Our Treks in New Zealand

More as a reminder and resource than anything else, here is a list of all of the treks and walks that we enjoyed in New Zealand.

Favourites in Bold

South Island

Rakaia Gorge
Mount Cargill
Hooker Valley - one of our favourites, beautiful scenery
Tasman Glacier - great short hike, get close up to glacier

Benmore Peninsula - some of the best views we saw, stunning blue water and rising green hills

Devils Punchbowl - waterfall in Arthur's Pass
Otira Valley
Temple Basin - tough climb for 3 hours, especially tough in the hot afternoon sun!
Franz Joseph Glacier - touristy but gets up close to the famous Glacier and also illustrates how Global Warming is destroying the planet with glacier erosion.

Lake Mathieson

Blue Pools

Roy's Peak - very tough, amazing views, 8 hours, 1600m climb, an absolutely brilliant day hike, one of our Top 3 
Rob Roy Glacier - stunning views of the Rob Roy Glacier, great half-day trek

Diamond Lake - we didn't get the best weather but this is a great trek with stunning views on a clear day

The Remarkables - tough, we got up to 2100m here with breathtaking views of Queenstown and surrounds

Queenstown Hill - beautiful views of Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu

Lake Marian - should have been worth it but storm the previous day meant the Lake was hard to access, so a 5 hour walk with no happy ending!
Kepler Track - we walked the first part, nice 15km walk along the banks of Lake Te Anau

Braeburn Walk Lake Rotoroa

Abel Tasman Track - walked 20km of this multi-day trek, stunning beaches and ocean views

Mt Stokes - our biggest disappointment in NZ, should have been amazing but we had cloud and rain at the top for zero visibility

Onahau Peak - short, steep and with amazing views at the top

Havelock Linkway - great views and very quiet

North Island

Te Whiti Riser Wellington

Tongariro Alpine Crossing - the 'daddy' of all 1 day hikes, 8 hours, 25km, absolutely brilliant

Mt Tauhara - steep climb with panoramic views of Lake Taupo, a great half day hike

Huka Falls Track - far too many tourists for us, but the Falls are worth a look

Lake Tikitapu (Blue Lake)

Redwood Forest and Geyser - something really different, amazing to see these huge trees up close

Mount Maunganui - short, steep with great 360 degree views at the top

Mt Paku - 20 mins up but amazing coastal views, a real surprise
Cathedral Cove - amazing views, a bit too touristy but definitely worth it
Kauri Block Walk Coromandel
Collins Drive/ Broken Hills - highlight of this 3 hour trek is the 500m goldmine Tunnel, amazing
Mt Manaia - nice hike up but make sure it isn't too windy at the top or you will not be able to enjoy the views
Mangawhai Coastal Track - did this one the day before we left NZ, amazing views and beaches, a definite highlight.

Worth stopping for...

Hot Water Beach - brilliant place to spend the afternoon, amazing experience of hot water right under the sand, bring a spade and dig!
Hot and Cold - natural hot springs, we loved this place

The Best 10 Days of our Lives

In 10 years time, when we look back on our year of travelling, I'm pretty sure that our 10 days on the Annapurna Circuit will stand out as our greatest adventure and achievement.

In 10 years time, when the kids are thinking about planning their own Gap Years, I'm pretty sure that their experience of Annapurna will still be fresh in their memories.

It was 10 days that have left an indelible mark on us as individuals and a family.

We went way beyond our comfort zones but ironically found ourselves at our most relaxed and happy.

We literally hit a new high in our travels (5416m to be precise at the Thorong La Pass, the largest mountain Pass in the world).

We left Kathmandu on 4th May at 7am, along with our Guide, Arjun. 

We then spent 9 days trekking through the Annapurna Range, from Syange to Muktinath.

We trekked over 144km through mind-blowing scenery.

The details of each day aren't really so important, it was the overall experience that touched our hearts.

Arjun, our Guide, became part of our family, so much so that when we said goodbye at 3am on 13th May, we had tears in our eyes.

We met some wonderful Israelis along the way, with whom we often walked together in the mornings, then sat around chatting in the afternoons until the usual early bedtime of 8pm.  These young 20-somethings helped make the trek for us and proved to be some of the best childminders of our whole travels. We spent time with the other Trek Guides, Dawa, Dinesh, Haresh, who we got to know over the 10 days and who added so much to our own experience.

But most of all, Shoshi and I were in awe of Mili, Eyal and Guy.  We hadn't planned to go all the way to the Pass, but as the initial 2 or 3 days passed, we started to discuss the possibility with Arjun.  At 27 years old, Arjun is a veteran of over 100 Pass crossings and he seemed to think that we could make it.  So we put our trust in him and went for it.

On Day 10, we made it over.  The same day as all our new Israeli companions.  Our 3 kids and plenty of young, fit adults. The last day was a challenge with bouts of altitude sickness, hypothermia, and exhaustion for the kids, in the end we needed horses to get them up to the top and then had a couple of hours of drama to get them down quickly as they suffered from the conditions.  We even had the insurance company trying to get a helicopter to airlift us out, eventually sending a jeep to take the kids to the nearest doctor, of which I was oblivious to at the time as I was trekking up behind with Arjun. We will always be indebted to the Trek Guides and Shlomi, Shir, Noa, Michal, Hila, Tom, Omer and Liat for all that they did to help in those fraught moments.

In the end, it was my proudest moment as a parent.  To see my kids achieve something that should be physically beyond them was simply a testament to their mental strength.  To wake at 5.30am each day, for 10 days and then hike up the Himalayas.  To eat food they had never eaten before.  To deal with sleeping and living conditions that should have pushed them to the limit.

But in reality, they coped just fine, they had their best 10 days of the last 7 months and want to do it all over again. They never complained once, quite the opposite.

They now understand that reward comes from risk, that to achieve anything meaningful requires effort and pushing oneself to the limit. In a world which tells children they 'cannot come in', 'are too small' and 'it's not for children', they now understand that they are capable of anything on a par with the adults around them.

Our best life lesson so far.

The best 10 days of our lives for sure.

The 2nd best decision Shoshi's ever made

It was Shoshi who decided we should come to New Zealand, she deserves all the credit.

Mid February, we were in Vietnam and had another couple of weeks before we wanted to leave.  We couldn't decide where we should go to next.  New Zealand, Japan perhaps, Myanmar was also on the list. We were wasting valuable time and energy in Vietnam on where we should go next and that is a cardinal sin when travelling.  (I know it sounds ridiculous, the very definition of '1st World Problems', but I spent some sleepless nights on Skyscanner, trying to decide where to go.)

And then it happened. 

Shoshi woke one morning and said  "I've decided, we're going to New Zealand".

Within 10 minutes, we had booked flights.

The rest, as they say, is history.

We have just had a fantastic couple of months, the best of our travels so far.

So many amazing experiences, such breathtaking scenery.

Over 6500km travelled, we've stayed in 25 different towns, villages and fields. We've done 36 treks, long and short.

Our kids have sung their little hearts out in the back of the car and the camper van.  Their music tastes have become highly refined, some of my proudest moments were hearing Guy ask for more Maria Callas, Mili singing The White Album in its entirety and Eyal playing DJ with some Stone Roses, Pixies and  Hendrix.  They're set for life!

If Israel is small, stressful and loud, then NZ is expansive, calming and quiet.

It's been one long outdoor adventure beyond anything we could have imagined.

It's reinforced our belief that we are at our best when out in nature, being free from the dark forces of consumerism and neon lights.

We're leaving a better family than we arrived, it's had that kind of effect on our behaviour, individual and collective.

If it wasn't so damn far away from Israel, we would probably move here (I'm still trying to convince Shoshi that we should do it anyway!).

NZ, we'll miss you more than you'll ever know.

Oh, and if you're wondering, Shoshi's best ever decision, well that's obvious!