Getting Under Way

Our tramping tour started at 8:00 AM on a cool and drizzly Sunday morning in Queenstown, the self-proclaimed extreme sport capital of the world. We all threw our packs in the back of the trailer and climbed in the twelve passenger minibus to begin our adventure.

We drove past The Remarkables--a range of peaks in the Hector Mountains--on the way south out of Queenstown, and the overcast was already starting to lift.


Almost anywhere you go in New Zealand you see lots of sheep, and Southland was no exception.


But we were surprised by the number of deer farms we saw. Venison and deer antler products are a big export for New Zealand.


We stopped in Te Anau to pick up our twelfth passenger, Eric, and to make our first grocery, alcohol and potty stop.


The view from the back seat, my preferred seating location because there was a spot where I could stretch my legs out. Note the abundance of long hair. Not enough short hair on this safari.