The Milford Track
May 6, 2008
Yesterday, I returned from the most impossibly beautiful experiences I've ever had the fortune of experiencing, over 33 miles of tramping on the magnificent Milford Track. After 4 days of hiking, climbing, stumbling, and catching my breath, all I can give you are glimpses of the wonders waiting around every corner. The way green rainforests opened up to frost covered fields and water gushed from every dizzying height and clouds parted to reveal the grandeur of majestic mountains and valleys, it was utterly surreal. Captions will be added when I have the opportunity, though they probably won't add much to this visual journey.
As safe as New Zealand is, leaving my car unattended at for 4 days left a nagging worry in back of my head.
Frenchies! When I hopped on the van that transported us from Te Anau to Te Anau Downs, I instantly recognized the guy with the 'fro. He was Leanne's boyfriend, Sylvian; Leanne being one of Chris' flatmates in Cromwell. The freaky thing is half the other people on the van recognized me from a house party in Cromwell... they worked on the same vineyard and were doing the the track together. Boarding the bus that will cruise up Lake Te Anau to the start of the Milford Track.
Though it was cloudy and cold at first, it was worth making the most of the expensive transport costs.
That's Luisa from Italy. I'm watching her type her blog right now.
Clouds lifting to reveal the hills topped with a fresh coating of snow.
That's Bastien from France.
Working on a puzzle, daylight gone by 6, gave up.
Morning at Clinton Hut
Cooooold!
Typical overwhelming greenness.
Even dead things look sort of cool.
Go Go GO GO GO GO GO!!!
Almost seems impossible.
I don't have a proper camping equipment, so packed a bag full of ready to eat meals. Hearty and satisfying!. It was a bitch to carry in the beginning, but by the last day, I was carrying around empty cans... when everyone else was carrying around their cookers. So HA!
Ascending the mountain up to MacKinnon Pass. The layer of cloud added to the atmosphere.
A frosty water drop.
Desolate.
They look like miniature snowy palm trees.
The cairn
Charles is a.) crazy b.) crazy c.) crazy d.) all of the above
The loo with the best view in New Zealand.
Horray for sun battling through the clouds.
Saw enough waterfalls to last several lifetimes.
And for the grand-daddy of them all...
Sutherland Falls, highest in New Zealand and 5th highest in the world. It's hard to comprehend the shear scale of water cascading down a third of a mile.
Reminds me of Chronicles of Narnia.
A pathway blasted out of the cliff
