21-24 February 2025

Kia Ora,

We spent three nights in Arthur’s Pass last week, which was lovely. We arrived at the lodge just in time for a guided nature walk that introduced us to a little more of the history of the area and some of the flora.

The next day, we relaxed a bit and walked half of a loop trail where we saw some cute songbirds including fantails and tomtits. The birds seemed almost as curious about us as we were about them. 

We also met the cutest bridge troll we’ve ever seen. As we approached a tiny footbridge, a robin popped out. After thoroughly examining us from several angles, we were allowed safe passage.

After dinner on nights two and three, we went out for guided stargazing. The southern hemisphere night sky is incredible, way more dense than the northern hemisphere. Aside from so many stars, you could see the Milky Way, the Magellanic Clouds, and Jupiter and Saturn. We also do a spectacular shooting star.

Our last full day, we sumitted a 930m climb with an incredible view of the surrounding area.