The last time I had seen Owain was over a year ago, and with a lot of holiday days to use up, I decided to visit him for three weeks in January. The trip started in Australia, and then we headed to New Zealand, with the plan of making the most of the summer in the Southern Hemisphere.
We purposely didn’t make much of a plan so we could stay flexible. The only thing we knew for sure was when we’d be flying to and from New Zealand - everything else was left open.
Arriving in Melbourne
It was a very traumatic start to the trip. My flight from Glasgow was delayed, which had the knock-on effect of missing my connecting flight. I had to scramble to organise another flight and even get to a different airport. By the time I finally left London, I was relieved. After a quick stop in Singapore, I eventually arrived in Melbourne - twenty-three hours after leaving the house! Of course, my suitcase hadn’t come with me.
Owain picked me up from the airport expecting me to be a sleep-deprived zombie, but I’d managed a good rest on the flight and felt fine. We made an impromptu pit stop on the way back from the airport to see some kangaroos, then headed to Owain’s house share where we enjoyed a great meal and joined in the birthday celebrations of one of his housemates.
Still feeling surprisingly good, Owain took me on a 15 km run around Melbourne to see the sights. The city is full of history, boasts a stunning skyline, and has plenty of parks and greenery. After the run, we went to Owain’s sister’s house for a New Year’s Day BBQ. Later, we took a post-dinner walk around Albert Park, and I got a phone call letting me know that my suitcase had finally arrived! By this point, I was starting to flag, so we headed back to Owain’s.
Kangaroos I saw within half an hour of being in Australia.
Owain giving me a tour of Melbourne on a 15k run.
Me on the run.
Melbourne Skyline.
No rest for the wicked! The next morning, we were up early for the Albert Park parkrun - a fantastic event with nearly 500 runners. We raced around the course, then Rachel (Owain’s girlfriend) picked us up and we headed to McDonald’s for a well-earned breakfast. Later that day, we chilled out at an outdoor pool in Prahran.
Albert Park Parkrun.
Prahran outdoor swimming pool.
Great Ocean Road
The next morning, Owain, his dad Steve, and I set off on a road trip along the famous Great Ocean Road. Our first stop was the surfers’ mecca, Bell’s Beach, where we watched some massive waves crashing down. After soaking in the views, we jumped back in the car and headed to a koala park, hoping to spot a few of the furry locals - and we managed to see one! Later, we stopped in Apollo Bay for dinner and picked up a carry-out before driving on to our campsite for the night.
Owain and Steve on the surfers beach.
The start of the Great Ocean Road.
Owain managed to spot a koala from the backseat of the car!
Frankie got us safely to the campsite.
One of the highlights of the Great Ocean Road was watching the Twelve Apostles at sunset. It was truly stunning, especially during golden hour. After sunset, we drove back to camp, but the next morning Owain and I decided to go for a run and take another look. Steve kindly picked us up in the car afterward.
Twelve Apostles at sunset.
Twelve Apostles on the morning run.
Queenstown
We returned to Melbourne, said our goodbyes to Steve, and headed back to Owain’s place to pack our bags for New Zealand. We had an early flight the next morning, so the taxi picked us up at 05:00 and took us back to Melbourne Airport. Three hours later, we landed at one of the most incredible airports I’ve ever seen - Queenstown. Nestled at the foot of the Remarkables mountain range, it truly lives up to its name!
Ben Lomond
With very little convincing, I persuaded Owain to climb Ben Lomond with me. The trail is easily accessible from Queenstown and offers a fantastic viewpoint over the surrounding mountains and lake. After checking into our hostel, we set off and reached the summit in about three hours. We made a quick descent to meet Rachel and her family, who happened to be in New Zealand at the same time. We met up at Monteith’s in Queenstown and enjoyed plenty of beers together!
Standing on top of Ben Lomond, 12,000 miles away from home.
Pointing out the pub that we will be going to on our way down.
Recreating an old photo for Owain’s mum.
Beer in Monteith’s - are we in Queenstown or Clarkston!
Remarkables
The next day, we met up with the Winterhalters and went walking in the Remarkables. Rachel had a hire car, which made everything so much more accessible for us. We hiked up to a glacial lake and even attempted a swim - but the water was absolutely freezing!
Winterhalters and Owain walking up to the lake.
Thumbs up from Rachel.
Slackliners setting up in the background.
Perfectly timed photo!
Post-dip walk back down - Owain was more successful than me.
Vineyard Tour
One day in Queenstown, we hired bikes and set off on a tour of the town and surrounding villages, with the goal of stopping for a glass of wine along the way. We grabbed some big sandwiches for lunch and hit the road. Our first stop was Arrowtown for a coffee, before continuing along a scenic cycle track all the way to the original suspension bridge. From there, we followed signs to Chard Farm Vineyard, where we enjoyed a fantastic wine tasting. Owain even bought a bottle, which we later shared back at the hostel.
Getting thirsty for a glass of wine at this point!
Chard Farm Vineyard.
Wanaka
Our time in Queenstown had come to an end, and our next stop was Wanaka via the scenic Crown Range Pass. Rachel kindly offered us a lift, which we gratefully accepted - public transport in New Zealand is extremely limited. On the way, we stopped at the Cardrona Distillery, where one of my friends, Dan, works as a tour guide. He gave us a free tour and a few drams - thanks, Dan!
We then continued into Wanaka, where Owain and I settled into our accommodation at the local campsite. It was listed as a “tiny cabin, no linen,” but it turned out to be a cozy little room - no complaints from us.
Later that evening, we met up with the Winterhalters for an Indian meal in Wanaka. It was a lovely dinner and a great way to end the day.
Where the magic happens.
Many drams, including Owain’s - who was driving!
Skyline Traverse
nfortunately, the next day Owain was feeling under the weather, so I set off hiking solo. Rachel kindly dropped me at the start point of the Wanaka Skyline Traverse, and I was off. The route was stunning, with steep climbs, incredible panoramic views, and - amazingly - I had the place all to myself until reaching the popular summit at the very end, Roy’s Peak. There was some sketchy scrambling along the ridge that required careful negotiation, but it added to the adventure.
Afterwards, I began walking back into Wanaka, and Owain picked me up in the car - he’d managed to also get onto the insurance!
Wanaka from the summit of Mount Alpha.
Some of this was more sketchy than I was expecting!
Later that day, we headed over to the Winterhalters’ Airbnb for dinner and what Mike called “Miller Time.” We enjoyed plenty of beers and a delicious meal prepared by Christina, all while getting an education in country music. We couldn’t stay too late, though, as the following morning we were meeting Dan at 05:00 - he had invited us along on a mission!
Drinking with Owain and legend Michael Winterhalter.
The Americans cannot keep up with the Scottish drinkers!
Mount Shrimpton
During the distillery tour, Dan invited us to join him on an attempt to summit a hill he had previously failed to conquer. Intrigued, we agreed. The hill in question was Mount Shrimpton. We arrived at the car park in Makarora early in the morning, followed the trail markers above the tree line, and then came up with a plan to tackle the summit.
The route was steep and treacherous, requiring careful footwork throughout. There were countless false summits that kept us guessing, but after around six hours of hard climbing, we finally reached the top - exhausted and ready for lunch. After soaking in the views, we carefully made our way back down to the car just before the weather turned. We stopped at a local café for a coffee before heading back to Wanaka.
Owain turned back earlier, still feeling unwell, but he made good use of his downtime by organising the jet boat for our upcoming expedition in the next couple of days.
Dan trying not to slide down the scree slope!
Super pointy ridge line.
Dan finding the best route to get us up to the summit
Reaching the summit of Mt. Shrimpton!
Gillespie Pass
After Shrimpton, we said goodbye to the Winterhalters and headed back into Queenstown. We had hired a car for our last week, which we needed to pick up from the airport. We affectionately nicknamed it Jean Shrimpton. After collecting the car, we drove to the local supermarket and tried to figure out what food we might need for a three-day expedition. We settled on lots of wraps and cans of tuna for lunch, and rice for dinner.
That evening, we headed to the start point in Makarora, picking up some hitchhikers along the way for a laugh, and then stayed in a wigwam.
Our mighty hire care, nicknamed, Jean Shrimpton.
Day One - Makarora to Young Hut
The next morning, we took a jet boat to the start of the trail - possibly the coolest way to begin a hike! It felt like something out of an SAS mission. From there, we followed the trail for around eight miles to reach the Young Hut. Along the way, we got chatting to some Kiwis who were incredibly friendly.
Before dinner, we went for a quick dip in the river beside the hut to freshen up. It was absolutely freezing! We had only booked one space in the hut, so I ended up sleeping underneath a table. Surprisingly, it was actually quite comfortable! We also met another girl from Glasgow in the hut, it’s a small world!
Jet boat dropping us off at the start point.
The Young Hut.
My bed for the night.
Day Two - Young Hut to Siberia Hut via Cruicble Lake
The second day of Gillespie Pass is the tough one - lots of climbing and bashing through thick trees with slippery roots. To make things even more interesting, Dan had recommended we extend the route and add on Crucible Lake. After successfully traversing the foothills of Mount Awful, we dropped our bags and began the climb up to Crucible Lake. This was Owain’s dream as a geography teacher - it’s a perfectly formed corrie lochan. He even managed to go for a dip!
After soaking in the views, we headed back down from Crucible Lake to the Siberia Hut, where our Kiwi friends kindly lent us their cooking equipment so we could make our rice. It was a long day and we were on our feet for roughly twelve hours. The beds in the hut were very comfy and we spent for hours.
Crucible Lake, Owain was brave enough to go in for a dip!
Owain and I, with the interestingly named Mt. Awful in the background.
Owain cooking dinner in the Sibeia Hut.
Crucible Lake selfie.
Heading to the shower for a wash!
Day Three - Siberia Hut back to the Makorora
Having done all the hard work on day two, we had a relaxed start to the day. Before leaving, we chatted to the Kiwis, who kindly insisted that we could stay in their bach (holiday house) when we travelled to Manapouri! After tidying up the hut, we walked the short distance down to the river, where the jet boat would take us home.
When we got back to Wanaka, we treated ourselves to a well-earned kebab and beer. We had booked back into the campsite, but this time we splashed out and got a tiny cabin - with linen!
A New Zealand delicacy for dinner when we got back to Wanaka.
Gertrude Saddle
The next day, we got up early to head to Te Anau, the next stop on our South Island tour. Dan had given us another great hill recommendation: Gertrude Saddle. It’s a steep slab route that takes you to an incredible viewpoint overlooking Milford Sound. We climbed to the top, snapped plenty of photos, and enjoyed lunch with a view.
After heading back down to the car, we realised we were running low on fuel. So, we drove down the road to Milford Sound, where there was a petrol station. We filled up, stopped for a quick look around, and then set off for our accommodation in Te Anau.
Standing on Getrude Saddle - great views into Milford!
The iconic Milford Sound.
A curious Kea on our drive back home!
The Bach
We had forgotten to get the contact details of our Kiwi friends on the Gillespie Pass, but as luck would have it, they visited the distillery and met Dan! Dan passed on their phone number to us, and we arranged a stay at their bach. It was a lovely traditional house that felt very homely and gave us the perfect opportunity to do some washing.
As our time in New Zealand was coming to an end, we enjoyed some more relaxing activities. We visited the Te Anau Trout Museum, played pickleball with the locals at the community centre, did parkrun, and even hired some frisbees to play disc golf. We also found a great pub and treated ourselves to a few pints.
In the bach!
A few pints in the local!
A trout Museum in Te Anau. An obsession since cylcing to Ayrshire Moscow.
Playing pickel ball with the locals.
Te Anau Parkrun.
Disc golf.
Doubtful Sounds
Our final day in New Zealand was just as action-packed. We managed to arrange an after-hours drop-off for our hire car, which gave us extra time to explore Manapouri. We booked an epic tour deep into the heart of Fiordland, taking us all the way out to sea where we spotted penguins and soaked in the most incredible scenery. Afterwards, we drove the two hours back to Queenstown and headed straight to the airport. Just like that, our time in New Zealand had come to an end.
Doubtful Sound - deep in the heart of Fiordland.
Our vessel!
Back into Australia
I had one final day in Australia before heading home, and fortunately, the Australian Open was on. We grabbed ground passes and spent a few hours soaking up the atmosphere and watching some great tennis. After that, I hopped on the bus to the airport and boarded my flight back to Glasgow. It was going to be a long day of travelling to get home.
Watching the Australian Open Tennis in the Kea arena.