The Importance of Bringing the Right Shoes, and Other Thoughts Along a Short Stroll in New Zealand

As you probably already know, I love New Zealand. And not just the whole country (which is utterly fabulous and jaw-droppingly stunning in many spots), but a small corner of it at the bottom of the South Island, an area known as Fiordland.

Fiordland is dramatically beautiful, with high, snow covered mountains, deep glacially carved lakes, and lovely pastures of grazing sheep abound. But some of our favorite things to do when we visit this area is to simply take walks.

As I noted in a previous entry about a walk along the Kepler Track, Ben and I are not hikers. In a general sense, we like to take a good little walk when we travel, though it really should be relatively flat and only take 2-3 hours or so. We don't aspire to reach the tops of mountains or the deepest valleys, but if the destination is about an hour or two along a wooded path, we will make some time for it. Especially in New Zealand. But more especially here in Fiordland.

And so that's what we planned when we visited Te Anau and Manapouri in November 2019. And we even began the hike, only to find that one of us, who shall remain nameless (::ahem:: Ben) forgot a really key item for the type of walk we were attempting. And that key element, my dear friends, are sneakers with some tread on them.

This may seem obvious, readers (and it is), but just in case some of you are like my dear, sweet husband, let this be a reminder of why you should really choose your shoes carefully before embarking on a trip to Fiordland, especially if you'd like to do some of the easier parts of the Kepler Track (for those looking to do the longer, more adventurous parts, I'm assuming you already know what gear you'd need).

For now, let's take a look at what a quick adventure along a separate leg of the Kepler Track looks like, and begin to imagine what it might have looked like, had one of us brought the proper footwear. (Stay tuned for updates, because we will do this hike again some day in the future).

First things first - here was our plan: we would start off at Rainbow Reach, a park entrance we had passed many, many times in our daily drives from Manapouri to Te Anau, and then walk as much or as little as we wanted on the way to Shallow Bay. The website linked to above notes that the hike is about 6km long, and takes about 3 to 3 1/2 hours return. We weren't sure we would go the whole way, but we thought we might - this was similar to our previous excursion on the Kepler Track, so we were curious to see where we might end up.

Of course, as also noted above, we didn't get very far. Still, even if it's just a short hike through the woods along the Kepler Track, the quiet and solitude is always worth any amount of time you can spend on it.

Once we parked our car in the Rainbow Reach car park, our first main obstacle was a rickety looking bridge that crosses the rushing Waiau River below. I'm not a big fan of heights, and have not walked over previous river suspension bridges in New Zealand before (see forthcoming notes from our 2010 trip), but this time, I was up for the challenge. That's how much I like the easier parts of the Kepler Track.

I didn't know it at the time, but once you get on the bridge (note the amount of people allowed at a time in the sign above), you get some incredible views of the mountains that frame Lake Manapouri in the distance.

I know a lot of these pictures are similar, but really, how beautiful is this? And how brave must I have been to actually stop along the rickety old bridge to take them? Exactly.

Ben looks really excited to have made it to the other side of the bridge, and to be in my pictures!

(There's a running joke in my family that goes along the lines of, "Ben may be happy to be in some of the world's most beautiful places, but he never tells his face." In other words, he always looks annoyed, despite the fact that he is happy to be in these incredible places - just not happy to be my "model").

Making him suffer even more by placing him in just the right spot.

We had not yet discovered that Ben's shoes would be problematic, so we heartily began our walk through the woods, enjoying the peace and quiet that this area's wooded areas are known for.

The turn off the trail to head towards Shallow Bay occurs relatively quickly after crossing the bridge.

However, after making the turn, the trail became steeper, and it became increasingly apparent that Ben would not make it very far - the ground was somewhat wet, and without the traction needed, Ben would simply not make it up the necessary hills. It was after some slipping and sliding that we decided to amend our plans, and instead of working our way towards Shallow Bay, we'd backtrack a little and start walking towards Te Anau for as long as we'd want before turning back around.

Back on flat land after returning to the fork in the road, this part of the trail is much easier, readers, and very little traction is required. As you can see, the kind kiwis even provide boardwalks in some areas, making the trail easier to traverse. That isn't to say there aren't some roadblocks in the form of downed trees (as you'll see below), but serious hiking shoes are not required for this portion - just comfortable ones.

Occasional glimpses of the river are available.

As you can see below, you need some dexterity to make it over the random downed tree obstacles that block the path.

We did cross over the trees, but didn't make it too much further. Our main mission had been diverted, but we had gotten a good dosage of fresh air and forest bathing that we felt we could head back whenever we felt like it. The nice part of this section of the Kepler Track is you can walk as much or as little as you'd like - just going for a stroll? Looking for a longer hike? Hoping to spend a few days out in the woods? All possibilities.

Just be mindful of your footwear when you're packing, friends.

Upon return, it was time to cross my nemesis once again. It makes for a striking image, but I won't lie and say it's a pleasant activity, especially for those afraid of heights. But it must be done to get back, so off we went!

As you can see, I still somewhat took my time, trying to get some pictures, despite the somewhat incapacitating fear I felt. No matter how scary this bridge felt, it was not nearly as terrifying as the one I crossed in Austria high above the mountains and highway below, so I think that's what kept me propelling forward.

One last quick view of the river flowing towards Lake Manapouri and the mountains beyond.

But I figured I'd end this post almost where it began, with my favorite person, Ben. At the end of the day, he's a pretty good sport about these things, including my constant need to place him in pictures that he doesn't really want to be in. No, he may not have brought the right shoes along with him, but in the end, we still had a nice outing anyway, proof that travel doesn't always go to plan, but that doesn't mean you can't find something fulfilling in the experiences anyway.

Until next time, when we (hopefully) come better prepared!

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Rainbow Reach to Shallow Bay

The Kepler Track is 60 km long trek through the New Zealand wilderness, with options for all skill levels available along the Te Anau/Manapouri areas. Be sure to visit the Visitor's Center right at the entrance to the town of Te Anau for those looking for more adventurous hikes along the trail than the ones we will attempt, and as I mentioned throughout the document, be sure to wear the appropriate footwear, bring a camera and some bug spray, be mindful about changes in the weather, and enjoy the stunning scenery!

For more information about this stretch of the hike we initally attempted, visit the All Trails website.