Fiordland Bench

After a stunning multi-day tramp into the dense, green thicket of New Zealand’s Fiordland region, the squad and I were greeted with the ever so beautiful Lake Monowai, accompanied by a bench to admire it on. The bench was built and provided by the New Zealand Department of Conservation, and left to use at Lake Monowai’s backcountry hut, where we stayed. Knowing that I would be off the grid and in the bush for 8 days, I was feeling quite nervous that I wouldn’t encounter any benches to sit down on. Those worries quickly faded when I opened the hut’s door to see this friendly little seat.
From the hut, we took the bench all over. Its primary location was about 20 feet in front of the hut, which showcased a panoramic lake view, with an array of native plants in the foreground. Picture 1 shows the view at 9:00 AM when everything was still.

We also moved the bench next to the fire pit. It gladly hosted us as we sat and enjoyed the fire’s warming radiance. Ah man, good times on the camp bench.

This is also my first bench post of 2025. So happy New Year, Bench Nation. May it be filled with an abundance of wonderful bench sits. What a treat