Round About the Earth: My 10 Favourite Moments

I’ve been looking forward to writing this post. In fact, I purposefully delayed putting pen to paper until the final leg of our journey - our return flight to Canada - knowing I might need a little pick-me-up. It's a bit of a bittersweet moment. As much as I’ve anticipated taking time to reflect on our experiences over the past months, it's an inescapable indicator that our trip has come to an end. Sigh.

Our trip around the world has been a time full of wondrous, jaw-dropping, can't-believe-this-is-happening moments. Here’s a rundown of my 10 favourites:

1. Seeing you again
Hands down the best part of the journey was the time we spent with friends and family around the globe. From catching up over delicious eats and aperitifs with friends in the Loire Valley, to celebrating Thanksgiving with family in Hong Kong, to hitting the markets with cousins in London, UK, we’ve been repeatedly awed by the warm hospitality of the people we’ve visited - far-flung loved ones we don't get to see often enough.

2. Riding into the Sahara, Erg Chebbi, Morocco
Just a small band of 6 travelers, and our friendly guide, Said, heading out into the Sahara on camel by the light of the rising moon. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever expect to have an experience like this.

3. Arriving in León, Camino de Santiago, Spain
There are 7 countries represented in the picture above: Australia, Brazil, Ireland, Spain, Sweden, The Unites States and Canada - a group of people from a wide variety of backgrounds and cultures who came together by chance on the Camino. Over the weeks we walked together, we developed the kind of  close friendships made when sharing an extraordinary life experience, but our time together was short. We knew this might be our last opportunity to celebrate together and we went for it! Throw in some fabulous inexpensive wine and delicious tapas and you’ve got a formula for an extraordinary evening.

4. Summiting Conical Hill, Routeburn Track, Mount Aspiring National Park, New Zealand

Of all the summit views we enjoyed, the vista from the top of Conical Hill on New Zealand's Routeburn Track is, in my books, the most beautiful. As an added bonus, we found a very fine swimming spot in a stream approaching the summit where we took a dip after the climb. Cool, refreshing water that was clean enough to drink unfiltered and untreated. Where else in the world can you do that?

5. Kayaking at sunset in Halong Bay, Vietnam

Our 3-day trip in Halong Bay was full of magical experiences like our sunset kayak amoungst some of the bay's thousands of limestone pillar islands. Breathtaking! 

6. Recharging at the Blue Lagoon, Iceland

I've never felt so good in my life as when we left the Blue Lagoon, a natural geothermal pool rich in silica mud and minerals. The next time you head across the Atlantic, do yourself a huge favour and stop in Reykjavik, if only to spend the afternoon at the Blue Lagoon. Did I mention that if you fly Iceland Air you can stopover in Reykjavik for up to 7 days without paying any additional airfare? Oh, yes!

7. Morning in Bangkok, Thailand

There's no where else like Bangkok. It's a chaotic, wonderful, heady mix of people, animals, automobiles, buildings, shops, street stalls and restaurants selling spicy and delicious - if unidentifiable - snacks and meals. To me, it was at its most charming in the morning when friendly, smiling food vendors would line the streets selling their delicious wares as the rest of the city slowly came to life.

8. The Medina at night, Marrakech, Morocco

For as long as I can remember, I've looked forward to one day traveling to Morocco. Exotic sounding cities, medinas filled with strange treasures, perfumed breezes and starry night skies. Marrakech and it's main square, Jamaa el-Fna, with it's eclectic collection of street performers from all over Africa, met all my expectations and then some.

9. My new favourite Canadian hike, Sentinel Pass, Banff, Canada

Like many other Canadians, I love the outdoors. We've visited many of Canada's national parks and hiked a fair number of it's trails. I erroneously assumed that I had already picked my favourite Canadian hiking trail out of the bunch. Silly me! Somehow I had managed to overlook this gem of a hike near Moraine Lake in Banff National Park. I stand corrected!

10. Climbing Mount Ngauruhoe, Tongariro National Park, New Zealand

I cheered when I reached the top of Mount Ngauruhoe in Tongariro National Park. Numerous times during the ascent I'd considered turning back, so making it to the top felt like quite a victory. During our journey around the world, we climbed higher peaks on longer trails, but this was the most technically difficult summit we tackled. By the time we reached the rim of the active volcano, after almost four hours of climbing in high winds, I was spent! My legs were shaking with muscle fatigue, my hands and arms were scraped and bleeding (of course I'd left my gloves in my pack at the base of the volcano), and vertigo had left me feeling dizzy and light-headed. Woot! What a rush!

From time to time during our trip we would cross paths with others who, like us, were on an extended journey. One of the questions I'd always ask was, "of all the places you've visited, which are your favourites?" I learned there are plenty of extraordinary sites around the world we have yet to visit and an infinite number of ways to circumnavigate the globe. Lots of ideas to consider for upcoming adventures. If you have any suggestions to add, I'd love to hear them.

Things I’m Looking Forward to at the End of Our Around The World Journey

Considering my lack of enthusiasm for the conclusion of our 9-month trip around the world, this post was surprisingly easy to write. After all, traveling isn’t exactly a bed of roses - on the contrary, it’s often a lumpy mattress in a 60-person dorm. Yes, as wonderful as it’s been to travel for an extended period of time, there were a number of creature comforts that we left behind when we hit the road. I thought this might be a good moment to reflect on all the things we have to look forward to now that we’re homeward bound.

Unpacking

I love my trusty backpack and the feeling of having everything I need on my back. I don’t love that the thing I most need is always located in the very bottom of my bag. Every morning, my clothes and my toothbrush are at the bottom of my backpack. Every evening, my sleeping bag and my toothbrush are at the bottom of my backpack. If it starts to rain, my jacket will be at the bottom of my backpack, though my swimsuit will be nice and handy at the top. Good one, universe.

Having more than 3 shirts to chose from

I pride myself on being somewhat of a minimalist and I was quite chuffed to realize I can easily get by with having very few items of clothing - 1 jacket, 1 sweater, 3 shirts, 1 skirt and 2 pairs of pants. Do I want to continue wearing my hiking clothes when I’m out for a night on the town? Not really.

Cleaning up

My apologies in advance to the heroic hair stylist that next cuts my hair, but since we left Canada I’ve been cutting my own hair with a pair of children’s craft scissors. I’m in dire need of a haircut…a real one, that is.

A door to close at the end of the day

From shower stalls without doors to making phone calls in the company of 60 fellow travellers, budget travel usually makes for very little privacy. Having an apartment or even a room with a door to close at the end of the day sounds heavenly! On a related note, no more earplugs. Yay!

Cooking in a real kitchen

Home, sweet home for the past eight months has been two backpacks. Keeping to scale, our ‘kitchen’ fits into a small bag. It includes, 1 backpacking stove, 1 pot, 1 bowl, 1 plate, 2 mugs and cutlery. For spices we've had salt and pepper. I’m very excited at the idea of being able to cook in a kitchen that isn’t balanced on a log at the edge of our campsite.

Decisions, decisions

Where are we going? How do we get there - by bus, train, plane, on foot…or camel? Where will we stay once we get there? Every day on the road seems chock-a-block with questions. Of course once we get off the road there will still be plenty of decisions to make but, if all goes well, these will be more routine decisions with familiar outcomes and less opportunity for unexpected surprises. Decisions like, which of the 200 emails in my inbox should I open first. On second thought, scratch this one from the list…

Admittedly, as much as I am looking forward to settling down for a while, I’d gladly lump any and all of these challenges for another 9 months of travel. I also know that, though I’m calling them challenges today, tomorrow they’ll feel more like benefits. All the things I’ll miss so much about about these vagabond days.

Around the World at Last, Part 2

I’ve been hiding from my blog lately. The time has come in our journey to write a wrap-up post about our trip around the world and I’m finding all kinds of ways to procrastinate. We’ve even managed to drag out what was supposed to be an 8-month journey around the world into a 9-month journey by hunkering down with my cousin Rex in Texas for 3 weeks - kinda like Bonnie and Clyde. Well, not really.

We left Australia’s sun-drenched beaches almost a full month ago on a flight to Los Angeles. Our original plan, made way back when we left home in June of last year, was to end our journey with a drive up the Pacific Coast Highway. It sounded like a fitting way to finish the trip. We’d bookend our journey with two quintessential North American road trips - our drive across Canada from west to east at the start, and the drive from south to north along the PCH to wrap things up.

That was then. Now that the end of our journey is at hand, we’re realizing there’s more to focus on then ensuring our unforgettable trip reaches a romantic denouement. Lots more. Namely, finding an apartment, taking stock of our belongings, starting a job search, addressing all the details that need to be attended to when one moves to a new city, et cetera, et cetera. At the beginning of our trip, I wrote a short post about the seemingly countless items we needed to take care of in preparation for the start of our journey and I’m finding that the list of things to do at the end of our trip is equally as long. We've also decided it'll be easier to get down to business if we fly to central Canada - we'll have to wait to visit Big Sur and Napa Valley another time.

So what's next? Similar to how things went at the start of our journey, I’m finding we’re looking at a future that is pretty much a blank slate. Other than a few scarce details concerning the immediate future, I’m not sure how things are about to play out - a dubious circumstance that certainly has not escaped the attention of our parents. I can only make a few open-ended assumptions: that we’re about to encounter a high-level of uncertainty, that there will be a lot we’ll have to learn, that we’ll likely make mistakes, and that the possibilities are endless.

Come to think of it, it sounds like our journey isn’t ending at all! I think that sounds like a very promising beginning.

Anyhow, I’ve resolved to be more consistent with posting in the blog now that this next stage of our trip is about to begin. I think I’ll start with all the things I am looking forward to when we get off the road and unpack our bags. You’ll have to give me a moment to think about that one.* Stay tuned!

*Of course this could be construed as an excuse to procrastinate. Meh. Onward!

“Walker, there is no path, the path is made by walking.” - Antonio Machado

Sun, Sand and Surf at the Last Stop on Our Around The World Journey: Two Weeks in Southeastern Australia

One of southeastern Australia's many beaches,
Squeaky Beach at Wilson's Promotory

We're half-way through our whirlwind two-week tour of Australia. I know, I know, two weeks is not enough time to devote to such a large and diverse country but at this point in the game - eight months into our around the world journey - two weeks is all we can manage to eke out of the remains of our travel budget. And I do mean, 'eke'. Yes, there's lots of brown rice with tuna and chopped tomato on the menu these days...

But back to the more important details at hand! The vast multitude of gorgeous beaches in this limited corner of the globe have made us realize there's an obvious lack of lovely, swimmable ocean beaches in Canada. How lucky the Australians are! Every inch of this coast seems to be blessed with soft, powdery sand, good surf and an endless parade of holiday parks to ensure travelers will find all the comforts of home just a short walk across the road.

We've been here for less than a week and have been making our way along the coast from Melbourne to Brisbane. At the moment, we're in picturesque Mallacoota, just south of the Victoria/New South Wales boarder. Our travel brochures tell us that, as straight as the crow flies, we're only about 500km from Melbourne, but the odometer on our rental vehicle tells us we've actually traveled about 700km to arrive here.

Similar to other places we've stopped at along the way, we're lazing away our days soaking up the sun on the area's many beaches and hiking the trails in the nearby national park. On this stop, the nearby park is the very impressive Croajingolong National Park which, along with the adjoining Nadgee Nature Reserve, is classified as one of only 12 World Biosphere Reserves in Australia. Considering it's unique designation, it's no surprise that Croajingolong possesses some of the most photogenic beaches we've seen in a year's worth of travels. To add to the fun, we're staying in a great campsite located on a lovely stretch of the area's 320km of coastline. Needless to say, we're having a fine time in good ol' Mallacoota!

We often have the beach all to ourselves at
the campsite in Mallacoota

One of the many beautiful views along the Mallacoota Coastal Walk

Other favourite spots on our Australian journey so far were Rosebud on the Mornington Peninsula, where we enjoyed the views at nearby Point Nepean National Park, and Cape Conran, which appeared to be a popular spot for young surfers to hone their skills.

Cape Conran Coastal Park

The true highlight of our trip so far though has been our visit to Wilson's Promotory, also known as 'The Prom'. We loved the stunning coastal views, great variety of trails and the well serviced campsite located right beside the oceanfront beach!

View from the summit of Mount Oberon,
Wilson's Promotory

Squeaky Beach is covered with rounded quartz sand that actually
squeaks as you walk on it!

It's a little sad to think that in just a few short weeks, our "journey of a lifetime" will come to an end. Yes, as the saying goes (and my bank account heartily agrees), all good things must come to an end. If it must end, I couldn't think of a better way to do it than savouring a laid-back road trip in a land far, far away in the southern hemisphere. Our trip may be winding down, but we've still got a lot of miles to travel before we reach home and with the majority of the wild chaos of the past eight months behind us, there seems to be plenty of time to think and reflect…and maybe even start planning for our next "journey of a lifetime".

There and Back Again: 40km on the Routeburn Track

The summit of Conical Hill. We made it!

Day 1: Routeburn Shelter to Routeburn Flats Campsite, 6.5km

Dinner: Pasta with chorizo and tomato sauce

There's heavy debate in the backpackers and holiday parks we've been staying at in Fiordland over which is the better track, the Routeburn or the Kepler. We've heard very convincing arguments on both sides, but the verdict seems to be a bit in favour of the Routeburn and on day one of our hike it was already easy to see why. We were especially impressed by the amazing blue-hued water in the stream running alongside the trail and the picture-perfect alpine setting at the Routeburn Flats campsite. But the best was yet to come!

Turquoise water!

Campsite at Routeburn Flats

Day 2: Routeburn Flats Campsite, to Lake McKenzie Campsite, 13.4km + Summit of Conical Hill

Breakfast: Oatmeal, crackers, cheese, peanut butter

Lunch: Cheese and chorizo sandwiches
 
Snack: Cous cous and chicken

Dinner: Mashed potatoes and savoury mince

We have a winner! The view from Conical Hill takes the cake for our favourite alpine view of our around-the-world journey (taking over from the previous reigning champion, Sentinel Pass in Banff National Park, followed closely by the views at O'Cebreiro in Spain). The stunning alpine vista was definitely worth the long climb up from Routeburn Flats which, in case you're wondering, took us about 4 hours with a snack break at the Harris Saddle shelter. We were so impressed by the view, we found it hard to tear ourselves away to continue with the rest of the day's hike--it was that spectacular! In fact, once we climbed away from the tree line and past the Routeburn Falls Hut, we were pretty much gobsmacked by the views all the way to Lake McKenzie.

The climb above Lake Harris

Looking down on the Harris Saddle shelter from Conical Hill

Lake Harris viewpoint on Conical Hill

View from the summit of Conical Hill

As we headed across the Hollyford Valley face I came to suspect that some might prefer the Kepler Track for its long chain of ridge walks which offer 360 degree views down into the valleys below, but I'd take the Routeburn over the Kepler any day!

Alpine pond near the Harris Saddle shelter

Admiring the view of the Hollyford Valley

The trail from Harris Saddle shelter to Lake McKenzie

Setting a good pace! We made it to the Lake McKenzie Campsite
from the Harris Saddle shelter in about two hours.

Heading across the Hollyford valley face

Stopping to take a break and enjoy the view

Our first glimpse of Lake McKenzie Hut, you can just
make it out on the top left edge of the lake

Day 3 & 4: Return Trip McKenzie Campsite to Routeburn Shelter, 19.9km

Breakfast: Oatmeal, crackers, cheese, peanut butter

Lunch: Pumpkin soup, chicken curry and brown rice

Dinner: Pasta with chorizo and cheese sauce

Breakfast: Peanut butter sandwiches

The rest of the tracks we've hiked have all been circuits, but the Routeburn is a linear track. If we had hiked it end-to-end we would have needed to make arrangements to take a shuttle bus from the far end back to the starting point to return to our car. Alternately, we also determined we could have paid a car transport company to relocate our car to the far end of the trail. Shockingly, both options would have cost us about $250 NZ. Yikes! The solution we ended up going with was to book an extra night of camping on the trail and return the way we came--from Lake McKenzie to Routeburn Shelter. This meant we missed out on hiking the last 12km to the end of the trail at the Divide but, as we already hiked Key Summit (the big highlight at the Divide-end of the trail) when we drove to Milford Sound, that's okay by us.

A good number of the hikers we've met on the Routeburn are taking similar approaches to get around paying the shuttle bus fees. Not a bad solution as the views on the trail are so fabulous it's definitely worthwhile to do the trail twice-over! Others are connecting from the Routeburn to the Cables Track which makes for a bit of a circuit hike, taking hikers somewhat close to the trailhead at Routeburn Shelter. Another good option that's easier on the pocketbook and, as an added bonus, results in an extra day or two of hiking in picture-perfect Fiordland.

Lake McKenzie in the morning

One last look at the Lake McKenzie campsite before we head back

The spot where we stopped for lunch

Routeburn Falls

A new friend from Denmark, sitting by a mountain stream in New Zealand at sunset playing the theme song from The Lord of the Rings on his harmonica. Oh yes, it was precious.

See more photos of our 4-day hike on The Routeburn Track on flickr.

Peak Bagging, New Zealand-Style: 60km on the Kepler Track + Milford Sound

Key Summit Hike, Routeburn Track

Day -1: Milford Sound Drive and Key Summit

We arrived in Te Anau intending to set up camp and spend some time relaxing in preparation for our impending 3-day hike on the Kepler Track, but the weather was so fantastic it seemed a shame to waste it hanging around a campsite. Wet and windy conditions are common around here and it was probable this would be the only nice weather we would encounter during our week-long stay in Fiordland. That said, we changed our plans to take advantage of the sunshine and drive down to Milford Sound. We also decided to do the final leg of the Routeburn and the hike up to Key Summit for good measure. So glad we did as the weather was gorgeous all day and the views were spectacular!

Milford Sound

Near the trailhead at Rainbow Reach

Day 1: Rainbow Reach to Brod Bay Campsite, 15.1km

Lunch: Pumpkin soup (dehydrated soup mix), crackers, dried sausage

Dinner: Brown rice, sardines in tomato sauce, chocolate almond bark

Well, the Kepler Track is an excellent antidote to homesickness, if you're Canadian. Our first day's hike was very much like the forest hiking we do back home in British Columbia. The only obvious difference being that most of the trees in Fiordland are deciduous, where the forests of B.C. are made up mostly of evergreens. Other than that, the landscape was pretty familiar: the ground carpeted in ferns, mossy tree trunks, branches covered with old man's beard and rocky streams.

For the first few hours, the trail ran parallel to the rushing Waiau River, with waters so clear you could see the stones deep at the bottom of the river. Towards the end of the hike the trail traced the shore of Lake Te Anau and we couldn't resist stopping at one of the quiet beaches along the way to wade into the cool waters. Ah!

Heading "over the top" on the Kepler Track

Day 2: Brod Bay Campsite to Iris Burn Campsite, 22.8km

Breakfast: Couscous, canned chicken and apricots, coffee and tea

Lunch: Pasta with dried sausage

Dinner: Minestrone cup of soup and mac and cheese with tuna

The weather on our second day on the Kepler was the pits! For most of the day, we hiked through a gale with winds reaching 100km per hour. The views, on the other hand, were fabulous. We love alpine hiking, and have enjoyed a number of stellar alpine hikes around the world, but we've never done alpine hiking quite like this before. Stunning!

As camping is not an option at high altitudes on the Kepler (those staying in the huts can break their journey at the Luxmore Hut though), we had to take on the challenge of ascending, crossing "the top" and descending in one day. The initial climb to the summit of Mount Luxmore (1400+ metres) took us almost 4 hours, with a lengthy stop at the Luxmore Hut for lunch. From there, we were wowed by the views all afternoon as we headed across numerous saddles past the Forest Burn and Hanging Valley Emergency Shelters. We descended in the late afternoon to the Iris Burn Hut to enjoy a much-deserved large dinner and to rest our very tired feet!

All-in-all it was an amazing day that I'll never forget! I heard New Zealand's Southern Alps inspired a young Sir Edmund Hillary to champion the sport of alpine climbing. Well, of course!

View near the Luxmore Hut

Arriving at the Hanging Valley Hut

Day 3: Iris Burn Campsite to Rainbow Reach, 22.2km

Breakfast: Hot oatmeal, crackers and peanut butter

Lunch (eaten on the trail): Gorp (almonds and M&Ms), crackers, dried fruit, granola bars

The hike out from the Iris Burn campsite was very similar to the first day's hike to Brod Bay. Though the views were a bit less spectacular than the day before, the easy hike gave our tired feet a bit of a break. We arrived at Rainbow Reach in the mid-afternoon and made it back to Te Anau with enough time to get to the D.O.C. (Department of Conservation) office to pick up our tickets for our 3-day hike on the Routeburn Track (we'll be doing the full trail this time around). We're starting that hike tomorrow, by the way. Yikes! Obviously I had a temporary lapse of reason when I made these arrangements. Oh well! Onward!

Heading back to Rainbow Reach

If you're interested in reading about the alpine hiking we've done in Canada you can check out some of our previous blog posts.

The Coastal Trail of My Dreams: 55km on the Abel Tasman Track, New Zealand

View of Mutton Cove on the Abel Tasman Track

Day 1, Marahau to Apple Tree Bay

It's always a little sad to begin a long distance hike in the rain. When we hit the trail at Marahau at the late hour of 6pm (after traveling all the way from Wellington that day) we told ourselves the occasional drops of rain we were feeling would soon clear up. As it goes, by the time we reached Apple Tree Bay, the rain had increased to a light drizzle, the sky was looking ominously dark and it seemed best to stay put rather than continue onto our intended destination, Te Pukatea Bay. As consolation, the Apple Tree Bay campsite is on a beautiful golden beach which I am sure looks very lovely on a sunny day, and still makes for a pretty decent picture in the rain as well.

Apple Tree Bay

Day 2, Apple Tree Bay to Torrent Bay

It rained most of the night and we woke the next day to a steady downpour. Boo! As we knew the forecast called for clearing skies in the late morning, we took opportunity to sleep in and enjoy a late breakfast in "bed". By the time we finished packing up the tent, the rain had ended and the sun was trying hard to break through the thinning clouds. We crossed out fingers, hit the trail and hoped for the best...

We hiked for a couple of hours along the coast and over a short inland section and soon arrived at Torrent Bay. Happily, the bay looked gorgeous under much-welcome sunny, blue skies. Yay! We decided to stop for the afternoon to swim and eat a meal at the Anchorage Hut. For those of you who may be considering hiking the Abel Tasman with a tent, I believe the campsite at the Anchorage Hut is one of the best on the trail. Though many campers seems to bypass the peninsula to head straight to Bark Bay, I would recommend including a night at Anchorage in your hiking itinerary, especially if the weather is fine.

Anchorage Hut

Lunchtime at the Anchorage Hut

Stopping for a swim at the Anchorage Hut beach

After enjoying an afternoon in the sun we hiked across the bay at low tide to Torrent Bay Village, where we camped for the night. It wasn't my favourite campsite on the trail, but it was a good enough spot to pitch our tent for the night.

Day 3, Torrent Bay to Waiharakeke Bay

After two relatively short days of hiking, we found ourselves faced with a mammoth 25km hike on day three. Happily, the going was fairly easy, with the exception of one steep and onerous climb just past Bark Bay. Keeping our priorities in order, we managed to squeeze in time for some swimming (and a shower!) at the Bark Bay Hut.

We ended the day at the lovely campsite near Waiharakeke Bay which has a very fine swimming beach.

Low tide crossing near the Awaroa Hut

Waiharakeke Bay at sunset

Note: The shower at Bark Bay isn't really much of a shower, it's just a hose with a shower head out in the forest (yes, the water was super cold) but it'll get you clean.

Day 4, Waiharakeke Bay to Whariwharangi Bay

This section turned out to be the Abel Tasman Track of my dreams. With most of the trail behind us were able to hike the days' 12km at a relaxed pace and spend the majority of our time lounging at the many stunning beaches we passed throughout the day. Heavenly!

Goat Bay and Mutton Cove ended up being my favourite beaches on trail. Surprisingly, except for the occasional group of hikers passing through, both were pretty much empty. What's not to love about that?

View of Goat Bay from a distance

Goat Bay

Mutton Cove

View on the way to Whariwharangi Bay

Day 5, Whariwharangi Bay to Wainui Bay

Our 5-day hike ended as it began, on a bit of a sad note. Sad because our happy days enjoying the sand and sun of New Zealand's Abel Tasman Track had come to an end (sniff!) If we'd been able to carry enough food I would gladly have turned around and hiked the 55km back to our starting point in Marahau. Instead we took at advantage of one of the many transportation companies who service the Abel Tasman, TrekExpress, who picked us up at Wainui and drove us back to Marahau. You need to make arrangements in advance for pickups, so if you're looking to do this trip in the future I'd recommend consulting the DOC for information on companies you can contact.

The campsite at Whariwharangi Bay

Wanui Bay on the final day of the hike

Now, after enjoying such an amazing time on the Abel Tasman you might be wondering why I don't just declare New Zealand an easy victor in the "is New Zealand better than Canada?" debate and call it a day. Well, I'm hesitating on two counts, coincidentally both of them are German travelers I met on the Able Tasman who happen to be huge fans of Canada. They reminded me that there are a few sights to be found back home that might compare very favourably to Abel Tasman's stunning views. Take a look at my flickr photo set from our 6-day hike on Vancouver Island's North Coast Trail for example and let me know what you think.