Sunday, February 26, 2012
Flora
When we weren't looking at mountains, here's something we would have seen on the Milford Track. This is the sort of thing that made me think about the walking trees in Lord of the Rings.
Even more pictures
Here's what Mackinnon Pass would have looked like had it not been cloaked in cloud when we were there:
More pictures
From the top, these are Sutherland Falls, the reason the Milford Track was developed, although it's a side hike after the really tough day 3 hike crossing Mackinnon pass; Mackay falls, one of the highlights of the long slog on day 4; the highly intelligent and crafty kea; and Giant's Gate falls, which we saw in the pouring rain but found breathtaking anyway.
Pictures
When we finished the Milford Track, a professional photographer was there to take our picture. Buying the picture meant buying a packing that included a CD with photos of the track--not from our trip, but still what we saw. So, at long last, here are pictures! The first is where we hiked the 2nd day of the trip. Weather conditions were actually pretty close to what you see here. The second is where we stayed the first night.
I'll do another post with more pictures.
I'll do another post with more pictures.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Feb. 23
23 Feb.
I'm writing this on the flight from Queenstown to Auckland. It's raining all over NZ today, so a good day to leave. We checked out of our apt this morning and walked along the lakefront path into town. A walk -- particularly one without a backpack --sounded like a good idea before our long flight. I wore my rain gear from the track and Mike borrowed an umbrella from our hosts. It took about 45 minutes and was pleasant even with the rain. In good weather it must be stunning. We checked out a few shops for last-minute souvenirs. Mike found a terrific lambskin vest which is being made to order for him and should arrive in about 3 weeks. We took a cab back to our lodging, picked up the luggage, and headed to the airport.
We left a little early to make sure we had balanced the weight in our 3 bags. We hadn't. A quick repack with Mike taking his some of his diving gear and tripod in his carry-on luggage did the trick.
Security is interesting here. Everything is outside the security check point. You go thru security only when your flight is called. Mike had to unpack his backpack for the security folks but still had plenty of time to make the flight.
On a more interesting topic, we had one more adventure at the end of the Routeburn Track. We had the option of going on what they call a jet safari, a trip on a jet boat. This is part of the NZ travel culture we had avoided, the part responsible for things like bungee jumping. The most adrenaline-filled jet safari is said to be on the Shotover River, thru a narrow gorge. Our trip was on the Dart River. It's a braided river that runs thru Mt Aspiring National Park and ends in Lake Wakatipu, the lake on which Queenstown is located. It was as much a sightseeing, history, and culture tour as a thrill ride. We saw the Routeburn Valley we had hiked thru; lots of beautiful mountains; the beginning of a long, narrow gorge that would have been great to explore by canoe; several Lord of the Rings filming locations; and a mountain sacred to the local Maori tribe that is the source of some high-quality greenstone. We also went flying 44 km down the river to Glenorchy, at the northern end of the lake.
.JPG)
We met the rest of our group in a pub there for the farewell celebration and presentation of certificates and a copy of the group photo taken earlier on the track. We have so many certificates from all of our different activities that we'll have to make a scrapbook for them.
The last day on the Milford Track, I told Mike that if we hadn't already paid for Routeburn I wouldn't have done it. I'm really glad we went. It was one of only 3 times on the trip that we had really good views of the mountains all around us. The other 2 were Tongariro on the North Island and the flight over the glaciers from Franz Josef. This time, we had been thru enough of the countryside that I felt I understood what I was seeing. The optional side hike on day 1 to the Key summit showed us the Milford Road we had taken thru the Homer Tunnel, the valley we had driven thru from Te Anau to the Divide, and even some of what we had seen from the Milford Track. The optional side hike on day 2, up Conical Hill, gave us views out to the Tasman Sea (although very much thru clouds), where we were going later that day, and the other tracks in the surrounding country. We could see snow and even some glaciers on peaks, waterfalls, lakes, and rivers. Once it stopped raining on day 2, we had fabulous weather with magical light on the mountains and waterfalls all around us. The clear weather held thru the night and I FINALLY got to see the Southern Cross as well as a skyful of other stars and the Milky Way. Who cared if my knees hurt and my feet felt like they might never support me again? I was incredibly happy. A great way to end an amazing trip.
I'm writing this on the flight from Queenstown to Auckland. It's raining all over NZ today, so a good day to leave. We checked out of our apt this morning and walked along the lakefront path into town. A walk -- particularly one without a backpack --sounded like a good idea before our long flight. I wore my rain gear from the track and Mike borrowed an umbrella from our hosts. It took about 45 minutes and was pleasant even with the rain. In good weather it must be stunning. We checked out a few shops for last-minute souvenirs. Mike found a terrific lambskin vest which is being made to order for him and should arrive in about 3 weeks. We took a cab back to our lodging, picked up the luggage, and headed to the airport.
We left a little early to make sure we had balanced the weight in our 3 bags. We hadn't. A quick repack with Mike taking his some of his diving gear and tripod in his carry-on luggage did the trick.
Security is interesting here. Everything is outside the security check point. You go thru security only when your flight is called. Mike had to unpack his backpack for the security folks but still had plenty of time to make the flight.
On a more interesting topic, we had one more adventure at the end of the Routeburn Track. We had the option of going on what they call a jet safari, a trip on a jet boat. This is part of the NZ travel culture we had avoided, the part responsible for things like bungee jumping. The most adrenaline-filled jet safari is said to be on the Shotover River, thru a narrow gorge. Our trip was on the Dart River. It's a braided river that runs thru Mt Aspiring National Park and ends in Lake Wakatipu, the lake on which Queenstown is located. It was as much a sightseeing, history, and culture tour as a thrill ride. We saw the Routeburn Valley we had hiked thru; lots of beautiful mountains; the beginning of a long, narrow gorge that would have been great to explore by canoe; several Lord of the Rings filming locations; and a mountain sacred to the local Maori tribe that is the source of some high-quality greenstone. We also went flying 44 km down the river to Glenorchy, at the northern end of the lake.
.JPG)
We met the rest of our group in a pub there for the farewell celebration and presentation of certificates and a copy of the group photo taken earlier on the track. We have so many certificates from all of our different activities that we'll have to make a scrapbook for them.
The last day on the Milford Track, I told Mike that if we hadn't already paid for Routeburn I wouldn't have done it. I'm really glad we went. It was one of only 3 times on the trip that we had really good views of the mountains all around us. The other 2 were Tongariro on the North Island and the flight over the glaciers from Franz Josef. This time, we had been thru enough of the countryside that I felt I understood what I was seeing. The optional side hike on day 1 to the Key summit showed us the Milford Road we had taken thru the Homer Tunnel, the valley we had driven thru from Te Anau to the Divide, and even some of what we had seen from the Milford Track. The optional side hike on day 2, up Conical Hill, gave us views out to the Tasman Sea (although very much thru clouds), where we were going later that day, and the other tracks in the surrounding country. We could see snow and even some glaciers on peaks, waterfalls, lakes, and rivers. Once it stopped raining on day 2, we had fabulous weather with magical light on the mountains and waterfalls all around us. The clear weather held thru the night and I FINALLY got to see the Southern Cross as well as a skyful of other stars and the Milky Way. Who cared if my knees hurt and my feet felt like they might never support me again? I was incredibly happy. A great way to end an amazing trip.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Milford to Routeburn
22 Feb.
This may be my last entry from NZ. We fly home tomorrow afternoon. Here's what we've been doing.
Our last day on the Milford Track trip was spent in transit. We had a 2-hour cruise on Milford Sound with Real Journeys, the outfit that had taken us to Doubtful Sound. Both are fjords, not sounds. Milford is a lot smaller but still impressive. Because of the rain the day before, permanent waterfalls were larger and lots of smaller waterfalls were on many mountainsides. We went from the town of Milford Sound out to the Tasman Sea and then back. We saw some seals and seabirds, but mostly we enjoyed moving while sitting down rather than walking.
Here are the stats on the Milford Track. We walked 10 miles with a rise of about 600 feet on mostly level track on day 2, 9 miles with a rise of about 2900 feet followed by a drop of about 2850 feet plus an extra 3 miles to Sutherland Falls on day 3, then 13.5 miles back down to sea level on day 4. None of these rises and descents were straight. We did a lot of up and down on both. I have the sore knees to prove it.
At the end of the cruise, we went by bus back to Te Anau, something of a home away from home by this point. The highway (a loosely used term here) is spectacular, particularly the part from Milford Sound to the Homer Tunnel. The tunnel is 1.2 km long, with unfinished granite walls. It is also one lane, with what Lonely Planet calls the only Alpine traffic lights at each end. They run on a. 15-minute cycle except at night. The tunnel has 2 passing spots, so I guess if you are driving it at night and encounter oncoming traffic, one of you has to back down until you reach a passing spot. The Milford Sound end of the tunnel is at 940 meters. It descends from there. The tunnel was started in 1935 and only finished in 1953. The first workers were 5 men with wheelbarrows, picks, and shovels. No wonder it took so long.
Here's what wikipedia says about the road:
The road was only opened in 1953, after Homer Tunnel was finished after almost 20 years of intermittent work. The road is one of the more dangerous public roads in New Zealand, with injury crash rates around 65% higher than the rest of New Zealand's network, and a fatality crash rate of almost twice average (per vehicle kilometre travelled), making it the third most dangerous section of New Zealand's State Highway network (as of 2008).
There's also info on the likelihood of avalanches in winter, but we were there in summer. The mountains on both sides are high and spectacular. We also got to see the start of the Routeburn Track, a few km from the Te Anau side of the tunnel, which we began on 20 Feb.
Before that, however, we had a night in a lovely hotel in Te Anau. My major activities other than sleeping were sitting in the hot tub, seeing a 32-minute film about Fiordlands which we liked so much that we bought the DVD and will be happy to share with you, and having dinner in a fabulous eatery called Red Cliff. We sat in a garden room and shared salad (I lie--it was so good I ate it all myself); a "billy" of fat, plump mussels as good as the best we've had elsewhere; and an order of fresh, well-cooked blue cod. Our waitress, Tamara, was from Chile and adorable. A great break from the track.
The next day, we met the Routeburn Track trip at the hotel for tea and introductions. Nine people from the Milford Track continued on to the Routeburn. Three of them had done the Routeburn before and were back because they found it so beautiful. It was the 4th time for one woman from Australia. So we had high hopes.
On the Milford trip, we were 43 trampers (Kiwi for hikers) and 4 guides. On the Routeburn, the numbers were 19 and 3. Australians dominated this trip, but we also had a honeymooning young couple from NYC, an older couple from Yorkshire, a young Japanese woman from Tokyo, and a middle-aged couple from Christchurch. The last were our roommates--no private rooms are available in the Routeburn Track lodges. I particularly enjoyed getting to know a woman close to my age who moved to Australia from Capetown about 10 years ago.
The stats on the Routeburn: day one, which began at about 11:30, was 8 miles on the track with an ascent of 1140 feet plus a 1.8 mile side hike early on to Key Summit with about a 600 foot ascent and descent. Day 2 was 9 miles starting at 3000 feet, climbing to 4117 feet and then on a 3-mile side hike to 4970 feet, then descending to 3280 feet. Day 3, today, was 6 miles descending over 1800 feet.
None of that tells you how beautiful it was. After the first, easy mile, the track was as difficult as anything we saw on Milford. The first half of day 2 was hiking along a completely exposed mountainside in spitting rain and wind. The rest of the time we had a mix of clouds and even sun today. We were mostly above the tree line, looking at moutains from too many ranges to remember. The hike starts at the divide between the east and west coast watersheds--called in typical Kiwi inventive fashion "The Divide." The first 1-1/2 days are in Fiordlands National Park, the second 1-1/2 days in Mt Aspiring NP. The first side hike gave us a great view back toward where we had been and forward to where we were hiking for most of the day. The second was at the boundary between the 2 parks. It was a very, very steep and challenging climb. We almost didn't do it because of the cloud cover--the only reason to go is for the view. But the clouds came and went, so we did it. The views were fabulous, including a rainbow on the way down. Of all the beautiful places we have been on this trip, I think this was the most spectacular.
Lots more to report, but we need some sleep so we can pack and check out in the morning. We are back in the lovely apt complex in Queenstown, grateful to have the space to spread out and organize. I will post this while I still have Internet access and hope to finish tomorrow.
This may be my last entry from NZ. We fly home tomorrow afternoon. Here's what we've been doing.
Our last day on the Milford Track trip was spent in transit. We had a 2-hour cruise on Milford Sound with Real Journeys, the outfit that had taken us to Doubtful Sound. Both are fjords, not sounds. Milford is a lot smaller but still impressive. Because of the rain the day before, permanent waterfalls were larger and lots of smaller waterfalls were on many mountainsides. We went from the town of Milford Sound out to the Tasman Sea and then back. We saw some seals and seabirds, but mostly we enjoyed moving while sitting down rather than walking.
Here are the stats on the Milford Track. We walked 10 miles with a rise of about 600 feet on mostly level track on day 2, 9 miles with a rise of about 2900 feet followed by a drop of about 2850 feet plus an extra 3 miles to Sutherland Falls on day 3, then 13.5 miles back down to sea level on day 4. None of these rises and descents were straight. We did a lot of up and down on both. I have the sore knees to prove it.
At the end of the cruise, we went by bus back to Te Anau, something of a home away from home by this point. The highway (a loosely used term here) is spectacular, particularly the part from Milford Sound to the Homer Tunnel. The tunnel is 1.2 km long, with unfinished granite walls. It is also one lane, with what Lonely Planet calls the only Alpine traffic lights at each end. They run on a. 15-minute cycle except at night. The tunnel has 2 passing spots, so I guess if you are driving it at night and encounter oncoming traffic, one of you has to back down until you reach a passing spot. The Milford Sound end of the tunnel is at 940 meters. It descends from there. The tunnel was started in 1935 and only finished in 1953. The first workers were 5 men with wheelbarrows, picks, and shovels. No wonder it took so long.
Here's what wikipedia says about the road:
The road was only opened in 1953, after Homer Tunnel was finished after almost 20 years of intermittent work. The road is one of the more dangerous public roads in New Zealand, with injury crash rates around 65% higher than the rest of New Zealand's network, and a fatality crash rate of almost twice average (per vehicle kilometre travelled), making it the third most dangerous section of New Zealand's State Highway network (as of 2008).
There's also info on the likelihood of avalanches in winter, but we were there in summer. The mountains on both sides are high and spectacular. We also got to see the start of the Routeburn Track, a few km from the Te Anau side of the tunnel, which we began on 20 Feb.
Before that, however, we had a night in a lovely hotel in Te Anau. My major activities other than sleeping were sitting in the hot tub, seeing a 32-minute film about Fiordlands which we liked so much that we bought the DVD and will be happy to share with you, and having dinner in a fabulous eatery called Red Cliff. We sat in a garden room and shared salad (I lie--it was so good I ate it all myself); a "billy" of fat, plump mussels as good as the best we've had elsewhere; and an order of fresh, well-cooked blue cod. Our waitress, Tamara, was from Chile and adorable. A great break from the track.
The next day, we met the Routeburn Track trip at the hotel for tea and introductions. Nine people from the Milford Track continued on to the Routeburn. Three of them had done the Routeburn before and were back because they found it so beautiful. It was the 4th time for one woman from Australia. So we had high hopes.
On the Milford trip, we were 43 trampers (Kiwi for hikers) and 4 guides. On the Routeburn, the numbers were 19 and 3. Australians dominated this trip, but we also had a honeymooning young couple from NYC, an older couple from Yorkshire, a young Japanese woman from Tokyo, and a middle-aged couple from Christchurch. The last were our roommates--no private rooms are available in the Routeburn Track lodges. I particularly enjoyed getting to know a woman close to my age who moved to Australia from Capetown about 10 years ago.
The stats on the Routeburn: day one, which began at about 11:30, was 8 miles on the track with an ascent of 1140 feet plus a 1.8 mile side hike early on to Key Summit with about a 600 foot ascent and descent. Day 2 was 9 miles starting at 3000 feet, climbing to 4117 feet and then on a 3-mile side hike to 4970 feet, then descending to 3280 feet. Day 3, today, was 6 miles descending over 1800 feet.
None of that tells you how beautiful it was. After the first, easy mile, the track was as difficult as anything we saw on Milford. The first half of day 2 was hiking along a completely exposed mountainside in spitting rain and wind. The rest of the time we had a mix of clouds and even sun today. We were mostly above the tree line, looking at moutains from too many ranges to remember. The hike starts at the divide between the east and west coast watersheds--called in typical Kiwi inventive fashion "The Divide." The first 1-1/2 days are in Fiordlands National Park, the second 1-1/2 days in Mt Aspiring NP. The first side hike gave us a great view back toward where we had been and forward to where we were hiking for most of the day. The second was at the boundary between the 2 parks. It was a very, very steep and challenging climb. We almost didn't do it because of the cloud cover--the only reason to go is for the view. But the clouds came and went, so we did it. The views were fabulous, including a rainbow on the way down. Of all the beautiful places we have been on this trip, I think this was the most spectacular.
Lots more to report, but we need some sleep so we can pack and check out in the morning. We are back in the lovely apt complex in Queenstown, grateful to have the space to spread out and organize. I will post this while I still have Internet access and hope to finish tomorrow.
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