The Mildford Track - One of New Zealands Great Walks (hikes)

The Milford Track – an awesome hiking and social experience in New Zealand’s fiordland

Fiord – otherwise known as fjord – defined as a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.

The Milford Track is a 4 day, 3 night, 53.5 km tramp (hike) thorough the fiordland area of the South Island.   This is one of New Zealand’s 8 Great Walks and GREAT it is! Tramping to huts is ingrained in New Zealander culture.  It’s the same as backpacking but easier because you don’t need to carry a tent or sleeping pad.  There are different levels of service at the 950 huts in the country.  Each Great Walk hut is staffed by a DOC hut warden. They have toilets (many are flush!), running water, stoves, lights and mattresses. The wardens do it all, maintenance, interpretation, information source and a “ranger talk”.  They are amazing and many of the DOC staff I work with in the office proudly tell me about when and where they were a hut warden.   

This track is unique because people can only walk it in one direction and there are only three huts for people who are not on tracks with a paid guide.  All these trampers have to stay at these three huts for the three consecutive nights.  The huts hold 40 people, so the same 40 people are hiking the same section of track each day and sleeping in the same location for all three nights.  This creates a unique social aspect of hiking this track.   We shared so much over 4 days with our 40 walking partners:  hiking, admiring views, observing, listening to and whistling with the birds and ducks, taking photos, discussing food, eating food, sleeping, brushing teeth, playing cards, swimming, travel stories, travel plans, backgrounds and general appreciation of what an incredible experience we were all sharing.  It was a mixed group of kiwis and international visitors.  

We ran into our “track” friends over and over again in the days following the hike and exploring nearby Te Anau, Queenstown and Glenorchy.  We met a family on the track that knows Tom from previous work adventures at DOC and Antarctica  They graciously invited us to stay with them at their home for two nights while we were in Queenstown.  Yet another example of hospitable, friendly kiwis. 

The huts cost about $50/night, kids free (even at Lea’s age) and DOC employees free (which I am!).   This track required boat transport to the track start and bus and boat transport at the end of the track.  (Not free for anyone!) By some miracle we didn’t have hardly any rain during our four days of hiking.  This made me happy because I was really worried about being cold and wet but the negative aspect of no rain was that the waterfalls were not at their most spectacular.  

My Description of the Milford Sound

Breathtakingly beautiful

268 inches of rain per year

Waterfalls

Waterfalls

Waterfalls

Clearest rivers I’ve ever seen

Trout visible in the river from the bank

Wet, Wet, Wet

Green, green, green

Birds, birds, birds

Hut 1, hut 2, hut 3

Boat ride to trail head and boat ride back

53.5 km of walking between the boat rides

A great experience and a great accomplishment! 

Getting There

Sorry - this is not the Milford Track...it's the highway over Arthur's Pass from the west coast of the South Island to the east coast of the South Island...our first day away on our 2 week vacation....ain't it purrty?

The very start of the Milford Track

Step 1 - get on boat at the departure point

If you've managed to walk on the dock and step onto the rocking boat with your backpack on perhaps you have passed the initial test for successfully walking the track.

We had a cloudless day to take it all in

Lea's mastering her camera

Sooooo pretty - one of the millions of times this thought ran through our minds



Step 2 - get off boat with pack on


The Track

Let the walking begin - day 1 is easy only 1 1/2 hours of hiking

Noticeably small volume pack from the previous hike in February...thank goodness we went on the one day overnight in February, I leaned alot about what I don't need when backpacking

All the rain makes for luscious green growth

So green it's rubbing off on Lea

Sometimes there was so much foliage it was kind of dark

Happy Hikers

Greg bought a fishing license - hard to see here but the water was SOOOOOOOO clear, we could see the trout.  We could see the lure go right by their little noses.  We understand they can see us too, so they aren't fooled by a fake lure!

If at first you can't succeed, try, try again - see how clear the water is?

Trail Art

Natural Trail Art - I've never seen a purple mushroom before

Easy to see the glacier carved valley in the background here

A section of the track that was cut out slowly by hand

Sometimes we walked together with people - other times alone

Always made me glad to see a loo on the trail - this one has a fly out vault

One of the huts we stayed at was down in this valley

Nearing the top on day three.  Sometimes the track gets so flooded people walk chest high through water, lucky for us that did not happen while we were hiking

Our timing was just perfect...at the peak, the clouds were just lifting, it was magical.

Nice to have a significant marker at the top of a special place

Breath taking

Another example of glacier carved valley

Be free and hike - life is good - our track friends Barry and daughter Fiona

O.K. - the hut warden at the hut we stayed at the night before reaching this toilet, told us about this toilet.  Possibly a toilet with the nicest view in the world.  Then she went into a long description about what happens to all the poo on the trail.  I loved her!  I enjoyed everyone elses reactions.  If they all knew just how much I enjoyed that talk!

Window out the door of the "room with a view"

Dumpling Hut was the third hut on the track

Lots and lots of water falls

The largest waterfall in New Zealand - Sutherland Falls - see the people at the bottom?

We went under the falls!  It was sooooooooo amazing.  You could feel and hear the power of the water.  I've been searching for a waterfall to get under for years and I was NOT going to miss the opportunity to go under this one.  My torso stayed dry with my raincoat on, but I was soaked through everywhere else. 

Our new friend Doug had a waterproof camera so he got some shots of us UNDER the waterfall.  It was really slippery so I felt better having three limbs touching something at all times. 

Walking out from under the falls

More beauteous waterfalls

And more

And more - Greg and Lea took a dip in this one - it was a VERY VERY QUICK dip

No true Kiwi track is complete without a swing bring or 20



The Birds



Whio (feeo) Ducks - endangered and now doing well in the Milford.  The ranger at the start of the track told Greg to "watch out for the Whios" when he was getting fishing instructions.  He was wondering if they were going to attack or something but we just had another miscommunication - watch out = keep an eye out for the very, very, very special ducks, hope you get the special chance to see them mate!

Kea - adapted from parrots origninally.  Cheeky birds (ballsy).  They will take shoes and tear equipment up if you keep that stuff within their grasp.

The underside of the wings of keas still has some parrot colors

One of the many little birds who whistled lovely tunes on the track.

The Huts

One of the big huts that we stayed at.

First hut warden talk included information on the stoat, a rodent that at was introduced to New Zealand but has become a big problem.  It kills birds and is now trapped. There are a lot of resources spent trying to get rid of it.



Greg, Lea, Alex and Kelly.  Alex is from Germany and played cards with us each night.  Kelly is from the US, we had dinner with her the night after the hike.

The sleeping area of hut 2

Dinner prep

Everyone was on a similar time frame...at dinner and breakfast the kicthen area was full.

Another hut...Sleeping areas on right and left

The End

The start of the last day.  Greg was very worried I would not make it to the 2PM boat that took us back to our car so I had to get up early and hike on! I made it by 1:30. 



Mission complete - 1 1/2 hours hiking day 1, 6 1/2 hours hiking day 2, 9 1/2 hours hiking (2 without backpack) day 3, and 6 1/2 hours on day 4.  Followed by 4 days of muscle recovery.

We were all close friends by the time we piled on the boat ride out

Just relax and take it all in

 

Otaga Central Rail Trail - Easter Break Week 1

What happens to towns along a recently closed rail road route? 

These towns sprang up during the gold rush years of late 1800’s.  They bustled with people, taverns and shops.  A railway was constructed to get food and equipment to these shanty towns.  With a short lived gold rush, farming became the livelihood for people who stayed in the area.  From the early 1900s to 1980 (not that long ago – the year I graduated high school!) the railroad brought life to these towns.  (Well not life as I know it…these are very SMALL rural towns).  As road transport became more economical, the government subsidized rail transport.  Finally, in 1990 the rail line closed, lines rusted and stations were abandoned.  Kiwi characteristics include not letting anything go to waste,  a can do attitude and determination.   So, I’m not surprised that within a few years of looking at an abandoned railroad, the idea was born to transform the rail route to a bicycle route using information from the Rails to Trails movement in the US and Canada.

DOC now owns the 150 km rail trail corridor and provided project management for the transformation from a railroad to a bike route.  Sixty eight bridges were redecked, safety issues were addressed on the bridges, at the tunnels and at road crossings.   Although transforming the rail road corridor to a bike corridor was challenging, I think what was more challenging was creating a network of lodging, restaurants and supplies for bicyclists cycling the trail.  Lots of visionary hardworking kiwis have pulled together what must be one of the nicest, family-friendly, enjoyable experiences a person who likes to bike can enjoy.  The trail is managed by DOC, the support services are all privately operated. 

Greg, Lea and I rode for 4 days and 3 nights along 150 km of trail, crossing awesome incredible railroad bridges, through beautiful tunnels and enjoying gorgeous countryside including river gorges and rolling, mountainous farmland.  We stayed in lovely, unique and comfortable lodging and ate some great fill me up food.   We enjoyed it as much as everyone said we would.   Many people coordinate the trip themselves, including shuttles and camping or lodging but we booked the trip through a bike shop.  We rented bikes from them and they coordinated all our lodging, meals and shuttles.  All we had to do was follow directions, pedal and enjoy!   Every person we met on the trail had big smiles on their faces, including us!

We rode from the city of Dunedin to the start of the rail trail, Middlemarch on a restored trail through beautiful gorges on the Taieri Gorge Railway

The Trail

DOC sign at start of trail

Cuter sign at start of trail - The bikes we rented were sweet! Nice sitting position for viewing the scenery, big pannier bags, cushy seats.

And we are off.  Turns out 80% of the people ride the trail in the opposite direction from us.  We rode into the prevailing winds often, but that was fine.  It just meant more exercise which meant more food intake allowed!

One part of the trail.

One of 68 bridges - love those engineers!

One of the gorges - nice fall colors.

Flatter country - it's much drier here than the West Coast.

The tunnels - still loving those engineers!

Signs recommended dismounting bikes and using a flash light - what's the fun of that?

My usual position - Lea in the lead, followed by Greg and me pulling up the rear.  This gave me lots of time to get to know the sheep.

Nice stopping spots to get out of the rain (which we didn't have to do)
or to wait for your mom (which Lea did have to do)

Old train stations - indicator of arriving at a big town!

TRAIL ART

Lots of visuals to keep me entertained.

There was a section of fence lined with a dozen or more bike relics - what happened to the riders? 

The People

The trail is ideal for families...young and....

old!  This family decided it wasn't a good idea for gradma to ride a bike since she'd recently had a stroke.  No worries, she'll ride her electric wheelchair..why not?  They learned the battery lasted 20km.  Once the battery died they had a rope to tow her to the next place they could recharge the battery.  She was thrilled to tell me about it.

Ngaire Sutherland - hotel and event center creator, owner, entrepreneur, minister, orator, nurse you name it.  All in the last 8 years.  This lady had more energy than anyone I know.  She was amazing.
 We ate at her event center in Hyde, see below. 

The Stops

Hyde - population, 9 + bike riders. Our fist stop.

Our fist stop, Hyde.  This was a really wonderful hotel. Restored by Ngaire.

The doorway to Lea's "2nd floor suite" - one room made up the entire 2nd floor.  It was hers...cozy and cute! 

Restored (by Ngaire) old school house, no expense spared. It's now an event center, we had a YUMMY Easter dinner here which included lamb, veggies, potatoes, salads and desserts (plural).

Event center courtyard - look closely it's a converted swimming pool.

Nice stop for a coffee, muffin, or beer.

Lodging along the trail for those who preferred to camp.

Greg had heard about this place for miles - we had to stop for pie.  (Meat pie not fruit).

Restored Jail - she looks too happy to be in jail!

Restored Post Office - still functions.  I bought a postcard and got to hand cancel it myself.  Little joys in life.

Kiwi Lea

Not all 17 year olds are willing to leave their social life to travel with their PARENTS for 6 months and attend school in a foreign country.  So Lea…Good On You.  (Notice the use of local lingo-good on me!)

Lea is really taking advantage of everything that interests her.  She is in Year 13 at Westland High School, equivalent to being a high school senior at home.  Year 13 class size is 24 students!  The school includes year 7s (6^th graders) through year 13s and the entire school population is 400 or so students.  Her classes include Outdoor Ed, Photography, Maths (Statistics), English, Physics and part time Calculus. 

School work is easier for various reasons which leaves more time for other activities.  Far and away the best class she is taking is outdoor ed.  Term 1 of Outdoor Ed is all about river kayaking which includes going out on a river twice a week, indoor pool sessions to learn to roll, and two multiday camping/kayaking outings. The class is taught by an exceptional and well regarded kayaker, Bruce Barnes.  Term 2 will focus on outdoor survival skills. WOW!  Another fascinating aspect of this small school is the number of international students and the fact that they have an international coordinator on staff.  Currently there is a student from Italy, two from Germany, two from Japan, one from Brazil and some Thai students coming later in the year who will be here for several weeks.  It feels more international than the IB program at Lakewood!  Her local school friends include a girl who has moved here from South Africa and another from the US.    

That's Lea out there!

Excellent teacher, in the pool and in the river!

Kind of hard for me to watch from the side - this did not make her nervous, she really wanted to master the roll!

A little assistance provided - this guy jumped up with joy when she did one without his help!

She joined the girls’ rugby team.  It’s nice for Greg and I because as we watch games on TV and try to figure out what’s going on, she can tell us about the rules and strategy.  Last week her team played some other school teams.  Greg and I went to watch and she scored a try!  (Google that to figure it out – basically she crossed the line at the end of the field with the ball in her hand which meant her team scored points.) 

Westland High School Girls Rugby Team

This is actually the math teacher - the coach was helping with the games, this guy just came out and jumped in giving the girls advice and tips - mostly hit low! LOW!

Smile Girls! Then go tackle the other girls!

Westland team in action - they won this game

The school fixed up a saxophone they had and she is playing with a jazz group that meets on Thursday nights in Greymouth, a half hour drive from Hokitika.  The jazz group includes her photography teacher, who also teaches music at the school, the wife of someone I work with and another person from Hoki.  They pick her up from our house and bring her to Greymouth to jam.   A couple of Fridays ago they had a gig at an elementary school fair.  Greg and I went to watch and were the only ones taking photos of the performance!  It’s like we are parents of four year old again…proud of every event our child does and oohing and aahing about how awesome she is.

The Jazz Players

There were some other spectators dancing besides Mickey

Fellow Alto Sax Players

She has quickly become friends with several girls from school and is full into having a social life here.  We are seeing her less and less on weekends and sleepovers are popular.  Last Friday night there was a party for a former exchange student who had come back to Hoki to visit.  They had a bon fire at the beach and then went to someone’s house two doors down from ours to watch movies.  She had planned a sleep over at our house with two other girls but when Greg woke up to start work at 4AM Lea was not home. She walked in at 4:30AM with the explanation that she had fallen asleep at the neighbor’s house once the movie started. All I can say is it’s a good thing I slept through all that. 

Year 13s on Athletic Day

Three princesses at Wild Foods Festival

It’s nice to see her embrace all this.  She has discovered that she likes a small school because when there is something she would like to do, she can always take part in it.  There are not too many people for the team or play or band.  It’s not competitive to take part in most activities.  You want to do it, go for it!  This has made her realize that perhaps a small college would be a good choice, but we’ll see what happens, we still have several months to go for that decision.  It’s enjoyable to live a rural life but when we take a trip to a city she does enjoy the shops (so do I)!