wilson Bay, Bennetts Bluff Lookout, & Glenorchy Boat Shed. Sleep Over at Black Sheep Backpackers (15$/night). Sunrise/Sunset photography: Skyline gondola or Wilson Bay, Moke Lake.  Arrive Queenstown - relax

Day 9: Take skyline gondola see some amazing view of the Queenstown. The city also has some amazing nightlife and eating places.  i had my sleepover at Black Sheep Backpackers (very nice place)

Day 10: Then drive early toward Mt.Cook (3hrs). The drive is one of the best beautiful rides in new Zealand. Enjoy the breakfast at Mt. Cook Village.  After a quick breakfast, i started for Hooker Valley Hike. The total time was 2.5hrs but the view was amazing. Then after taking a short break, i started towards my last destination - Christchurch(3hrs) . Sunset at Mt.Cook
Optional -If you can squeeze in another day, then should sleepover at Mt Cook and do the Governors Hike.

Day 11:  Returned the car at airport and took the early morning flight to Delhi. 

Breathtaking Canadian Rockies - Roadtrip

Among all faces of Mother nature i have seen, this place is simply THE BEST.

I have been planning for Canandian Rockies - Banff National Park road trip from nearly 3 years now, but somehow was not able to come up with the right plan and offcourse this becomes more tough if you have a small kid :). This summer, me and my wife were determined to complete this trip. We choose one of the best time 4th July long weekend to visit the region (would not say the best as its usual to be crowded). 

Here's my  - 5 Days and 4 Nights Itinerary

Day 1 - Seattle to Kamloops, BC  - Around 5Hrs Drive

Bridal Veil Falls

The drive from Seattle to Kamloops was pleasant. I would suggest you to stack up Gas, Ice and other stuff before crossing the border, as i found it bit expensive on the other side.The border crossing time was less than 10 minutes via Abbotsford. Once you are in, we followed Trans Canada Highway - Hwy 1 all the way to the Kamloops. Just in case you have time there would be plenty of places to stop and spend some time. We stopped at  Bridal Veil Falls Provincial Park , Rosedale and had our lunch. Its a very short hike(.2 miles) to the falls and was worth it. We reach
ed Kamloops by evening. Kamloops was a nice halt and had pretty much all major stores like Costco, Walmart etc.

Day 2 - Kamloops to Golden, BC - Around 6 hrs Drive

We started from Kamloops around 9. Passed through couple of mountain passes & trails at Mt. Revelstoke National Park region. We did two stort trails and found them to be well maintained. This was one of our halts for lunch. We followed Hwy 1 and reached Golden, BC around evening.   

Day 3 - Golden, BC - Covering Yoho National Park and the Lakes area

Emerald Lake

We started our day early towards the Yoho National Park. On the way we bought the Banff Park pass from Field Visitor Center. The first scenic point we covered was Natural bridge over the Kicking Emerald Lake (British Columbia) was such a cute and beautiful place. Good and large parking lot. Only one restaurant which welcomes patrons for lunch or dinner only. It also has a 3.1 mile flat hike around the lake just in case you want to strech your legs. We tried Canoying for the first time here as was really fun. Next stop over was

Takakkaw Falls

Horse River,the natural bridge is ok but you can't cross it and there is some ugly cement around, but generally a nice spot to stop on the way to Emerald Lake.
 

Takakkaw Falls, the drive alone is worth the trip to see these waterfalls, especially the crazy switchbacks! At the end of the road, there are several big parking lots and trails. I suggest you walk to the very base of the waterfall. It was a giant intense waterfall and and surely loud and wet. Next scenic point was Spiral Tunnel viewing point, though i was bit curious about the name, we thought to pass it for next time and go towards the lakes.  

 

 

 

 

  

Moraine Lake

Breathtaking Moraine Lake: Moraine Lake is absolutely beautiful and my favorite place in the world i have known till now. My wife and I preferred it over Lake Louise. It is a smaller lake, but the mountain peaks rise straight up from the lake and surround you. It is absolutely stunning. The best way to see the lake is to take the path at the side of the car park and especially from the Rockpile. When you get to the top of the Rockpile you have to just sit down and take it all in. The water is stunning blue/green colour when seen from above but closer to the edge of the water you can see that it is crystal clear.Arriving early morning before the crowds come would be a great idea.

Lake Louise

Lake Louise + Gondola: Lake Louise is another good one. Peer into turquoise Lake Louise three miles from the town of the same name, and be amazed by the color. The renowned grand hotel Chateau Lake Louise sits at the brim of the eponymous lake.You cannot go to Lake Louise without taking the gondola :) . Buy Ride & Dine @35 CAD, you get great views from the top of the ride and might see Bears if lucky.Be sure to take the open Gondola because you can see much better than the closed ones. If you like hiking then you must go up to the Beehive and teahouse. The best views of Lake Louise are actually from the ski hill.

Few more places we though to cover like Johnston Canyon, Norquay Drive ,Bow Falls but with limited time we left it for the next time.

Day 4 - Golden, BC - Covering Icefield area.

Peyto Lake

On the way to the Columbia Icefields, stop to see Peyto Lake, Waterfowl Lake, Bow Lake, Crowfoot Glacier (Best for Sunrise) - which are just off the Icefields Parkway, about half an hour out of Lake Louise. You probably will be able to get as far as Sunwapta Falls after seeing the Icefields.

Columbia Icefields

Columbia Icefields -   This is one of those "to say I did it" type of trips, but I'm glad I did it. It also known as Highway 93 north. As the glaciers are melting away, it's good to see one up close while you have the chance. It parallels the Continental Divide. Brewster Snow Coach Ride, The Ice field Center and the Brewster Glacier buses are truly the highlight of the whole Ice Fields road trip. Snocoach rides are sold on a first – come – first – served basis.

Columbia Icefields

The Glacier bus ride was very exciting. They take you over to the glacier area by regular bus. Then you transfer over with your bus group to the snow coaches. These all-terrain vehicles have huge wheels and can travel on the glacier. The ride on the glacier is very exciting and then you get to a far point and get out and walk for a little bit on the actual glacier. The information about glaciers on the bus ride up was good, but on the way back we had some kind of a joker bus driver who kept making one sided conversations that no one was answering and boring jokes. The ice wall where the Columbia Icefields spill out onto the Atabaska Glacier was pretty cool and neat to see. We very much enjoyed the whole trip and could not believe the very cool experience of walking on the glacier itself. Tip : Make sure to carry warm clothes though it was summer when you stand on Glacier it will be cold.

Columbia Icefields

 
Day 5 -  Golden, BC to  Seattle

Long drive but was able to make it.


Check out my Complete Flickr Photo Album  -

Lake 22 - Perfect Reflection

Lake 22, located on Mt. Pilchuck east of Everett, is a truly fantastic day hike. The trail head has a small parking lot. We reached around 12 and the parking was full. The cars were parked even on the main road. We waited for some time and got a parking. The trail head also has rest rooms just in case you wanna start fresh (as there are no restroom, water source on the trail). This hike is around 5 .5 miles round trip. As the WTA site says it good for kids, so i brought my 3.5 year son too. 

The trail starts flat and seems good. The trail winds gradually uphill most of the way. There's a nice variety of landscapes too in the shady pine forests. The trail most of the time follows the course of a river (you will come across many beautiful waterfalls, and even a beaver dam when we were there). After a mile or so you will come across the rocky part of the trip which spans for around quarter mile (my son had a hard time crossing it). 

Once you cross the rocky part, you will cross a little wooden bridge and everything opens up to the lake. It's BEAUTIFUL and the water is surprisingly warm. An ultimate Gods creation - crystal clear Lake 22 surrounded by mountains. The water is so clear and still, you will have the perfect reflection. Nice photographic place with the backdrop of mountains having multiple waterfalls (6). Though there was lot of snow on the board walk, but you can still walk and reach out to the far end points of the boardwalk towards the foothill. 

It took us about 3 hours to hike up to the lake and about half the time to get back down. We took our time and stopped a lot for pictures. So, I would think it may take about an hour less for faster hikers to get to the top. 

Definitely a place I would love to go back to again.

Notes: 

- Bugs are there so Bugspray is recommended

- No water source in the trail so carry water.

- Will not recommend for small kids, they can be at backpack.

- Carry a Forest Pass (you can buy the pass from the Verlot Public Service Center or any REI)

- The final 100 yards was all snow even in July so poles will be nice to carry along.

Driving Directions: 

From Granite Falls follow the Mountain Loop Highway east for 11 miles to the Verlot Public Service Center, Proceed 2 more miles to the trailhead, on your right (elev. 1050ft)

Bridal Veil Falls, WA

Nice hike to a amazing falls.

We started around 12 PM, the parking lot was all full. As per WTA this is a kids friendly hike, so i bought my little one who is three and half too. The hike starts in shade and climbs very fast to around 2000+ft. I heard there were around 23 switchbacks, so was sort of prepared for them. 


As the trail starts there are a lot of stairs, uneven ground but not too bad that it cant be hiked. 


The hike is 5.2 miles round trip, which was bit long for my son. The hike has something for everyone. You can go to the falls and the lake. After around 2 miles you will see a directions board, you will have to decide if you want to see the Lake Serene or the Falls. We went only to the falls, but like I said its really worth it. If you chose one or the other (I can't say anything about the Lake) but go to the falls.The falls are pretty, the views across the valley are pretty, and the stairs will put you just below the falls which is awesome.

As such there is not many places to sit and relax or have food near the falls. But we somehow crossed the water stream to the other side to the dry rock and had our lunch enjoying the valley view. If you have trekking poles they'll come in handy but they're totally not necessary. This hike requires a NW Forest Pass.


Driving Directions:
To get to the trailhead, travel east on Highway 2 (paved) from Monroe, WA. At milepost 35.2, about 21 miles east of Monroe, turn right onto Mount Index Road (Forest Road 6020 - gravel). Travel 0.3 mile on Forest Road 6020 and branch right onto Forest Road 6020-109 (gravel). The trailhead parking is just ahead. The junction is signed. Forest roads 6020 and 6020-109 are both passable to any passenger vehicle. A Northwest Forest Pass is required to park at the trailhead. There are two outhouses in the parking area, elevation: 600 feet.

Palouse Falls, WA

If you're in Walla Walla for a Balloon Stampede weekend, please take the time to drive to Palouse Falls. It's totally worth it!

Its around 1 hour drive from Walla Walla to Palouse Falls State Park and around 4hrs east of Seattle, driving pass through Snowqualmie Pass mountains. The drive towards the state park is very beautiful.The drive is stunning, especially in spring, when you'll drive through emerald green onion fields that look exactly like a real life version of Microsoft's XP's default wallpaper.

The falls are surrounded by grassy Palouse hills for miles. You will not be able to see the falls or the Canyons till you actually reach the State Park.  Out in the middle of no where, really no where, there is a waterfall you can see! You park your car and walk down a few step and there it is, in all it's beauty. It was really busy the day we visited, and hot too. We walked some of the upper trails, took some pics and left. I'd love to hike down to the river bank and check out the water some time. We did see few people swimming and enjoying the sun on the bank of the accumulated water just near the mouth off the falls - Scary but amazing.There are picnic tables and outbuildings, no plumbing, no sinks. This park is truly a hidden gem of Eastern Washington!!

Note: 

- If traveling with small children, be careful of the cliffsides since most of the area is not fenced and you can fall over the edge down to the riverbank.

- you will need a Washington state Discovery pass. If you forgot, font worry Rangers will help you on that 10$ CASH ONLY

-Wear a hat and sunscreen; we found the sun to be relentless, even though the temperature was a mere 73 degree

- For any of you interested in Camping, this place does have camping sites. Camps here cannot be booked online and need to be booked in Person.

Walla Walla Balloon Stampede

One of the best trips we made this summer is to the Walla Walla Baloon Stampede. The festival happens once a year in May. The festival is a 3 day event. We made it on the Saturday afternoon after a 4hr long drive from Seattle.

We planned to see the night glow event which happens on all the event nights. When we reached around 5.30, the carnival was in full swing, live bands were playing continuous music on the main stage and loads of people trying to secure the place on the stadium benches. After the dust the show started and it was spectacular. I counted and there were at least 10+ balloons that started getting bigger and began to glow. The stadium lights were switched off and the balloons were like big lanterns. That's what they call as Night Glow event. After a nice dinner at the event place we stayed at a hotel for that night. 

Next event was to see the balloon launch in the morning. I will say that the website is completely honest when they say launch is at 6:30 A.M. I would even say, get there well before that time. It's probably more busy during the first two days so the parking lots are probably more crowded. The last day, they only due the balloon launch and then a huge pancake breakfast for all the guests and volunteers. Guests are encouraged to leave a small donation for the pancake breakfast. Honestly, where can you go to such a super event that is practically all free. Free parking, Free admission. 

I know....I know....you're probably saying 6:30 A.M. Be serious! But, I believe that time is the best time to launch the balloons as it's not too hot and the winds aren't normally too high. There were a few balloons that were unable to launch due to the winds picking up a little. I drove all the way from Lacey too see this and it was well worth the trip. It took about 45 mins to launch all the balloons. It probably takes a little bit longer during the first two days. 

Once they get full of hot air, those balloons are up up and away very quickly. I like that you can walk right out onto the field and get super close to the balloons, even touch them. There are huge fueled flame blowers that shoot out flames at least 15 ft long into the bellies of the air balloon beasts. But wow! is the whole process spectacular. It's so beautiful to watch the whole process of taking the balloon out of the bag, the rolled them out carefully, then turn on the fan and fill them with regular air, then turn on the gas and fire up the torch, then stand the basket upright based on the hot air pulling the balloon upright in to place, then air a little more hot are and up up and awayyyyy! 

Check out the official site http://www.wwvchamber.com/pages/WallaWallaBalloonStampede for details.

Breathtaking, stunning, natural - a real treat Ruby Beach!

If you want to take your family to a beach this is one the good options. Checkout the Ruby beach, Olympic National Park, Washington. This is an very nice place to visit. You can spend hours of your day just walking the beach viewing the amazing view of the ocean. Planning is suggested, as tides can be dangerous and you don't want to hike out further than you can return before the tides trap you.

Ruby Beach is not the place to find bikini beauties and tons of sun block nor the beach to find vendors hawking everything from hotdogs to sandals. It is truly an inspirational mecca where you find yourself alone with your most innermost thoughts - regardless of how many people you may be with. It surely is a must visit for you when you are anywhere in the area.  There are restroom facilities. .

We went down the trail that leads to the beach. You have to climb over driftwood to get to the beach. Cedar creek opens into the ocean as you come out of the trail. It isn't that deep, but the current was rather swift until it spread out across the beach. We made our way out onto the beach after observing the creek.
 

While my son frolicked in the water and sand, I took the opportunity to snap some pictures of the sun, Abbey Island and the surrounding area. This beach has many different sized cobbles. I didn't see any wildlife.

There is also a lighthouse in the distance. I could barely make it out, but I'm certain that is what it was. The tide came in rather fast. It had covered the beach about 20 minutes after the sun had set. We had a wonderful time exploring and wandering around. Beautiful sunset and beach.