New Zealand- Fiordland National Park

Mitre Peak looming over Milford Sound

Fiordland National Park is easily one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Hopefully my pictures give you some sense of it's majesty.

Mirror Lakes

Eglinton Valley

Bowen Falls

Harrison Cove

The view back up Milford Sound

A rainbow caught in the mist of Fairy Falls

Fiordland Crested Penguins

Fresh snow

Sunset over Lake Te Anau

New Zealand- Wanaka & Queenstown

Queenstown Harbor

After crossing Haast Pass, we descended upon the idyllic town of Wanaka. Surrounded by lakes, world class skiing and countless other outdoor adventures, Wanaka is definitely a place I'd like to spend more time. Perhaps next year! After a brief tour around Wanaka, it was on to Queenstown, which is kind of like a slightly bigger version of Wanaka with more ski areas, more lakes and even more outdoor adventures going on. Known as the adrenaline capital of New Zealand (and perhaps the world), there's no shortage of heart rate increasing things to do here. Another place to come back to!

The Queenstown Mall

Lake Wanaka

A view of Lake Hawea, on the way to Wanaka

The Crown Range Road from Wanaka to Queenstown

New Zealand- Haast Beach

Sunset

After driving along the West Coast, Malin and I spent a night in the small town of Haast. We were lucky enough to catch a dark and brooding sunset at Haast Beach on our way.

Simply beautiful

The moon rises over Haast Beach

One lane bridges are common in New Zealand

Fantail Falls

New Zealand- The West Coast

Ship Creek

After spending the night in Hokitika, we drove along the west coast of the South Island. It's an incredible landscape of temperate rainforest, towering glacial peaks and deserted coastline unlike any place I've ever seen.

Ship Creek Beach

A Rimu forest bordering the Tasman Sea

Franz Josef Glacier

Our Lady of the River Church

New Zealand- Arthur's Pass

A typical New Zealand view

After spending a few days climbing at Castle Hill, my friend Malin and I began our tour of the South Island. The first leg involved crossing over the mountains to reach the West Coast via Arthur's Pass. The day began with stunning mountain scenery followed by our first glimpses of the Tasman Sea.

The infamous Kea- one of the few alpine parrots in the world

The Otira Viaduct

Australia- Armidale Bouldering

An unnamed v4

Aside from the world renowned bouldering in the Grampians, there isn't much in the way of developed bouldering in Australia. There are some good small spots around Sydney and numerous other small areas spread throughout the bush surrounding the major cities in each state. One of the few large areas outside of the Grampians that is fairly well developed is Armidale. Set amidst the rolling hills of the New England tablelands in northern New South Wales, Armidale is home to several high quality bouldering areas. These pictures are from one of the most well known areas- Gara Gorge.

An unnamed v4

An unnamed v3

'Pseudoephedrine' (v3)

Hannah 'Flash' Gordon cruises an unnamed v0

An unnamed v4

Australia- New South Wales

The Opera House and Harbour Bridge

From the cosmopolitan city of Sydney to the rolling hills of New England and on to the rugged coastline, where surfing rules the scene, New South Wales continually amazes you with its seemingly limitless beauty. So much is packed into such a small area, perhaps more so than any other state. It's an interesting mix of tropical and temperate, urban and rural, ocean and outback. It's these dichotomies that give weight to the surroundings and make you appreciate how special this place is.

The Stockton Bight-the longest moving sand dunes in the Southern Hemisphere (35km!)

Stockton Bight

Dorrigo National Park

Lower Ebor Falls

New England National Park

Byron Bay

Looking down on North Avoca Beach from Hannah's beach house

Me heading out to surf at Avoca Beach

Checking out the waves

Downtown Sydney at night

Australia- The Sunshine Coast

A look back at Noosa's main beach

Gum tree at sunset

Queensland's Sunshine Coast, located just north of Brisbane, is home to some of the biggest surf and best beaches in Australia. The centerpiece of this area is Noosa. This picturesque spot boasts a vibrant downtown set only a hundred or so feet off the main beach surrounded by national parks and amazing surfing for all ability levels. It's a beach town through and through, the kind of place that could almost convince a mountain person like myself to trade the ski boots in for a pair of flip flops and a surfboard.

Granite Bay

Noosa National Park

Rocks at Boiling Point

A koala enjoying some eucalyptus leaves