Hey all,
Boy what a last few days we have had! Arriving in Queenstown on Wednesday afternoon was really nice. The flight in was quite fun as well. Aside from the scenery change going from the North to South Island, during our descent the plane went down at a much steeper angle than usual, and each time we would get close to the ground, it turned out to be more mountains. In fact, about the only thing you can see surrounding Queenstown, are gigantic mountains (some snow capped.) That is not to say the ONLY thing you can do is climb mountains, the list of activities is endless.
As some of you may know, our group decided to spend 3 of its days hiking the world renowned Routeburn Track, and ending up at the Milford Sound. That being said, we had only part of Wednesday and Thursday to ourselves to explore Queenstown. Some of the activities included: going to the Kiwi Wildlife Reserve, disc golfing, catching up on the internet, going to yoga sessions, rock climbing, partaking in more one-on-one dates, and spending time exploring shops and restaurants. Additionally, we were each given tasks to help us prepare for our backpacking adventure such as: collecting cookware, finding plates and silverware, buying groceries, making trail mix, and obtaining our permit for the huts we stayed at. Our final night in Queenstown (at least for the week,) we had dinner at Winnies, which is famous for its pizza and retractable roof. Unfortunately, it had been pouring all day so the roof didn't open, and the restaurant almost lost our reservation. No way did that stop the fun from happening though, we were able to sit out on the deck and were given free starters as an apology for the confusion. A fun time was had by all, and the rest of the night was spent packing and getting ready for the Routeburn!
And just like that, we were off. A shuttle picked us up around 8- the guy was a little irritated we weren't ready on the dot- and took us and a few passengers to the begginning of the track after a short stop along the way. The group congregated and discussed a game plan under the leadership of Gordon, and set sail for the 4 hour hike leading us to our overnight hut. Along the way many of us were able to talk and spread out amongst eachother, but the group managed to stay close and hold a steady pace until we stopped for lunch. Just outside of the path was a tributary of the river, which is where we stopped to eat. The water was freezing, but I somehow managed to convince myself it was a good idea to jump in. Luckily it was a sunny day, otherwise I would have gotten hypothermia. Quickly after eating our delicious lunch, we resumed our hike up to one of the many waterfalls, where Karen had an activity planned out. Each of us chose a partner and found a specific part of the falls or surrounding area that appealed to us. In addition, we had to guide them while their eyes were shut, into the perfect position so that when they opened their eyes, they saw our image just as we wanted them to. Kind of like a photograph, which was the name of the activity. All of them were surprisingly different and unique, and following the activity was a discussion. After the discussion, we continued our last 2 hours up towards the Routeburn Falls hut. Many times we stopped to photograph and marvel at the mountains and fields, from various breaks in the heavy forest that was most of the hike. In fact, heavy forest with occasional bridges over the river was all we encountered until the hut. The hut was simple, bunkers and a kitchen with a small dining area. Emily, Kareem, and myself cooked stir fry that evening, which was followed again by an activity. We were each given a card with an example of "leaving no trace," with regards to being in the outdoors. An example of one of the terms would be "dispose of all trash items". First we were asked to brainstorm, then we were asked to do a skit where we could only use the words "bloo" and "blah" (not really words either.) As you can imagine, things got pretty hilarious and a couple times it was hard to stop laughing. Shortly after that, we went to bed early for a good nights sleep.
Day 2. Waking up around 8:00 for an 8:30 breakfast cooked by Lucy and Ryan, we were all ready to start the day. We chowed down on some oatmeal, said goodbye to the stunning view from the deck of the hut, and began our 5 hour hike to Mckenzie Hut. As far as rigor goes, this day was quite a bit more physically demanding, but the scenery was overwhelmingly gorgeous. We trekked up steep hills, along big fields of shrubs and grass, and along skinny cliffside trails through the valley. Lunch was made at an emergency shelter, where around half the group decided to hike up another 45 minute peak for a stunning view of everything that extended all the way out to the Tasman Sea! And finally, our day ended with a winding hike down the hillside of Lake Mckenzie through thick, dead forest blossoming with an moss resembling something from Alice in Wonderland, only it ended with the hut rather than a…well you get it. Since we got to the hut a little earlier than the night before, the group split up and explored around until dinner at 7:00. No activities followed, but our hut manager gave us quite the stand up comedy show with his various stories of mishaps on the trail and huts. Many of us chose to be in bed before 9, because Sunday morning would include getting up at 4:45 for a 5 hour hike to The Divide, where we would be transported to the Milford Sound.
Day 3: For those of you who haven't woken up at 4:45, it isn't easy. Ryan and Lucy (once again,) provided the early morning fuel for us to power through the rain, wind, and dark we were facing. Right before we left, 3 people were assigned to the front, middle, and rear of the group as well as headlamps were distributed. The first hour and half of the hike was spent with our lights on, trudging through hills, mud, and many streams in the pouring rain and howling wind until the darkness dissipated. I believe we hiked for 3 hours until we reached another hut, where some of us went inside to sit by the warm fire, and others waited out in the cold so they wouldn't have a hard time readjusting to the ungodly weather. Thankfully, only an hour remained, and we were able to move right along with smiles on our faces- thanks to Gordon and David with their ridiculous humor- until The Divide was reached. As it was still freezing and raining hard, we took shelter and broke into our bag of trail mix until our van came. Although it was 20 minutes late, and Christine was not able to get us a discount, we were all ecstatic to reach the milford lodge. Immediately, the group bum rushed the showers, drying room, and laundry area in order to clean ourselves and our clothes. After we had all settled in, we headed out on a wilderness cruise through the Milford Sound. The hut manager the night before had mentioned something about the Sound "coming alive" when it rained, and he could not have been more right. Waterfalls of all sizes littered the mountainsides (one of which we drove right through, Emily and Willem got soaked,) and the clouds added a mystique element to the picturesque scenery. Once we got back, we had to wait 30 mins for our shuttle to take us to the cafe to eat, so we debriefed our roles for the week..and got eaten alive by sandflies. Ending the day at the cafe was perfect, we were all able to enjoy a meal together as well as share conversation about our last few days on the Routeburn, and finally, our last day in New Zealand. In our weekly FGAA's, which followed dinner, it was evident that our group is as strong as ever, with everyone in high spirits, introspective, and ready to enjoy our last full day in New Zealand, and our last month in Australia!
I wish you all well, especially those who live in the Pacific NW with all that rain
Cheers
Dylan
