Because Life is Beautiful

Last Monday, at 11:15 am, Gareth nudged me from my half-awake state that I take on when I’m on an airplane. My heart had been fluttering for the last nine hours. My mind was reeling with questions and excitement. It had been so long. I had no idea what to expect.

Gareth’s nudge brought me back to the present, to the here and now. He told me to lean over him to look out the window. Right below us, Edmonton sat, splayed out over flat, dry land.    

A current of emotions ran through me. Home. 17 months to the day since I had seen this city. And to be perfectly honest, it was…a bit more sparse than I remember. We had just come from the UK, with its green, lush fields, the flowers blooming and flourishing. We had spent the weekend in my favourite city - London - and there aren’t many places that can compare to its cobblestone back street and low-ceilinged pubs. 

Never the less, I igored the barren look of the fields - I knew who was waiting for me once we hit the ground. I was wide awake, on high alert, and I was hyper with excitement. A bit nervous, a bit giddy. As every big occasion is celebrated, Gareth and I had a little dance party in our seats as the seatbelt sign came on and we descended to the city I have called home for 27 years.

Security and bag pickup took all of 15 minutes. And just like I had imagined it, my mamma was standing there with open arms and a massive smile as we came through the gate.

Edmonton greeted us with a beautiful summer’s day - which is rare here in May. Our first stop was our house - we had rented it out and so hadn’t been in it since October 1, 2010. I felt like we were in a dream as I walked through the place we had first made a home together.

My dad met us there, with his beaming smile and happy chuckle. His girl was home, safe and sound. 

That evening family and friends poured into my parent’s backyard and we were suddenly surrounded by people I had missed and longed for.

As we sat there and chatted and talked, we slipped back in as if we belonged. The best way I can describe it is - everything has changed, but nothing has. People have grown and changed. Appearances have altered. And yet, at the base of it all - their hearts are just as we left them, ready and open for us to slip back into.

Life has been a huge readjustment, and we’re not quite there yet. We have a home to fill with everything that has been in storage. We have people to catch up with. And the thing that has been the hardest for me - we have a time zone to readjust to.

We also hit the ground running - our first week home consisted of two client meetings with wedding clients and a mother’s day photo shoot. No rest for the wicked over here!

17 months
8 countries
Over 30,000 photos
Countless memories
Forever changed

There is nothing like setting out on an adventure. There is especially nothing like setting out with the person you love more than anything in this world. But my friends, let me tell you, there is nothing like coming home again. Thank you doesn’t seem enough for all of the support we recieved while on this adventure. Being grateful doesn’t seem adaquate to show you how much we appreciate it. Every bit of it. Every comment, every like, every time you took the time to read about our adventure, to cheer us on when we were on our highs, to give us words of encouragement when we were on our lows. Sharing it with you has made it so much bigger than we ever imagined it could be. And we have only shared our adventures into November! So much more is coming.

It feels so good to be back. To be home.

 Our coming home gift from my very generous Aunt. It’s exactly perfect.

We have a whole new chapter to start. And we can’t wait to share it with you.

With Love,
Shauna

See Part 1 here.

We finished the Lake Alabaster section of the Hollyford Track cold and frozen from the downpour of rain, so after changing into warm, cuddly clothes, making some tea, we were off again. We had mre of the Milford Road to explore!

Now, if you know much about New Zealand, chances are you know about Milford Sound. People say a lot about it - we could say a lot about it! But I’ll try not to, because you would get bored. What I will say is this place is magical, memorizing, and looks even better when it’s raining.

Gertrude Saddle. We were pumped and ready to do a hike up here - the rain had even stopped - until we found out crampons and winter gear would be necessary. Uh….we live in a van…we don’t have that kind of gear. We’ll just look from here.

 While winter still rages above, the Mount Cook Lilly is blooming all around us.

Keas, keas everywhere!

Keas are the worlds only alpine parrot, and they live in New Zealand! We had visits from these cheeky little monkeys..woops birds…a couple of times. They love to rip apart cars, steal your lunch and put on a show. The more you laugh the more they perform. I was eating my lunch in the van and this kea tried to get in through the window, the windscreen, and the sunroof to get at my sandwich.

We were recommended to stop at the Chasm, and we’re so glad we did. This place is hard to explain. Countless years of water pounding over the rocks has carved weird and unusual patterns. Here is the river before it falls through the chasm.

Jumping in the rain.

Now, for the main event. Mitre Peek is THE thing to see in Milford Sound. We really lucked out. We hate that word when used most ways, but weather is one thing we can’t control, so luck is involved here. Be still my heart, if it wasn’t for the sandflies I could have sat here all night.

We walked around the base of the Sound for a bit, taking in the views. But Gareth was anxious to get back up to the Homer Tunnel. He had spotted a photo op right near the tunnels entrance, and we needed to get there before sunset.

A quick stop along the way. Can you guess my full name??

Shauna Donne Roughley!

Worth leaving the Sound for? Indeed it was my friends.

Shauna & Gareth

Our cameras have been through the wars. They’ve been out in pouring rain, in the desert on a camel safari, in the dust of India’s cities and the tops of New Zealand mountains. They have been banged and bashed (but thankfully never dropped!). They have been used, abused and put to the test.

During our final weeks in New Zealand my camera started acting up. Rarely at first, but partway through India it became difficult to take a good photo. By the time we arrived in the UK I was worried I was a horrible photographer and I didn’t know how to take a good photo.

We found a Canon approved repair centre in Stoke-on-Trent called H. Lehmann. An unassuming, plain storefront on a nondescript road left us slightly nervous about leaving such a treasured possession - albeit a broken one - in this location. But as soon as the man behind the counter started chatting, our faith was restored. This man knew his business.

We weren’t sure if it was worth it to have the camera fixed. We’ve ordered a new one for when we get home - the Canon 5D Mark lll for you photogs - but we wanted my  current camera - the 50D - as a backup. Since it would soon just be a backup, we didn’t want to spend too much money on it.

The man assured us it was worth it, so I pulled my bag off and slowly opened it. I was embarrassed for this professional to see my camera. Dirt and dust was stuck into places I couldn’t reach. I had taken ear buds to it a few times to clean it the best I could, but it looked like it had been hanging out with Charlie Brown and Pig Pen. Scratches had taken off the paint, the Canon logo on my lens cap was part rubbed off.

“Please excuse the state of my camera,” I murmured with my eyes down, my cheeks turning pink. “It’s been around the world with us.”

The man took that battered piece of treasure that had become my extra limb in the last 18 months and examined it. “That’s the way it should be. We don’t have these things for them to sit on the shelf now do we?”

I looked up beaming. Gareth was smiling too. When we find a fellow photographer in our camp - the “Use it!” camp - we jump for joy. Learning this man who has the skill to fix these intricate machines was happy to see them put through the rigours was a relief - and a delight.

As he filled out the form he informed me with a cheeky smile that the serial number had been worn out. No surprise there.

I waited a week, and my camera was ready. So soon! I was thrilled. I was eager to have it back in my hands and played with it all afternoon. It focuses again! My photos are sharp!

We knew this was true, but the lovely man at the Canon Shop helped remind us:

Use your gear. Take it with you, leave it turned on, have it ready to go. Take photos, as much as you can, as often as you can. Love what you do.

Shauna & Gareth

*Please note this session has been filled. There is going to be one very happy mom on Mother’s Day!*

Hello everyone!

A few things have come to our realization in the last few days.

1. We’re going to be home in LESS THAN A WEEK! It doesn’t seem real.
2. Canadian Mother’s Day is coming up!

We love our moms (mum for Gareth!) and we’re sure you do too. So, we want to do a photo shoot for a wonderful family on Canadian Mother’s Day - Sunday, 13 May. Whoever books with us for that date, we will give you 50% off the session fee.

Yep, 50% off the session fee!

It has to be on Mother’s Day, and it’s first come first serve. Email us for details & to book: smile@roughleyoriginals.com

Show your mom some love, and capture this time for her. Because Life is Beautiful.

Shauna and her mom in New Zealand on the R Tucker Thompson

Gareth and his mum JUMPING on the beach in Devon, England

Lots of Love,
Shauna & Gareth

As we prepare to come home to Edmonton, we’ve decided Roughley Originals needs a makeover! Our new logo has been designed, and soon our new website will be ready. We’ll still be sharing all our travel and personal adventures, we’ll just be adding in work with our awesome clients too.

What do you think? We would love to hear your feedback!

Our logo is our first impression to strangers. I feel like it’s the wardrobe of our business, and just like choosing the right clothes to reflect your style, our logo needed to reflect us. Us as individuals, us as a team, and how we want Roughley Originals to be percieved.  The very talented Richard Harris took all this on board and has created the beginnings of this exciting transformation - he’s also creating our website for us. If you want some contact info just let us know, and we’ll hook you up.

We’re of the opinion that if we want people to value us for our profession, we need to engage people in their chosen profession. Richard knows design, and we’re stoked we left it to him to make us something we loved.

Much Love,
Shauna & Gareth

Partway along the Milford Road we detoured to do a bit of hiking. Shocking, I know!

We headed towards Gunn’s Camp, near the start of the Hollyford track. The weather was iffy, raining off and on, so we were slightly concerned with the long hike in. However, as soon as we arrived the clouds cleared and the sun came out. We were in luck again!

We would be hiking 19.5 km to the second DOC hut on the track. We met the lovely owners at Gunn’s, who gave us a pack of matches so we would be able to eat that evening! Packs on our backs, we were off.

Getting ready

Our destination: Alabaster Hut

Today’s hike was very differnet to Milford, and it’s different to many we have hiked since. The path winds and weaves through the forest, allowing for a quiet, protected walk, the Hollyford River meandering not far away.

Stopping for lunch.

Back on the trail - Gareth in a tree! Being a tree!

Weaving over the rivers and streams repeatedly meant traipsing swinging bridge after swinging bridge. Not for those afraid of heights…or swinging things. This walk is known for its waterfalls, and soon we found our way to the first of the bigger falls.

Hidden Falls has a clever name. As you can guess it can’t be seen from the bridge or the path, so we took the short side trail to find it tucked around the corner. Through the warm, glorious sun we strolled into spray carried upon a chilly breeze.

Because of the inscessant spray from the falls we couldn’t capture the shot we would have liked. Instead, we continued on our way across the swing bridge.

Gareth on Homer Saddle!

This was a long walk, and it took us a good few hours to do. There were hills as we climbed up and over Homer’s Saddle, but nothing too intense.

The end of the day. You can see the hut in the background, which by the looks of things I’m ready for!

The hut is right on the edge of Lake Alabaster. We had a quick look before dumping our bags in the sturdy building.

The DOC huts have bunk rooms. This one was different from any others we had seen so far - as you can see, there is one long slab of wood for multiple people to sleep on. This means, if it was full, we’d be sleeping next to strangers. Luckily there were two bunk rooms in this hut, and only two couples. We each had a private room!

A lovely wood stove to keep us warm.

A typical DOC kitchen. Metal countertops spread througout the room so we could spread out all of our gear. There is running water that is drinkable - trust me this is a Godsend so you don’t have to carry more than a day’s worth - and plenty of room to set up our little one burner camp stove.

As usual, we passed out early, cozy and warm in the hut. Hiking exhausts us, and we always sleep well.

The next morning we awoke to the promise of rain from laden clouds overhead. Thankfully it held off long enough for Gareth to make the most of nature’s soft box. The cloudy, overcast day filtered even light upon Little Homer Falls.

Not long after leaving the falls the rain finally came in abundance.

Well worth getting a bit wet for.

Shauna & Gareth

The Milford track was finished, and we couldn’t be happier. On the drive back from Milford as the rain poured, waterfalls cascaded down the mountains. We needed to go back and see the views properly. After a few days doing some photography work at the YHA in Te Anau, we set off.

The days started out beautifully, which meant me jumping for joy!

The Milford road is thick with beautiful green trees lining the way. We saw this sign and had to stop for a photo.

 Apparently it wasn’t 100 % accurate.

Mirror Lakes is more like a little pond. The reflection would be gorgeous on a clear still day…which we didn’t have. We still took the walk and checked it out, but it wasn’t anything special for us.

Next walk was up to Lake Marion. When we set out the weather had started to change a bit but the sky was still blue. We didn’t take many photos walking up because it was a steep and difficult walk up muddy paths and through rock slides that had wiped out trees.

By the time we reached Lake Marion the blue skies had disappeared, and in their place were thick grey rainclouds. This is a stunning spot, perfect for some quintessential Kiwi shots. Unfortunately the weather just wasn’t on our side today, so we played instead.

Jumping pictures with a timer was a challenge! We didn’t do too bad.

We scrambled back down the path from Lake Marion to the van. It was time to find a spot to park for the night. The Milford road has quite a few DOC campsites so we located the one nearest to us - Lake Gunn. When we arrived the rain was getting worse and we assumed we were in for a night inside the van. Luckily Gareth is a little more adventurous than me. He crawled out of the van and ventured to the lakeside, where the scene below was beginning to unfold. He ran back, grabbed his camera and headed back to the lake. It must have been a good view, so I hauled myself out of  the van to follow him.

Worth it. Worth the wet, worth the cold, worth the risk of having a chilly night. We weren’t in New Zealand to sit in a van, we were in New Zealand to spend the evening, side by side, watching nature at its best.

Worth every single second.

Shauna & Gareth

In case you missed it: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

DAY 4
35.5 km down
18 km to go

Day three of the Milford track had tuckered us out. We woke up tired, our bodies sore from the last three days, particularily after climbing up to the MacKinnon Pass. The sky held the promise of rain, and soon after we set out it started down. Quite light at first, which was lovely since it was warm, but soon the rain was pounding so we SUITED UP! (How I met Your Mother style).

I’m going to warn you now, these photos aren’t stellar. The rain cascaded down on us all day long.

 The rain was hammering down so much I didn’t notice a leaf land on my head. Luckily Gareth did, and just told me to smile.

I’m going to do a bit of bragging here for a minute. Despite the cold and the rain, Gareth set up his tripod and and took multiple images to create the one below. He doesn’t think it’s amazing, but I do - if you agree leave him a comment and let him know!

Leaning on the sign for a short break, while disguising it as posing for a picture.

One of the many bridges we crossed on that last day.

49.6 km! 3.9 km to go. I have to tell you, I was incredibly tired by this point. And cold. I had underestimated this day of the hike a bit - there were still ups and downs and we didn’t stop much at all since every time we did we got cold.

4 days, and 53.5 km later (not including all of the diversions we did) - THE END!

Our cameras were soaked by this point. Literally, soaked right through. This was an awesome sign with tons of hiking boots hanging from it, but we couldn’t get a clear shot. Please be happy with a happy snap!

We reached the dock at 1:45 pm - 15 minutes to spare before we needed to be on the boat to take us through Milford Sound and back to catch the bus to Te Anau. We squished on the boat with many of our fellow walkers, all of us soaking wet, tired, and not quite believing what we had just achieved.

Within minutes of us all crowding inside the boat, we were back out in the rain to experience Milford Sound first hand. We were already soaked, and this was a once in a lifetime boatride - we weren’t about to pass this up.

We reached the boat dock in Milford Sound and only had minutes to try and change out of dripping wet clothes so we wouldn’t completely freeze on the bus ride. We came into the building at Milford starving and laughing and being stared at by all the warm, dry people inside. One older women just watched us with a little smile on her face as we peeled layers of clothes off.

We headed back to the YHA in Te Anau, where we were staying to do some work for them after the hike. They have fantastic BBQ facilities, so we continued the tradition we had started hiking Cape Brett up in the north island, and bought burgers and beer for our celebratory dinner. A couple we met on the hike were also staying there, so we cooked some up for them too!

Tim & Gareth cooking up the burgers

We earned this dinner!

Our longest hike yet was a success! And now we were hooked. As soon as we finished Milford, we booked more.

Shauna & Gareth

p.s. we’re going to be writing an overall review on the hike. Coming soon!

This was the big day. This was the day everyone hiked the Milford Track for. Today, we were climbing up and over the MacKinnon Pass. The morning was a flurry for everyone - to hurry up and wait. We weren’t allowed to leave until 8 am as there was still avalanche risk on the trail, so the hut warden would be going ahead of everyone to ensure the track was walkable and safe.

In fact, our group would be the first that season that would be allowed to hike the entire trail. Up until us they had been flying everyone over the high risk area by helicopter. Pffft…helicopter! We obviously wanted to hike the entire thing.

People getting ready in the camp kitchen in the hut. On the Milford Track gas cookers are supplied, as well as cold water and sinks for washing up.

We had been prepped the night before by Catie Pai, the hut warden. She told us we would have 11 zig zags to climb on our way up the mountain. In reality, this meant that we were climbing pretty much straight up the mountain in a narrow amount of space, in a short amount of time. I didn’t quite process this to be honest. I mean, zig zag is a FUN couple of words! How hard could it be?!

The first bit of the hike was chilly, and flat, so we stayed bundled up for a while until we started on those zig zags.

Eep! Snow!

The ascent up the mountain heated us up instantly. We kept things slow and steady (me - slow, Gareth - steady!) as we counted the zigs and the zags, little by little knocking them off.

It was hard. Make no mistake. But the thought of the view up at the top is supposed to get you through. The trees thinned the higher we climbed, until all that was around us was shrub and brush. I looked around, and all I could see…was mist. And a bit of the view from below us. We were socked in. I’m going to be honest, this certainly upset me. I really wanted the outcome to be worth the effort!

I tucked my head down, and kept climbing. Members of our group were on either side of us, and we could barely see them through the mist. Gareth stopped on our 10th zig zag and had a look behind us. He then told me to turn around.

The mountains! We could see the mountains!

We both unbuckled our packs and dropped them to the ground, just off the path out of the way. I shimmied up off the path while Gareth grabbed his tripod and set up on a rock.

Within 10 minutes as we watched in dumbstruck, silent awe, the mist lifted, slowly at first, until it was completely and totally burnt off. Not a single cloud in the sky remained. We were within meters of the top of the world.

As we sat there, look what came out. This my friends, was one of those perfect, mind blowing, this is exactly where I’m meant to be, moments.

This rainbow came through clear and bright, it was perfect.

We finally decided to finish up and reach the pass. We had been told to put our jackets back on before we reached the top. The wind is notorious up top. They have had to replace the emergency shelter up there four times! We bundled back up.

We needn’t have worried. The sun shone and the wind was nowhere to be found.

Gareth hung his boots from the Mackinnon sign, proud to have hiked so far in them.

We couldn’t believe this weather! Seriously, few people see these sights. We sat up here a while, chatted with other hikers, and listened to a few avalanches fall. We even stopped to have our lunch in the sunshine, content to be here at the highest point of the track, 1154 metres.

Gareth is either REALLY excited about the hike…or for lunch!

p.s. Jumping with his pack on!

A few jumps from me.

The Milford Track started from wayyyy down there at the other end  of the valley. It’s a proud moment to realize how far we’d come.

Finally we climbed the last of the long ascent to the emergency shelter, and the toilet with the best view in the world. They even put the window down low enough so you can enjoy the view while on the seat!

Not bad, right?

Reaching the top and seeing this was a highlight. Well and truly a highlight. But now it was time to start making our way down. Due to the avalanche risk we had to take the emergency shoot track down the mountain. This meant a steep descent with very heavy packs on.

 Our destination for the day was Dumpling Hut. So I tried to look like a dumpling. Wouldn’t you?

Gareth’s sad we have to take the emergency track.

Our cameras were put away for most of the climb down. It was steep going and we needed our hands. By the time we reached the bottom of the mountain, we were at a crossroads. Our feet were sore, our bodies tired, but there was a detour we had been told we must take, so we dumped our packs in a shack (supplied by DOC) and set off down the path towards Sutherland Falls - the highest waterfall in New Zealand and (arguably) the third highest in the world.

Sutherland falls cascading down for 580 metres (1,904 feet)

The walk in took about an hour and a half. Uphill to start, then an easy flat path the rest of the way. It was a bizarre feeling walking without any packs on, we were tired but felt weightless. When we reached the falls the spray was intense. It was a hot day but the temperature was at least a few degrees cooler at the base of the falls. We clambered up on these rocks and that’s about as far as we could get, the spray was soaking our cameras.

Phew! Worth the hike to see the falls.

The rest of the way was a push. We were tired and hungry. We walked with some fellow hikers, and our chatter made the time pass quickly. Before we knew it we were at the hut and dinner was mere minutes away. The joy of instant food!

We were thrilled with the day. Our minds could barely process what we had seen. The views were more than we had ever hoped for, and worth every single step along the way (including the blisters!). A lovely lady shared some band-aids with me to fix up my feet, and we were happy.

As we finished dinner and had a cup of tea the rain started to fall. Looks like we had made it just in time. One more day to reach the end.

Shauna & Gareth

Today’s hike: 16.5km

Day 2 on the Milford Track. We both woke up early, about 6:15 am. It had been a chilly night, we didn’t have the best sleeping bags - in fact, all Gareth had was a sleeping bag liner. When I crawled out of bed and into the kitchen, Gareth had tea ready and water boiled for my oatmeal.

We planned to make this our motto for the day:

Every DOC hut has an Intentions Book in it. You are required to check in when you arrive, and you write where you intend to hike to the next day. This is DOC’s way of keeping everyone safe and accounted for. My favourite entry was someone’s Main Activity - Being Sand Fly Food.

We were packed up and off by 7:15 am, we were the second group out the door. As we left we had some company on the trail.

We hiked for a while, before we got a clear view to the river. Gareth dumped his bag (and me!) and shimmied his way down the riverbank and onto some rocks.

I look at it as a badge of honour that we’re not crazy careful with our cameras. We’ve been hard on our gear, but we brought it on our trip to use it, so that’s what we do.

The results are stunning, if I do say so myself.

Sometimes the trip back to safety is more perilous than the outbound journey.

As I sat there waiting for Gareth people streamed past me. Many seemed like they were in a rush. I couldn’t figure that out. We had all day after all! We would rather rest and take tons of photos and be out on the trail all day long than arrive at the hut at 1pm, as some other people did that second day.

We continued to walk along the crystal clear river. The air was crisp, fresh and damp all at once. The moss clung to the endless trees. The views just kept changing all day long. For a long time we walked on the easy, wide path we had walked the day before. Trees were thick around us and we followed the river with occasional clearings revealing solid rock walls of our valley walk before plunging back into the forest

The climb was really gradual to start so we steadily continued on our way, stopping at this well-known shelter, the Bus Stop, for a snack break.

An hour and a half from the hut and still going strong!

The trail opened to some stunning views - we left the dense forest and walked into this. WOW!

As you can tell from the photo above, we definitely heeded the warnings of the sign below!

The last bit of the walk was hard. Uphill at the end of a 16.5 km hike after an easy incline all day is tough. Really tough, and I looked it.

Okay, okay…maybe a touch dramatic.

Luckily we had some company to cheer me up, a South Island Robin.

Finally we made it to the hut. This was the longest we had hiked in a long time, and we were happy to arrive. It wasn’t a bad spot to spend a night, don’t you think? Breathtaking views out every window. Take a look at the hiking boots hanging from the beams. New Zealand has a cheeky little bird, which also happens to be an alpine parrot, called a kea. Keas love to steal everything human related for a laugh, so our boots stayed hung to keep them safe. (More on Keas coming soon!)

There was a fire started in the wood stove and lots to read on the walls of the hut.

By the time we grabbed our bunk beds for the night and had a look around, it was time to cook dinner - our gourmet, pre-packaged pasta. The evening went quickly as we chatted with fellow hikers, wrote in a journal and collapsed in bed by 9:30pm. The day had been tiring, and we had the hardest day to come tomororw.

This night was the coldest one yet. We were at a much higher elevation. I went to bed in all of the clothes I had with me, including my toque (wolly hat) and GLOVES! That was a first. Just a hint if you’re reading this and preparing to do any hiking in New Zealand - invest in a good sleeping bag.

Tomorrow we were taking on the MacKinnon Pass.