New Zealand Week 3: South Island Fiordland

After our travels along the west coast of the South Island, Mariah and I were ready for our adventures in Fiordland National Park located in the southwest corner of New Zealand.

Routeburn Track
<- Click to see map of Routeburn Track
The Routeburn track is one of New Zealand's Great Walks and is a multi-day track (we did it over 3 days) leaving from Glenorchy, going over Harris Saddle, and then traversing the ridge of the Hollyfiord Valley to the Milford Divide. The trek has many huts providing bunkbeds (no linen = bring your own sleeping bag), gas stoves (no pots/pans = bring your own) and drinking water. This was the first multi-day track Mariah and I had done together and we were both full of anticipation...

Right off the bat we both realized that due to our recent hiking trips in NZ, we were in much better shape for the hike than expected and had no problem the first day lugging our packs to the first hut - which took us less than 5 hrs with a nice picnic lunch by a stream in a pretty valley. The remaining two days were progressively more challenging, but nothing too strenuous. We were lucky to have great weather, which enabled us to do a side trip to climb Conical Hill and take in the breathtaking views of the Hollyford Valley stretching all the way out to the Tasman Sea.

Other highlights from the trip were meeting a Swedish couple with a 7 month old baby! This sparked many conversations and was very eye opening that life doesn't have to end when you have kids. This couple, Malin and Kris (and baby Matilda) were incredibly active and decided it was better to expose their daughter early on to the things they love to do. They were also lucky of course to have such a happy baby...she was almost all smiles, quite friendly to the many strangers who gooed and gaaed at her, and only fussed when in need of something. We learned they even make baby sleeping bags and specialty baby carrying backpacks for tramping! So for all you with young children, or who have the inking that someday you might, there are a bunch of trailblazers out there living their lives and traveling the world with their kids...and exposing them (and preparing them) at a young age for the world. Meeting Malin and Kris also reminded us of similar couples we had met in Russia and South East Asia who had little ones traveling backpacker style...and all pretty happy campers. Some good examples for us to look up to.

What made the trekking adventure most enjoyable was the comradarie we found with our fellow trekkers. It was a nice treat in the evenings after spending all day hiking just the two of us to meet and socialize with others at the huts to share experiences from the day, in addition to other intersting life and travel stories and tidbits.

My Birthday in Milford Sound
Mariah, my wife, was amazing and secretly packed a chocolate muffin and candles, and two of my favorite candy bars, for three days on the Routeburn. We got off the trail late afternoon on Jan 27 and took a bus straight to Milford Sound to stay at the lodge there. For anyone who has been to Milford, you will know there isn't a grocery store, or much of anything but gorgeous landscape, one lodge for accommodation, two boat docks and one pub. But she planned ahead and on my 26th birthday morning (Jan 28), surprised me with a bit of "cake" and the cheesy "Happy Birthday" song. It was a special start to a great day...

After our little birthday celebration at 6:30AM, we were picked up to spend the day kayaking on Milford Sound. Seeing this spectacular fjord is a "must" for most who travel to the South Island of New Zealand, but most see it by cruise boat. We decided to put a small twist to the whole adventure and see it up close and personal by kayak, getting on the water at 7:30AM when it's most peaceful (i.e., before the on rush of cruise boats). Thanks to this wedding gift from my colleague and friend Ruth and her husband Bill, we paddled the day away next to fur seals, sea gulls and a variety of other bird life. We had a great time and were amazed at the dwarfing effect you experience while on the fjord. Because the cliffs are so drastic, walls which are 3x the height of the Eifel tower look like 10 story buildings. The Milford fjord got its majestic landscape from the melting of enormous glaciers over many years past that carved the steep rock walls. After 5 hours of paddling, and a bit of water soaking my underside, we felt we'd gotten the most out of the experience and were ready to head back to the lodge, take a hot shower and a nap.

That evening, we decided to continue my birthday celebration by treating ourselves to a nice dinner at the only restaurant/pub in town. We were disappointed...the food was excellent and filling and the beer wasn't too bad either. And we struck up a fun conversation with the table next to us. All in all, it was an excellent way to celebrate my 26 years.

Doubtful Sound
Thanks to another wedding gift from the Fields Tyler family, we were able to take in another of the amazing fjords in the national park that's a bit more difficult to get to. The enormous Doubtful Sound is south of Milford Sound, but there is no direct road access due to the large lake and steep mountains that sit in front of it. To get there, you have to take a boat across Lake Manapouri and then take a bus over a steep mountain pass to reach the sound. The trip is well worth the time and money, but due to the hassle, few tourists have the oportunity to see the sound. We were very fortunate to take in Doubtful Sound during a 3 hour criuse and also got to explore many of the ajoining arms that branch off from the main sound. Its not as steep as Milford, but is much more vast. We also got to see seals, dolphins and penguins!

Before heading to Doubtful Sound, we did a little research and found out that there is a little known hostel you can stay at that is normally reserved for workers in the area. However, the place does accept tourists if you call and there is space. We got a great deal on a very nice double room that included 3 meals...and everyone there was extremely friendly and welcoming! Our extra work in booking this accommodation allowed us to stay a bit longer to hike and enjoy the area. If we'd had the time, we probably would have stayed a few more days we enjoyed it so much.

So...after a packed week with the Routburn, Milford and Doubtful Sound experiences, we were ready to lay low for a few days and headed to Queenstown to stay with some friends and indulge in some R&R...