The sense that you're at the end of the world. Glaciers. Rain the never stops. The sandflies (oh, the sandflies). Expats and backpackers. The vastness of the Tasman Sea and Australia, some 1,400 miles away. The West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand is unlike anywhere else on earth, and a night on Alex Knob overlooking the Franz Josef Glacier and the Southern Alps is a great way to take it all in.
I went light and took my Big Agnes - Fly Creek 2 Person Platinum tent, weighing in at a whopping 28 ounces. It was rainy and foggy, and it took me less than 2 minutes from start to finish to setup. It can be a bit small for two people, but it stood up well to the wind and the rain, and is easily the strongest and lightest tent I've ever used and now my go-to for backpacking in almost any situation short of the dead of winter.
