Lake Alta-- Clear Blue Ombre

I have been eyeing Lake Alta on the DOC website and it has lived in my to-walk list for some time. Over the weekend while on our way to Glenorchy, my friend and I have decided to sneak the short walk to Lake Alta into our itinerary since it was still early as we approached the turn off to The Remarkables.

The road up The Remarkables was steep and gravelly plus the speed limit was 50 so it took us a while to reach  the parking lot. The start of the track is just beyond the main building of the ski resort.

Lake Alta can be hiked for 1 to 1.5 hours return. It was a sunny day when we went so it was a warm walk especially when the area is exposed, no bush in sight. The track is a little steep to start off. There are orange markers within the ski area, past that you'll have to look out for the low yellow markers which are not as visible as the orange ones but that won't cause you to get lost as the track is easy to follow. There are info boards along the way with interesting facts about the lake which is common in some NZ popular tracks.

Lake Alta is considered a popular track. We saw other people in the parking lot and met some by the trail but it's not as jam-packed as other popular ones we've been to. We actually had the lake all to ourselves for about 30 minutes while we were wallowing on it's serenity and beautiful blue waters we didn't want to leave right away.

The water was so clear and inviting it would have been really great to take a dip but we were not sure if swimming was allowed so we just didn't risk it.

This track is absolutely well worth the hike and the drive up the Remarkables. At last I can finally tick it off my list.  

Here are some snapshots from our walk:

The track passes chairlifts within the ski area

Alpine flower

I was captivated by the alpine florals

The Start of My Middle Earth Adventures

Sealy Tarns on a rainy Spring afternoon, 2016

New Zealand wasn't my first choice with regards to living overseas. In fact, I was in the dark of its real beauty. I was aware of it from The Lord of The Rings (my favorite epic movie ever!!!) but I never thought that the actual place is as majestic and amazing as it is off screen.

Things were being sorted and planned for another country but then that nation wasn't meant for me. As I was so desperate to go somewhere new, I asked around and remember New Zealand. My friends who were already here that time seemed happy and satisfied with their lives. One of them even told me I would fit right in as my outdoorsy personality is perfect for the place. I eventually convinced my family to help me travel here to look for work. It was a big risk and absolutely not an easy task of leaving my loved ones behind especially my two sweet furry babies (my dogs... I miss them heaps). But I had to do it. Just had this mantra in my head while battling homesickness "If you don't risk it, you'll get stuck".

For the first few months while still converting professional licenses, processing visas and job hunting I was starting to see how pretty NZ was but not much yet though. As soon as I finally had a job my goal was to get a car since it's a necessity with getting around here conveniently-- especially reaching the wonderful backcountry destinations. 

With my first car, Sheldon (if you watch The Big Bang Theory, yes it's named after Sheldon Cooper hahahaha) I started to see more of this beautiful country. My adventure mobile was a humble hatchback that I treated like a 4WD. Some of my friends who went on adventures with me can attest to those funny drives (safe drives though, for sure ;))

Sheldon, my wee adventure mobile

As I recollect while writing this post, the first walk I did at Bluff with my two friends during the summer in 2014 was actually the one walk that resurrected the outdoors person that I was. From that day on, I knew I would go to more places here and see more of it. Hike more of NZ one track at a time. I am ever so thankful to that day and to my friends that the sleeping trekker that I was has now woken up.

As I said I'd share highlights from my 2016 NZ adventure. Oh my... It's a lot! Hahaha. Here they are:

Middle Earth Adventures 2016

Ben Lomond Summit track

Rob Roy Glacier

Roys Peak

Cathedral Caves, The Catlins

Lake Marian

Glacier Basin track

Earnslaw Basin track

Castle Rocks

Organ Pipes

Hooker Valley Walkway, Winter 2016

Omarama Clay Cliffs

Elephant Rocks

Lake Benmore Peninsula Circuit

Church of the Good Shepherd, Lake Tekapo

Moeraki Boulders

Skydiving above Wanaka with Skydive Wanaka

Rock & Pillar

Revisiting Mavora Lakes

View from Sealy Tarns track

Hooker Valley Track

Milford Sound Cruise with Southern Discoveries

We added kayaking to our Milford Sound Cruise package

Camp Stream Hut track

Tasman Glacier Lake

Isthmus Peak track

Mt Rosa, Gibbston Valley

Lovers Leap, Otago Peninsula

Key Summit, Fiordland

St Bathans Blue Lake

Oh Hello Again!

We did Lake Hauroko track as part of our pre-Kepler track training, being the newbie NZ trampers that we were.
Look at that view! :D 

It has been almost 3 years since my last post here. While I have put myself on house arrest for the past few days for flu reasons (it hit me, bummer!), this blog suddenly dawned on me again. Oh yes, I have missed making entries here. I used to be so religious in posting even though I know I'm only reaching little to no traffic... but what the hell, I'm having fun anyway. 

Sooo... for the past years I have been tramping, camping, driving around most of south island New Zealand, wallowing on its awesomeness (during my days off work, of course). The NZ landscapes have enthralled me so much that I became addicted. There was a point when my week was incomplete when I can't go hiking. I know, right? That's how beautiful this country is. Crazy beautiful-- you would not believe this place actually exists but yes it does and I am very blessed to be an expat here.

These are highlights of my escapades for the year 2015; I'll do another for 2016. Here it goes...

Middle Earth Adventures 2015

Ocean View Track, Bluff

Waituna Lagoon,

Autumn in Arrowtown

Waipohatu Falls Track, The Catlins

Waipohatu Falls, The Catlins

Blue Mountain top, Tapanui

Titans Rock Track, Piano Flat, Waikaia

South Mavora Lake

Lake Hauroko, Fiordland

McLean Falls

Along the Kepler track, tackling the steps on our way to Iris Burn Hut

Our tired faces on day 2 of our Humpridge tramp

This year resurrected the outdoors woman in me; I was a part of an outdoors group back in my university days but after that I have become stagnant. New Zealand is the perfect place for me to reawaken my passion and live the outdoors dream again.