Alex meets the Hobbit: A Kiwi Christmas

Christmas 2012 was special. It was different. It was warm and had no snow. No cell phone coverage, no wifi, no internet and no social media. Well, the whisky the Kiwis spent was social :-)

This year, I decided to go for one of New Zealand's Great Walks, the Milford Track. The number of trampers is limited to 40 people, so I had to book well in advance (in May, to be precise). The track follows a 56km trail over 4 days from the top of Lake TeAnau to Milford Sound.

Some say it it the world's most scenic walk. Me, having walked around NZ a LOT, fully agree.

The bus picks me up in TeAnau around 9am and drives me 90km south, to TeAnau Downs - the gateway to Milford Sound. An one hour boat ride with perfect weather later, the track starts at Glade Wharf.

Ride on Lake TeAnau

The first day is only a short walk to Clinton Hut, where I spend the day reading and socialising with the other trampers.


Something to read at the first hut

A real Kiwi and some Whisky

The next day leads us to Mintaro Hut, just before the Mackinnon Pass. Because we reached the hut quite early, the weather was fine and more than 30 degrees with sunshine are quite uncommon in Fiordland, some of us decided to make the return trip to the pass. The 500m in altitude took me 50min running. Absolutely no wind and the heat made be having a bath on the top. Of course, there was nobody upthere at this time. Except the Keas. Awesome.

MacKinnon memorial

Kea watching

On the third day, there was some wind, but still warm, dry and sunny. This was already very special. Normally it rains 2 out of 3 days on the Track ( days later the track was closed to flodding..).

The last day was still warm indicating a real trampers jackpot. The final 18km went through forests, over bridges and finally to Sandfly Point. There is a reason for this name btw.. I hate those bastards.