Mar 25, 2016

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?

19 comments:

  1. WOW Louisa thank you so much for that post and the photos what an awesome journey I could never do that but I think I might like something like that if I was fitter.

    I have nothing too adventurous planned for the future although another cruise is on our minds :)

    Have Fun
    Helen

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    1. Hi Helen! The great thing about this walk was that everyone was able to do it at their own pace...no pressure to keep up or race through it. And ooooh, a cruise sounds like bliss!

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  2. Louisa, thank you so much for sharing this. It brought back wonderful memories of doing the same walk many years ago. So long ago that I managed to walk up MacKinnon Pass twice on the same trip (we arrived at our hut early and walked up so we could get pics in the sunshine. Just as well we did as the weather closed the next day when we went over it). So glad you had such a brilliant time.

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    1. Wow, Annie!! You must be super fit to be able to do the pass twice!!! Once was enough for my poor legs and lungs!

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  3. What fabulous pictures from your adventure, Louisa! Thanks for sharing! I'm in awe of you and even more in awe of your septuagenarian and octogenarian hiking companions.

    No adventures planned for us in the near future... though we are hoping to build a double garage to replace the sheds that burned in the bushfire and I'm beginning to think this process might be an adventure in its own right! ;)

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    1. Sharon, I have to say the older ladies were such an inspiration- they just chatted and laughed the whole way!

      I love the way you always put a positive spin on things- good luck with your build- and I really hope it's a fun adventure!

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  4. Awesome report, Louisa, and pictures. I'm also in awe of the stars of your group and of you too for going the distance.

    I hope my next adventure will be trail-riding in the Montana Rockies in a super-comfy western saddle. It's a bucket list item so fingers crossed I can pull off the arrangements.

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    1. Oh wow, Bron- your Montana trip sounds AMAZING!!!! I hope you can pull it off, too and come back and tell us all about it x

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    2. If I live to tell the tales, they will be told right here! :-)

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  5. Sounds like a fabulous walk... just as well you weren't starting it the Thursday just gone when the area got Civil Defence alerts. Wowsa on the number of medical personnel on the walk.
    No adventures planned for me at the moment.

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    1. It was amazing, Lynn. Am so glad we managed to get it done before the alerts!!!

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  6. Beautiful pictures! Thank you for sharing! I think our trips this year will be limited to checking out colleges for my daughter, but that should be fun, too!

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    1. Road trips and college visits can be heaps of fun, Charlene. Enjoy time with your daughter x

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  7. Look amazing, Louisa!

    When I did the Cradle Mount-Lake St Claire walk through the Tasmanian Wilderness, one of our guides was airlifted out!

    I haven't got any adventures planned at the moment, must get cracking.

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    1. Oh, goodness- what the heck happened? You need the guides more than you realise!!!

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  8. Wow, talk about some incredible views!! Good on you and thanks for sharing all the lovely photos.

    My upcoming adventure is a month-long trip home - yay! I'm not sure it'll involve much walking, but there will be plenty of family time and trips out for coffee. God, how I miss Melbourne coffee.

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    1. Oh YAY! Stef!! Have a lovely time back home! xxx

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  9. That looks amazing, Louise. I've now added that to my bucket list!

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    1. Definitely do it if you can, Kerrie! It's amazing!

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