New Zealand has so many hiking tracks it makes my head spin trying to decide which one to do. While aboard our overnight boat on Doubtful Sound I took advantage of the captain’s local knowledge and was given directions to his favorite hike in this area. Our instructions were hastily written on a napkin and remarkably we were able to find the specific area that Captain William suggested and were properly rewarded with yet another breathtaking hike.

Heading out...

Unlike the soft, muted world of the hobbits on the Kepler Track, the Hollyford Track ran alongside a loud, happy river that teased Bob all day. William assured Bob it was loaded with trout and Bob gazed longingly off of the fourteen bridges encountered along the trail, looking for them.

One of the suspension bridges.

Much of the walk was along the river...

There had been steady rain the night before and I was worried about mud but there was no reason to be concerned. The trails drain very quickly as this is all on granite. So no puddles but the rain had turned to snow and dusted the high peaks with a fresh layer of snow and left the trail much cooler than we had expected. So we put on every layer of warm clothes we had and beat the crowds to the trail. Well, not really crowds as there are so many choices to hike you don’t run in to very many people. I counted 25 people in a six hour hike.

The river was fed by several waterfalls, including two very large ones, including the hidden one that our lunch hut was named for. We lunched at the Hidden Falls Hut. New Zealand’s hut system provides solid huts for hikers to stay in overnight. We did not stay overnight but it was really fun to see what these look like outside of the brochures. The hut was large enough to sleep twenty-four adults and was very clean. The toilet off in the bushes however was home to a large number of giant black flies. Only one was in view as I unzipped my pants and prepared to take a seat. I opened the lid and more than a dozen additional monstrous black flies few at me! I almost tripped getting out of the door and away from the beasts! Oh well, how do you keep an alpine toilet fly-free?

The hut was situated in an open alpine valley surrounded by snowy peaks and full of yellow flowers. Lose the flies and you have perfection.

A modern hut.

Inside the hut...

View from the hut...

As we prepared to depart, another couple from San Francisco showed up on their way to the next hut. And then a delightful 70+ year old woman who worked for the Department of Conservation and was there to make sure all was in good shape, the wood-pile was full (yes, the hut even has a wood-burning stove), and the toilets were in good shape…look out gigantic flies – your days are numbered!

I Have Seen Where The Hobbits Live!

Everyone knows that New Zealand is the land of the hobbit. I was not sure. At least not until our recent hike.

We walked along a section of the Great Kepler Track. New Zealand is famous for their Great Walks and we are trying to hit some of them on our travels. Exhausted from our Doubtful Sound boat ride ( I think we were over stimulated!), we decided to head to our next hostel–the Barnyard Backpackers.

The outside of the Barnyard Backpackers hostel.

This hostel boasts of their deer farm and their remote location. Okay, I will bite! Especially after a particularly uncomfortable stay at the Te Anau Youth Hostel. Thankfully this one is delightful! One could say we are “back in the saddle”! Our current hostel has no Internet, good and bad. The main lodge has tables set facing the windows to enjoy the view and even a pool table up in a loft. And…a sweet girl from Orange County, California at the front desk. The world is small. Our room is half of a small cabin set lower on the hill overlooking the sheep, cows, horses and deer! Lots of open space.

The view out to the right of our cabin...

...and looking out to the left, we see...a domestic deer herd!

But no hobbits. The hobbits live across the valley in the forest. It is startling how different each one of our hikes has been. This portion of the Kepler Track boasts a forest carpeted with thick moss that winds underneath towering beech trees that let the sunlight gently filter in. No noisy rivers to ford, just birds filling the canopy with music. Perfect place for a hobbit to hide. If you look closely you can see their trails going off the main trail deeper into the woods. And the soft moss allows them to move around silently.

Most disturbing are the hobbit traps. Clearly they are traps. These holes are four feet deep and four feet in diameter. They are coated in the same soft moss that cover the walking path – obvious camouflage. I even saw one hole that had a branch over the top to entice the hobbits to use it as a footbridge. I am sure it would not support their weight. In another hole I saw one to the “bridges” leaning against the wall of the hole. Obviously an escape route. These hobbits are smart. Their hiding spots can be found inside the trees and under their roots if you look hard.

I would share some of my pictures of these hobbit habitats but as “luck” would have it…while deleting a few out of focus shots, mysteriously all of these hobbit-related pictures disappeared! Seriously! Obviously the work of the hobbits.

I am on alert for them now…especially when I noticed how unnaturally low to the ground the door knob in our cabin is. Perfect for hobbits. The good thing about identifying them is that they wander around barefoot and they have very furry feet. I am watching people’s feet!