Back in Queenstown but avoiding the town center because of the horrendous traffic. Instead, we drove back to Mt. Aspiring National Park for a hike. It’s a 2-hr drive from Queenstown, but a word of caution – the pavement abruptly ends and the last 25 miles or so is gravel road with 9 fords, so a high clearance vehicle is a must, although we saw several regular (beat up) sedans in the parking lot. Do not go after and on a rainy day, as you will either not be able to make it in, or get stranded at the trailhead waiting for the water to recede.

We’ve been lucky to visit New Zealand on the off season, as all the trails we’ve been on have been sparsely traveled. So lots of solitude.

For anyone who wants to get a close up of glaciers, I recommend this trail over the trails at the Franz Josef area. This trail is also much easier. The only tricky part is the drive to the trailhead.

• Hiking
• National Parks
• New Zealand
• Travel