Epic trekking

Here are a few pictures from the 4 days just spent hiking on the Milford trek.  It’s one of NZ’s more famous, if not most famous, hikes and it definitely did not disappoint.  The scenery was absolutely breathtaking–mountain peaks, snow melt fed waterfalls, and wildflowers around each and every bend.  It was so stunning, I didn’t even complain once about the torrential rain and gale force winds we experienced on the first day (24 hikers who started one day ahead of us actually had to be helicopter ed off the mountain because of the weather).  If you know me and are familiar with my extreme aversion to cold, you will appreciate what a testament to the beauty of Milford that is!  Unfortunately, my photography does it no justice.  Someday, you’ll just have to see it for yourself.

We spent each day hiking–6 to 8 hours or so of tramping around in nature.  The actual distance covered wasn’t all that far–12 to 15 miles a day, which usually translates into a pretty standard 1.5 to 2 hour run, but it’s a bit of a different story when you’re climbing over boulders and carrying all of your bedding, food, clothes, and cookware on your back.  By the end of the trip, I was definitely a little sore and tired and A LOT ready for a hot shower and food that wasn’t dehydrated!

“Bathing”.  It was NOT warm!

That furry thing is a baby Kea bird, one of NZ’s several species of birds that don’t fly.

It was more than worth it. Besides the awesome vistas, sharing bunkrooms with complete strangers turns out to be not only every honeymooner’s dream (kidding), but also a rather quick bond forming experience.

We met some incredibly nice and fascinating people, including our new friend, Stav, a former soldier in the Israeli army, who has spent the last 8 weeks hiking and hitchhiking his way thru NZ.  He’s managed to work his way thru the entire country without public transportation or renting a car once.

We’re not quite that adventurous!  We’ve gone with the more pedestrian option of renting a car so that we can make our way to Christchurch tomorrow for a flight to Wellington, located at the bottom of the North Island, for a friend’s engagement party.  We’ll be spending Christmas with them before jumping on a boat back to the South Island.