Eight Boots Abroad

After nearly six months of travel across Asia, the moment we set foot outside of the airport in Christchurch felt as if we had arrived back home. This year of adventure has been many things for our family – exhilarating, at times challenging, surprising, frequently stunningly beautiful … but very rarely has it been comfortable. Living out of our backpacks, constantly on the move, and more often than not pushing ourselves to live each day to its fullest has left us somewhat battered and bruised at this point in our year. The kiddos have shown remarkable resilience, hiking through injuries while held together with kinesiology tape, trying unfamiliar foods, and navigating new places in unfamiliar languages. 

And now, forty-three hours after departing the chaos and cacophony of motorcycles and street vendors in Hanoi, we find ourselves in the Southern hemisphere looking up into a bright blue sky, listening to silence. There is nobody else around us. There is abundant sunshine and a perfect light breeze. I had not realized until this moment how much my mind had been missing the peace that comes from quiet places. 

Sonya and I have long felt a deep connection to New Zealand, and at this point we have both spent nearly a year of our lives in the country. I first visited the South Island with my family on a trip around the Pacific Rim in 1983, and I still retain a few fuzzy memories from my first international adventure all those years ago – mainly sheep, green grass, and heavy rain. Later, in 2001 we both traveled independently to New Zealand following our respective graduations from college. After we met and started dating in October of 2002, we decided within weeks that we should return to New Zealand together. So, in February of 2003 we found our way back, bought a run-down 1983 Mazda Capella (the Crapella!) that often required a push start, and lived out of a tent for three months as we traveled up and down the country. We returned again for an extended stay in 2006, when Sonya completed a rotation for PA school at a women’s health clinic in Nelson, and again in 2009. Two years later our first kiddo was born, and ever since we have dreamed of sharing our love of this place with our little ones. Being back feels so, so good – and so comfortable.

After saying goodbye to our tent on our departure from Italy back in September (it traveled back to the USA with Sonya’s parents), our first order of business after leaving the airport was to find a new tent for the month. A $NZ50 refurbished tent from the Warehouse was the perfect find! Shelter now obtained, we hopped into our rental car and started to drive, with the goal of making it as far North as possible before starting our first planned hike in the Marlborough Sounds. We made it up to a basic campsite a few kilometers off the highway outside of Kaikoura, and set up our new tent as it rained on us in the dark. 

The next morning we packed up our campsite and continued along the increasingly curvy road up through Marlborough Sounds. In comparison to the last month of overcast gray weather in Vietnam, everything seemed so amazingly lush, fresh, and vibrant – green ferns, leafy treetops, and abundant wilderness. We enjoyed our first hike part way up Mt. Stokes, the highest peak in the Sounds. We turned around before reaching the summit, as MB’s joints are still slowly recovering from injuries sustained on previous adventures, and we didn’t want to cause further issues before our planned upcoming multi-day tramps. As we returned back to the trailhead, we were met by an inquisitive weka (a large ground bird, kind of like the daytime cousin of a kiwi). We then enjoyed a second night camping and skipping stones in a DOC (Department of Conservation) campsite by the shore before heading on to Nelson the following morning.

Our arrival in Nelson was a big moment for our family, as Sonya had lived and worked in this amazing city back in 2001. Here we were graciously welcomed into the home of our dear friends Chris and Annette, with whom Sonya completed a month-long rotation in a women’s health clinic during PA school back in 2006. After traveling for so many months through Asia, seeing friends from years past felt thoroughly refilling for our spirits. We were absolutely spoiled, enjoying amazing home cooked meals and guided walks through the forest with our incredible hosts. Our time with Chris and Annette was so perfect, we had a hard time saying goodbye when the time came to continue our adventure – we have missed being in a place that felt like home.

But onward we went! We had a busy schedule of tramping ahead of us, so we made our way down the West Coast towards the rainforests of Fiordland. We stopped along the way to visit the Pancake Rocks near Punakaiki, and floated on tubes through the glowworm grottoes in the Metro / Te Ananui cave system. Pure tourist nonsense, but also spectacularly beautiful to see the glowworms light up the cave roof like a galaxy of stars. We stopped for a night of camping in Glenorchy and enjoyed a competitive family game of “stoats and kiwis” before bedtime… if you’re wondering, the game involves a mini soccer ball as the kiwi egg, a pair of evil stoats trying to steal the egg, and a pair of kiwi birds keeping the egg safe. 

Next we made our way South to Te Anau, and the start of the Milford Track! In recent years, it has become incredibly difficult to secure one of the 40 permits per day to complete the four day tramp – sometimes referred to as the “Greatest Walk in the World.” Lucky for us, we had planned way ahead and already spent a chaotic day struggling with the overloaded DOC booking website when the permits were released way back in May of 2024, two days before we left on our adventure around the world! 

Permits in hand, we set off on a boat launch from Te Anau Downs across Lake Te Anau, heading for Glade Wharf and the start of the trail. The Milford Track is known for many things – lush forests full of ferns and native birds, stunning views of glacial valleys from Mackinnon Pass, thundering waterfalls, and above all else, rain. Monumental amounts of rain. The last time Sonya and I walked part of the track back in the Southern winter of 2009, we found ourselves in a storm so epic that it almost broke us! During that trip we hiked alone through flooded trails and streambeds in knee to hip deep water for mile after mile, arriving completely soaked as the only occupants of the damp Dumpling hut for one of the coldest nights we have ever spent. Needless to say, returning to this trek again, this time with two kiddos along, made us a bit nervous after our previous soaking. 

Happily, this time around, we were met with nothing but sunshine! Due to an extended drought, we saw not a drop of rain over our 60 kilometers of hiking. The waterfalls we last saw gushing down the granite walls had slowed to a trickle by New Zealand standards – though we still managed to get wet during a family swim in the Clinton River at the end of our short first day on the trail. On the first evening in the hut we enjoyed a tasty meal of Pasta Alla Dadda, using up as many of our heavy food items as possible to lighten our packs for the next day’s hike. We finished our first day with a short walk to find a glowworm dell near the hut and an early bedtime.  

The second day heading up the valley towards Mackinnon Pass featured further pleasant hiking through the beautiful forest. At the foot of Mackinnon Pass we settled in at the Mintaro Hut, which has been newly  rebuilt following a damaging storm in 2020. Our second evening of dining was less luxurious than our first, and we began to question if we had brought enough food for the entire four day trip. Spoiler alert: we had not.

Day three was a highlight, both of the Milford Track and of our year of adventures. We crossed up and over Mackinnon Pass, and spent an amazing hour at the top taking in the views of the alpine tarns beneath the towering peaks of Fiordland. The descent from the pass involved a lot of elevation loss as well as a twisted ankle for H, but the kiddos rallied impressively late in the day and decided to make the extra hike out to Mackinnon Falls, the tallest waterfall in New Zealand. MB and Howie made a plunge into the freezing water at the base of the falls, while H and Sonya bravely volunteered to stick their heads in the water. We were so proud of the kiddos for pushing through another long and challenging day of hiking with heavy packs, and still summoning the enthusiasm to embrace their adventure to the fullest.

Our last day hiking out towards Milford Sound featured 18 kilometers of mostly flat hiking past a series of stunning waterfalls. While Mackay Falls and Giant Gate Falls were certainly two highlights of the day, unfortunately by this point we found ourselves running quite low on food. We hurried along, watching the mile markers fly past as we made our way towards the finish line, and the promise of a meal! We finally arrived at the track’s end at Sandfly Point, and waited another half hour for the water taxi to return us to our car and the promise of tummies full of snacks.

After our successful completion of the Milford Track and a day of recovery in Te Anau, we headed up to another one of our favorite places on the planet – the town of Wanaka, bordering Mt. Aspiring National Park. Here we spent a week doing some much-needed down time, going for daily family swims in Lake Wanaka, hiking to a great viewpoint in the Diamond Lake Conservation area, visiting a Kiwi conservation habitat, and at long last checking out the famous Puzzling World maze, after driving past it probably forty times over the last 25 years. It is to my great shame that I must report that team Sonya-H defeated team Howie-MB in the maze race. We also spent a delightful evening outside of Queenstown with Sonya’s friend and former Nelson roommate Meg, who kindly hosted our family for an amazing dinner in their beautiful home.

Next, it was back to the trails with our well-rested legs! We left Wanaka and again made to drive back to Te Anau, this time with our sights on the Routeburn Track. As we had not been successful in securing hut permits on this walk, we planned a three day tent-based adventure from the Divide. Our hike into the campsite near the Lake Mackenzie hut passed through more lush Fiordland forest, with a perfect stop to enjoy the rainbows in the mists below Earland Falls along the way. 

Day two of our Routeburn Track adventure involved a climb up above Lake Mackenzie to the wild ridgeline below Ocean Peak. We spent several peaceful hours up high enjoying the panoramic views before returning back down the slopes to our campsite. As we arrived back at our tent, our unusually long streak of fair weather in Fiordland finally came to an end, and the rain started to fall. Happily for us, our sturdy Warehouse tent held up brilliantly to the night of wet weather, and we elected to sleep in until the rain slowed to a drizzle late the following morning. At this point we packed up the tent and began the hike back out towards the Divide.

With the return of more typical Fiordland weather, our hike out on day three was quite different in character than the sunny hike we had enjoyed on the way in. The mossy forest took on an otherworldly appearance in the mists, and gullies that had two days prior been completely dry now hosted tumbling waterfalls. Earland Falls, which had recently been a beautifully idyllic cascade, had become a monstrous roaring beast that we navigated not so much around as directly through. We emerged completely soaked and delighted that our kiddos got to experience a taste of real New Zealand tramping. 

Having finished up our second Great Walk, it was time to return to Wanaka to meet up with our friends Josh and Justin!  We had last seen these two during our late summer adventures in the Dolomites, and we were thrilled to join up with them again for a second time over our year of travels. During our week together we did some more hiking to the Rob Roy Glacier in the Matukituki Valley, and Josh and Howie made the trip up the iconic Roys Peak overlooking Lake Wanaka. We also made a trip back down to Te Anau to revisit Milford Sound following a stretch of rainy weather so the kiddos could see the dozens of waterfalls pouring over the granite walls near the Homer Tunnel. Much to MB’s delight, during this trip we even had a wild close-up encounter with a naughty kea, the world’s only alpine parrot! 

Our time with friends felt way too short as the week together came to an end, and we parted ways with Josh and Justin to explore the quiet Caitlins in the far South. Though we were foiled in our attempt to find any penguins around Curio Bay, we did have a great time exploring the fossilized forest along the sea shore and yet another beautiful waterfall, Purakaunui Falls. The final days of our road trip included stops at the Nugget Point lighthouse, Moeraki Boulders, and the delightful town of Omaru, which won MB’s heart with its recently adopted steampunk aesthetic.

For me, the highlight of our time in New Zealand was revisiting so many cherished memories from our past adventures, giving our kiddos a chance to see the places Sonya and I experienced on our first year of adventures, nearly a quarter century ago! Many of our favorite places have changed so much over the years – the impact of tourism has grown, our favorite hiking trails are much busier than they had ever been before – but the country’s beautiful connection to the natural world has remained. Each time we have visited, I come away with a profound respect for the Kiwi efforts being made to conserve the country’s unique native landscapes and creatures – they are a treasure of our world, and worth preserving. 

New Zealand – Sonya’s Addendum

We exited Asia via an amazing 24 hour stopover in Hong Kong, which gave us a chance to catch a bit of sleep and explore the vibrant city. Though we were there for barely a day, we managed to grab a tasty dim sum lunch, and explored the stunning, atmospheric Man Mo temple downtown. With this whirlwind tour over, we hopped back in the plane and headed to one of our favorite places on the planet.

Oh sweet, quirky, beautiful New Zealand! You were exactly the respite my heart needed nine months into this year of constant motion, beautiful chaos, and adventure.

My feelings upon arrival to the South Island mirrored those of Howie. After five months of living in central and Southeast Asia, walking out the main terminal of the airport we felt an immediate physical and emotional release. The sunshine, clear blue skies, clean air, and QUIET immediately filled our hearts with so much joy! Much like when we arrived in Switzerland last July, it felt like coming “home.” 

Back in 2001, the country of New Zealand was my first venture into independent international travel. At the age of 23, I had just graduated from college and applied for a visa that would allow me to work while exploring the country. As a college student I hadn’t really saved much money for the trip, so having the working visa was essential to making the dream happen. I hopped on a backpacker bus in Auckland and made my way to the small town of Nelson on the South Island. Upon arriving in Nelson, I immediately fell in love with the beachy, colorful, bohemian vibe and decided it would be a good place to call home. To make ends meet, I lived in a youth hostel, helped coach a swim team, taught English to Korean and Japanese students, and worked in the produce department of a local grocery store. It was a fairly eclectic chapter of my life, but also filled with so much independence and adventure! 

Unfortunately, a few months into my New Zealand travels, my 14 year old brother and father were involved in a horrible car accident back home. My beautiful brother Seth passed away, and my father was stabilized in the ICU with multiple rib fractures. I received the heartbreaking news from my mom via phone – nearly 25 years later, I still remember the painful moment vividly. Everything became disorienting and my world immediately crashed down around me. The next morning I said rushed goodbyes to all of the friends I had made during my time in Nelson and began the long, confusing, and difficult journey home to be with my family.

Since the tragic and abrupt end to my first trip in 2001, Howie and I have returned to New Zealand several times. During each visit I’m reminded of my meaningful connection to this beautiful country. I always make a point to spend time in the small town of Nelson, visit the place I called home, and continue to process the deep emotions still present from losing my younger brother.

Our visit during this year of travel was especially significant because it’s the first time we’ve visited New Zealand with our kids! We were finally able to share this incredible country with them, including the town of Nelson – visiting the hostel I called home, walking the route I took to work at the grocery store, and exploring the vibrant Saturday art market I had always loved. Even more special, I was able to introduce them to my dear friend Meg (my roommate, originally from Japan, from the youth hostel in Nelson in 2001). Compassionate and patient, Meg sat beside me and comforted me the night I received the news of my brother’s death. She’s now married to a New Zealander, with children the same ages as ours. It was profoundly meaningful to spend an evening in their lovely home, share a home cooked meal, and reconnect with sweet Meg.

During our month of adventures in New Zealand we were also able to spend time with another one of my favorite humans of all time – my clinical preceptor during graduate school in 2006. Annette and her partner Chris graciously welcome our family into their home and we spent three incredible days eating the best food, and sharing stories filled with so much laughter and joy!

Of course our time in New Zealand was also filled with heaps of hiking (or “tramping” as they call it) on beautiful trails through mossy subtropical rainforest, past mind-blowing waterfalls, and over high mountain passes. Seeing H & MB conquer the famous, challenging, and beautiful Milford Track, pushing through various injuries and thriving will be another core memory for me this year. 

Having our amazing Colorado friends Josh and Justin fly across the globe to travel together for a week was pure bliss! We spent our days hiking, and many evenings included a refreshing swim together in beautiful Lake Wānaka. After months of missing our community back home, spending this time with such dear friends made our hearts incredibly happy!

Another aspect of New Zealand that made travel so enjoyable was our ability to determine our own itinerary on a daily basis. Ahhhhh, the sweet, sweet freedom of a personal car for transport! During the previous five months in Asia we had barely mastered safely crossing the chaotic streets, obviously independently navigating these tumultuous roads in the driver’s seat was not an option. So for months we had been restricted to public transit options: trains, buses, and the back of open bed pick-up trucks surrounded by locals and other travelers. Our newfound freedom to hop in our rental car, turn up some tunes or our favorite podcast, and determine our own route and destination each day was so much fun. Wind in our hair, sun on our faces… perhaps such a simple thing, but it was so beautiful. 

My final favorite memory from this portion of our year of adventures was a quick meet-up with my old roommate from Colorado who now lives in Christchurch with his wife and family. What a pleasure to be able to cross paths and get a glimpse of their amazing everyday lives half a world away! 

Usually at the end of each portion of our adventure, we reflect on which parts of the journey were challenging and which parts we most enjoyed. With New Zealand, we all agreed our month was nearly perfect. For starters, no one vomited – so that was super-fun! Beyond the lack of traveler’s GI issues, our month was both easy and deeply fulfilling at the same time. We made fantastic memories while adventuring with incredible friends through unbelievable landscapes. At the end of our month here our hearts were happy and recharged. In fact, our time here was so wonderful that we found it a bit difficult to board the plane to continue our onward journey. 

We’ll be back New Zealand – you hold such an incredibly special place in our hearts!