Valley of the Wind Walk - Kata Tjuta

When visiting the Australian Outback, the Red Centre, everyone goes to Uluru. As did we.

But entry to the National Park of Uluru encompasses more than just Uluru. The other major site is Kata Tjuta, or the Olgas, and since entry is always for 3 consecutive days, we went there as well. 

Driving towards the Olgas

Kata Tjuta has a few different trails, but we opted for the most well known: the Valley of the winds trail. It starts and ends with a short trail to Karu lookout. From this lookout you have a view over the valley, but this is also a checkpoint. If the temperature is over 36'C the trail closes. During summer this happens a lot. 

Since we did this hike in winter, we had no such limitations. 

Trail head

The red rocks at Kata Tjuta are basically the same as Uluru, though their angle is different. The monolith that forms Uluru is set vertically into the ground, while the rock at Kata Tjuta is set horizontally, causing a different erosion pattern. Form a distance they resemble marbles, morphing in to beehives as you come closer and impressive rock as you wander amongst it.

Red skin

We decided to walk counter clockwise, starting with walk in between the rocks. We followed the little triangles on the signpost, until we lost them...  after a few km the triangles were painted on the rock, and not always very visibly so.
The last bit toward the Karingana lookout went up pretty steeply, clambering on all fours for a bit. and then suddenly we were there. What a view!

Karingana lookout: the highest point of the walk

It's amazing how suddenly you cut a corner, walk over a ridge and you see this amazing view over a valley that been completely hidden thus far. Maybe it should have been named the 'Hidden valley walk'.
But  while admiring the view, we understood how aptly named this 'Valley of the Wind' walk is. At Karingana lookout it was a lot colder than at the rest of the track, the wind was ON.

Valley of the wind

When we arrived at the floor of the valley the landscape had changed dramatically.
The red rock had given away to green plants with a purple haze of dessert flowers in bloom. The temperature had increased, and I really don't want to imagine what it would be like doing this hike mid summer when it was this hot mid winter!

Myriad of flowers

After an hour or so we arrived at the only watering point in the valley. That had a dripping tap. Much to the liking of a few local zebra finches.
We sat watching them for 20 minutes or so, amazed that the cute little bird are so common in this part of the world. I
 

Zebra finch at a watering point

We the walked on for the last little bit of the track, back to the Karu lookout. It was a lovely walk, and a lot more diverse than the obligatory Uluru circle walk.

Driving back to our campsite we had a few anxious moments though... We had gotten up early that morning to watch the sunrise over Uluru, and then drove directly to Kata Tjuta. And only when driving back realised that we're running on empty while the sun was setting. The closest petrol station was 50km away, and after sunset the park is of limits, so a very small chance of fellow drivers fining you. we turned off the aircon, folded in both mirrors, drove slowly and thankfully made it back on the last few drops of petrol. 

Looking back

Cloud-piercing Peak - Mt. Cook

Mt. Cook is the highest mountain of New Zealand, its Maori name is Aoraki: cloud piercer. And we found out that that was a really appropriate name, because for most of our time there is was hidden in the clouds.

First glance from the shores of Lake Pukaki

Due to several reasons, we had some trouble booking accommodation for our visit to Aoraki. First of all there simply isn't a whole lot of accommodation at Mt. Cook village, especially not when you're travelling on a budget.
The second reason is that we were heading into peak season at the end of November, and we hadn't book far ahead. And the final, and unforeseen, reason was that the Kaikoura earthquake had just happened: many tourists were forced to relocate and alter their itineraries, thus making the rest of the country busier.

Hooker Valley track

In the end we found lodging in Twizel, a town at about one hours drive from Aoraki. Our plan was to drive to Twizel from Dunedin, and then have an afternoon off. After all, we had biked 60km the day before! But when we saw the weather forecast (as always a major factor in New Zealand) we decided to head straight to Aoraki and walk a bit.

That turned out to be a wise choice, because that was the only day that the peak was visible...

The longest swing bridge at the Hooker Valley

That same lovely spring afternoon we walked to Aoraki over the 5km long Hooker Valley Track. This is the busiest track in this area, and with reason. It starts at Mueller Lake and ends at Hooker lake. We walked over three swing bridges, boardwalks and rocky tracks. The landscape is very diverse and rugged, and the temperature fluctuates a lot a due to sunshine, wind and of course the nearby glaciers. 

Boardwalk in the Hooker Valley

Apart from the gorgeous landscape, we were amazed by the shape and movement of the clouds. That sounds a bit (okay a lot!) nerdy, but is really interesting.
Because Aoraki is so tall, it causes major shifts in weather fronts, and creates some really weirdly shaped clouds, that curl and move back and forth. The visitors centre at Mt.Cook Village gave a lot of details on that. The visitors centre is also the go-to place for advise on which walks are open, safe and feasible: not many during our visit!

Hooker River

The Hooker Track was simply a lovely walk, and very manageable, even with our already sore legs...
The Hooker River runs next to the track, and the track ends at Hooker Glacier's moraine lake.
We sat down at the lake shore, watching melt water trickle from the glacier front. In the lake were some huge chucks of ice.

Hooker Glacier's moraine lake at the end of the track

This micro climate has some very specific flora and fauna, like the Mt Cook buttercup: a giant buttercup that was blossoming all over the track. unfortunately we didn't see any kea, tahr or moreporks on our walk. 

The next day we came back and it was a different world all together: An icy wind, mist and a constant drizzle. Aoraki and the Mueller Glacier were well hidden from sight.
We decided to do the short walk to the Tasman Glacier Lake anyway, but the views were too bad to make any photos.

Mt Cook buttercup

The red rock - Uluru

When planning a trip to any destination, there are usually a few places on the 'must-do' list. Uluru, or Ayers Rock, is on most Australia lists. And it was on ours, even though it is quite remote. But hey... it's iconic!

Walking around Uluru

We set out from Coober Pedy early morning, heading north. We had intended to drive to Erldunda (Some 400km). But Erldunda is not the most exiting place: it is a roadhouse at the Lasseter Highway turnoff, with a few emus in an enclosure. And since we there at noon, we decided to fill up and drive on.

That day we drove a distance of 750km, arriving at Yulara about half an hour before sunset. The only campsite in the vicinity of Uluru is at Yulara, and it's always busy. We were dishearted to hear they were fully booked that night.... 

Fortunately they do have an overflow field, where we could park for a night! A lot cheaper than the actual campground, but no electricity. Perfect!  

Flowers at Uluru's base

That first night we were too tired to get back in the car and actual go to Uluru, so we stayed at the village. Yulara is a village that is solely created to regulate tourism. It's just some hotels, a campsite, restaurants, shops and a petrol station in the middle of the desert, very artificial. But having said that, they have made a real effort to minimise scarring on its surroundings.
The efforts that stood out most for me: No building is higher than the surrounding sand dunes so they blend in from a distance (you don't actually see Yulara until you're there) and there is minimal lighting at night. In the middle of the village is the highest dune, planet with local species, from where you can stare at Uluru some 20km away. The lack of lighting can be annoying when you have to walk to an amenity block in the dark, but certainly ensures that you can enjoy some serious star gazing. 

Sun on stone

The next day we got up (too) late, and after breakfast, we drove to the National Park. We started at the visitor information centre, to learn a bit about the indigenous people's background, the Dreamtime and history of the area. A highly recommended visit.
By the time we were ready for a walk, it was almost eleven.... not a sensible time for a walk in the desert. But since it was winter, we decided to go ahead.

Uluru's surface has many more holes than I expected

You are still allowed to climb Uluru, but are requested not to, something I personally think you ought to respect. So we did the 10km base walk around it instead. An easy walk on level surface, with no shade. At all. I do not want to know what that's like in summer!
The base walk circles Uluru, so you see its different sides, and we were surprise how varied its surface is.

Grey-headed honeyeater at Mititjulu waterhole

Uluru is seen as a visible reminder of Dreamtime tales, and as such, some parts are not to be photographed. Most of these areas have informative signs, telling you about the remnants of a particular tale visible on the surface.
One of my favourite areas was the Mutitjuli waterhole at the south side. We sat there for a good while, and watched the wildlife. Brightly coloured blue and red dragonflies, brown-red butterflies and the inquisitive grey-headed honeyeater.

It was a very tranquil place. We were amazed when we saw a video that was shot 6months later, that showed massive waterfalls at this exact spot!

Uluru Base walk

That evening we returned to the park to watch the sun set over Uluru. This is what is features in all the brochures! It was very busy. Rows and rows of campervans. We had one of the last parking spots, and enjoyed nibbles and a drink while we waited comfortably, sat in the back of our van. It was a pretty sunset, though it didn't feel like all it's made up to be.
Until I saw my photos. They make it look amazing!
On our way back we drove under the light of the moon. It was full a moon that evening, and it must've been close, because it looked very big.

Classic Uluru sunset

Hazy Haleakala - Maui

We've been back home now for a few weeks. Actually... almost a month already! I've already been back at work for 3 weeks.

But what a trip has it been! we've had a wonderful time, met lovely people, and made amazing memories.

Sunrise at the top carpark

Some of these memories were from our trip to the Haleakala Crater on Maui, Hawaii. When we decided we would stop on Hawaii on our trip home, we looked into places would like to visit.
The sunrise Haleakala Crater is on most lists, and came onto ours as well.
We spend three days on Maui, and checking the weather forecasts we decided to give the sunrise a shot in the 2nd day. That was expected to be the day with the clearest skies.

Walking into the crater

We set our alarm for 3am. Sunrise was at 6:15am, and we had to drive to the top of the volcano before that. From where we stayed (at Lahaina) that is a 1,5 to 2-hour drive.
But in the dark, at Hawaii's winding roads, you have to take some delays into account. There was quite some traffic during the drive, but it was a lovely clear night. We saw millions of stars in the sky above, and villages glowing below.
We arrived at the top at 5am, just in time to get the last parking space at the top car park, and decided to nap for another half hour in the car.

Catching the sunlight in the crater

By the time we woke up half an hour later, we were surrounded by fog. We walked to the top, shivering in the cold wind, and watched the clouds roll in over the top.
Just as we had given up on seeing the sun, the clouds parted and we saw it rise.
After that we went back to the car, drove down to the top visitor centre, and ate our sandwiches.

Clouds in the crater 

It was about 8am by now, so we had the whole day ahead of us. What to with all that time?
we wanted to do a hike in the crater, but unfortunately I wasn't feeling too well (I had had a bad cold for a few days). And every sign we saw warned of the dangers of walking at this altitude when you're not fit...

Taking a break

But even from the visitor centre it looked stunning. We decided to take it slow, walk down for an hour or so, and then slowly go up again.
And we did not regret that, it was absolutely stunning! I never knew that just earth, dirt and rocks could be so beautiful.
Every turn we took, showed a new amazing vista. We took it slow, and enjoyed every minute of it.

As the clouds rolled in to the crater at the far end.

When we walked back up we felt how steep it was. It was a lot harder than going down. Of course that had nothing to do with our fitness, it was just the altitude!
Or at least that's the excuse the signs gave us.
As we walked up, the clouds rolled into the crater. By the time we reached the ridge again, it was really foggy. We drove down through the clouds on our way back.

So many shades of grey and red