NZ Part 1. 10th - 16th January 2023. Milford Track walk.
 |
| Sydney Harbour |
 |
| Snow near Queenstown |
Tues 10th. Day 1. Brisbane / Sydney to Queenstown
Sarah drove us to Brisbane airport very early in the morning to catch our 6.10 am flight to Sydney, where we connected with our Queenstown flight, arriving there in the afternoon. Left new Lonely Planet guide on the plane !! Taxi to the Bella Vista motel which was perfect, and only 5 minutes walk into town; What a crazy place - All (and every) extreme sports, and mostly young people there. Supper in a pub with a couple of beers followed by a walk through town (and ice cream on the jetty) before heading to the motel and bed.
 |
| Activities galore |
Wed 11th. Day 2. Queenstown. Milford Track briefing |
| Lake Wakatipu |
Spent the morning wandering around town, mostly looking for a bookshop to replace our lost Lonely Planet - But no bookshops in Queenstown !! After lunch, started gathering at the Ultimate Hikes office before a basic briefing by one of the staff. No big dramas, and just had to return by 9 am the following day, ready to go. Spent the evening downtown then back to the motel to sort out our stuff, much of which we were to leave behind in the motel while we did the hike.
 |
| On Lake Te Anau |
Thurs 12th. Day 3. Bus / Boat / Walk to Glade house  |
| Glade House |
Gathered at the Ultimate Hikes office and set off on hike. On the bus to Te Anou Downs, driving around scenic Lake Wakatipu, and stopping for lunch in Te Anou. We then boarded a small boat for about a 30 minute ride in the sunshine to Glade Wharf, then a pleasant 1.6 km walk to Glade House where we were to stay for our first night. Great setting in open fields beside the Clinton River, and we were shown to our rooms before going on a 1 hour nature walk in the surrounding forest. After that they took a group photo of everyone, some hardy souls went for a swim in the river, then the bar was open before a delicious dinner of Venison stew (lots of deer farming in the area). After dinner, everyone introduced themselves to the group, tour group leader Campbell gave us a run down of what we could expect tomorrow, and we all headed off to bed.
 |
| Setting off |
Friday 13th. Day 4. Glade House to Pamplona Lodge. Day 2 of MT. Supposedly 16 km on mostly flat or undulating paths to our second night at Pompolona Lodge, although Strava measured me at 20.5 kms, as we did a number of detours. Across our first, of many, “swing bridges” (perhaps they should be called bouncing bridges as they bounce up and down rather than swing !), we had side detours during the day to wet area reserves, Clinton Hut for a lunch stop, stopping at rivers and other sights for a rest along the way. We saw enormous trout and eels in the crystal clear waters, and visited a couple of lakes and waterfalls near the end, at the second of which a lot of (mainly younger) people stripped down to their togs and went for a dip. The weather had been perfect all day, dry and
 |
| Beside one of the lakes |
sunny, but not uncomfortably hot. We met our first inquisitive Weka on the track, and had robins pecking for worms at our feet, and little black and white Tom Tits flying through the bush beside us. We reached Pompolona Lodge just before 4 pm, having started at about 8 am. After showers and a quick wash of clothes, it was off to the nightly ritual of bar / dinner / talk about the next day, then off to bed. Tonight dinner for us (always 3 choices) was a delicious vegetable and mushroom mix. Slept like a log - Feet all OK, muscles al still working, so we should be OK for the morning.
 |
| Our first Kea |
Sat 14th. Day 5. Pamplona Lodge to Quintin Lodge. McKinnon Pass. Day 3 of MT. Today was the day we were to cross the 1154 m high Mackinnon Pass, and was always going to be a tough 15 km walk. Luckily as we climbed all morning, we remained shrouded in light mist, which kept the temperatures pleasant. But it was a rough and rocky climb with several people falling over - including Janet ! She tripped and fell on her face, cutting her eye and bruising her lip, but she was OK and continued on. Mike, who was walking with and slightly ahead of me, also tumbled past me into the bushes at one stage, fortunately not hurting himself, and extending his
 |
| In the mist at the top of pass |
hand out of the bushes for help back onto the track. We eventually reached the McKinnon Memorial Cairn where we found Campbell sitting with a thermos of hot chocolate which he offered around and was delicious, then after about another 30 minutes climb, at about 12.30 pm, we finally reached the hut at the summit where we stopped for lunch after nearly 5 hours of fairly solid climbing. We had stopped for a short break at about 9.30 am at the Mintaro Hut, where we saw our first mischievous Kea bird that was trying to steal the plug out of a sink ! It has little fear of humans, and although fairly drab looking when on the ground, when it flies it shows off its bright reds and greens under its wings. Amazing birds. We saw another kea at the Summit hut where we had lunch, sitting on the chimney squawking for some time.
 |
| The clouds lifted ! |
As we came out of the hut after our sandwich lunch, the mist and cloud suddenly lifted and we finally saw all the surrounding mountains and valleys - ABSOLUTELY STUNNING. The timing could not have been better as we set  |
| Incredible views |
of down the mountain path - Only about 8 kms, but it was to prove very difficult for Janet and I in particular. Half way down the hill, my left knee (normally my good one !) started to become quite painful, so I literally staggered into Quintin Lodge at about 5 pm. Janet arrived with some others at about 5.30 pm. All totally exhausted, but a hot shower and a beer or two helped, and after a delicious steak for dinner, hit the hay and slept like a log, very stiff and sore. My Strava gps log showed a total of 25 kms for the day, with 800 m elevation gain !!!
 |
| Outside Quintin Lodge |
Sun 15th. Day 6. Quintin Lodge to Sandfly Point.Day 4 of MT. Thankfully today was supposed to be a much flatter and easier walk, but a long one nevertheless - Some 21 kms. But for me it turned out to be very tiresome - My left knee was fine when I was on a
 |
| Mountain views |
flat level path, but any up or down hill, or rocky sections, were VERY painful, and could only be relieved if I kept my leg straight - Not easy when clambering over rocks and tree trunks. Basically I walked almost the entire day on my own, which was fine as I wasn’t in a particularly happy or chatty mood ! I staggered on during the day, although it was made easier by the fact the weather was once again just perfect, sunny and warm, but not too hot for walking, and with lots of tree shade along the way. After lunch at the  |
| We made it !! |
Boat Shed hut, it was on and on through some stunning countryside, even though I wasn’t really paying a lot of attention to it. As usual, the photos tell the story far better than I can. After some 54 total kms, I finally reached Sandfly Point at about 4 pm, and sat with others in the hut awaiting our boat to take us on the short ride to Mitre Peak Lodge, at the head of the Milford Sound. Strava says I walked 28.5 kms today, so again a bit of a discrepancy.
 |
| Out last supper |
Overall Sträva logs me as walking some 75.6 kms, compared to the official distance of 53.6 kms. We did do some detours, but not 20 kms worth, I don’t think. But if Strava says I walked 75.6 kms, I will believe it - It sure felt like that many !! I was VERY stiff, and my left knee in particular was killing me. But we both made it - Janet actually in better shape than me, apart from her cut eye, bruised lip, and many blisters ! Very proud of ourselves, especially since we were the two oldest in the group !
 |
| Group photo in front of Milford Sound |
For our last dinner that night (after the obligatory drinks in the bar first) I had the rack of lamb, and I have to say it was the finest rack of lamb I have ever had. Cooked perfectly, juicy and succulent, it did not need and mint sauce or anything else - it was just perfect. Janet had fish tonight, and was suitably upset when she tasted my lamb !No generators to be turned off at 10 pm here - So a big deal that lights and phone chargers stayed on all night !! But we have learned about sandflies - Nobody told us about them ! None of the tourist brochures mention them, but let me tell you, these animals are wicked and will chew you up in 5 minutes, and boy, do their bites itch.
 |
| Looking down Milford Sound |
Mon 16th. Day 7. Milford Sound and drive back to Queenstown.Day 5 of MT. Up by 7 for breakfast, both of us sore and stiff - Me more so, with my left knee still giving me grief. By 9 am we were all aboard the Milford Haven boat and off down through the Sound. The cloud was a bit low, so the tops of the mountains were mostly obscured, but it was a scenic and social couple of hours on the Sound with everyone starting to get to know each other better, and all relieved to be at the end. We had been so fortunate with our weather on the hike that no one was upset by a bit of cloud today !
 |
| A bit misty on the Sound |
I staggered off the boat at the end, very stiff and sore. Then it was straight onto the bus where they had already loaded our back packs, and we headed off on the journey back to Queenstown. We crossed over with the new hikers going the other way at lunch at Te Anau, and tried to warn them not to do it, and how rough it was !! I wonder how they got on ? A lovely scenic drive back around the shores of Lake Wakatipu,
 |
| Time for a beer ! |
and by now the sun was back out. Once back in town, spent a while saying farewell to our new found hiking buddies, and then we made it back to our little motel to repack our bags in readiness for picking up our camper van from the airport in the morning. Found a great little craft beer bar in town called The Beech Tree, and ate there as well before making it back to the motel and crashing.
Part 1 of our Adventure successfully completed !!
The rest of the photos of the walk can be seen here :-
No comments:
Post a Comment