A Walk In The Park Part 2

In my last blog on here I told you about the adventure we were about to undertake; walking the 53.5km of the Milford Track (in Fiordland, New Zealand).

Well, we did it! Our legs were tired and our feet were aching, but we managed the three days of hiking and had a lot of fun along the way!


We started the trip with a two hour coach journey from Queenstown to Te Anau where we took a boat across to the start of the walk....but, as this part of New Zealand has the nation's highest rainfall (it rains 200 days a year!!), we had to negotiate our first hurdle- disembarking onto a jetty that was underwater.

First step on the track and we got wet feet!

The excitement begins!

The group! Me and hubby on the far left in grey.

Glade House- our first home on the track

The accommodation was comfortable without being luxurious- best of all we had hot water and an ensuite! YAY! And WINE!!!!!!

We did three full days of walking; The Easy Day (16km), The Hard Day (15km plus another optional 6km) and The Long Day (21km) ...I think we were lulled into a false sense of security on the first day! The weather was amazing and the path was undulating without being too steep. We walked through wetlands and then up a little into stunning alpine scenery. Oh, and unfortunately one of our group got sick and had to be airlifted out, so we also had a visit from the air ambulance. Luckily we had 8 nurses, 2 doctors and 1 paramedic walking on our trip (purely coincidental!), so the lady was well cared for until the helicopter arrived.

Those pilots are amazing, they can land on a postage stamp!

We saw some truly beautiful sights and met some unusual friends...

One of 9 swing bridges we had to negotiate...very wobbly!

Magical

A Weka

Middle Earth, moss covered plants...eery, I kept expecting a hobbit to appear!



Once ensconced in our second night's accommodation we decided to do some laundry (we'd been told to pack light and wash our clothes every day!)....and we had to encounter an old fashioned mangle to squeeze the water out of our clothes. It was the cause of much hilarity.... especially trying to explain the instructions to our Japanese friends...

The Hard Day involved a  walk (15km) mostly UPHILL!!! to the McKinnon Pass, across the pass and then a steep descent to our accommodation. We were lucky (!) enough to feel up to the added 6km walk to Sutherland Falls, the 5th highest waterfall in the world. Thankfully the weather wasn't too hot!!

View from the top!

The top! McKinnon's Pass

Sutherland Falls

McKinnon Commemorative stone

The Walk was originally hewn through the landscape by Mr McKinnon in the late 1800s- he'd heard about a waterfall and wanted to find a route through to it from the bay. It became very popular with the Victorian/Edwardian immigrants...I could not imagine walking it in thick heavy long skirts like the women back then did!!

The best way to soothe aching feet- in ice-cold glacial water! Ahhhhhhh.....

The third day was an early start (6am!) and a long walk in drizzle....we managed to keep our spirits up and the extra rain meant the many waterfalls we passed were plentiful and stunning. It felt as if we'd been walking forever and I began to feel like my sons when they were young- 'are we there yet' went round and round in my head. And then...yes we were there! The end!!!!! For some reason this walk is counted in miles...hence the 33.5mile sign, and the smiles!

The stars of our trip, 80 year old Kimmi and her little sister (78!)- they walked the whole way with huge infectious smiles

After a good meal and a great sleep we then headed off down Milford Sound for a cruise on a wet day, but nothing could dampen our spirits! We'd done it....and now we're planning our next long hike.

What adventures do you have planned?