Strange Notations From a Laborious Life

It’s January 2009 and I have been traipsing through the wilderness on New Zealand’s  Milford Track for a couple of days. The track is flat, relatively easy for anyone with a modicum of fitness but there is one major obstacle to negotiate on the second last day. Mackinnon Pass.

 My recollection of how I ended up walking the Milford Track differs somewhat to how Linda, my lovely partner recalls it. A close friend of ours who is mad keen on running, walking, hiking and cycling had done the trip a couple of years beforehand and was telling us one night after having dinner with us how wonderful it was.

 I nodded and assured her that I believed what she said. Next thing I know we were booked to go, Linda interpreting my interest as a sure sign of my enthusiasm. Although I was really impressed by our friend’s experience and made sure I shared her enthusiasm I don’t recall ever saying I actually wanted to do it. That is not to say I wouldn’t like to but the  physical pursuits of my younger days were some years behind me and my sedentary life was quite pleasing to be living. Getting fit for a major hiking trip wasn’t on my agenda.

 In any case I was soon on the plane to the Land of the Long White Cloud enjoying the company of an eclectic group of people. There were Aussies of course and some New Zealanders, some Danes, some Japanese and Americans who were obviously Republican voters as they recoiled when I congratulated them on the recent and historic election of Barack Obama to the Presidency. Never bet that anyone is going to be pleased with what you say! They were nice people in anycase.

 My own little party included Linda, my sister Susan and Barb, another close friend of ours. We were booked with Ultimate Hikes, the pre-eminent company for guided walks in this part of New Zealand and our guides included local Kiwis, Aussies and Japanese.

 I had done a major hiking trip before having cleared the Kokoda Trail in New Guinea some years ago but I had been much younger and fitter. That being said, the Milford Track held few terrors.

 Anyone who has been to Southern New Zealand will tell you that the scenery is stunning and they would be right on the button. Flying into our rendezvous point in Queenstown dodging and weaving through the mountain range they call “The Remarkables” is spectacular enough along with the rest of the scenery in the town which is probably the adventure capital of the world. “Lord of the Rings”, the film series based on Tolkiens’ epic fantasy novels was filmed near here.

 As I said, the walk itself is not particularly hard, the main benefit is the majestic scenery which is delivered with spectacular regularity as the well kept trail snakes it’s way alongside the crystal clear waters of the Clinton River, the lush canopy of bush parting occasionally to reveal the stunning vistas.

Halfway up the MacKinnon Pass

Waiting, on the second last day is the formidable obstacle of the MacKinnon Pass. It is named after a Scottish explorer who was the first to scale the heights of the pass and who later disappeared, presumed drowned while exploring one of the local lakes a few years after the climb up the mountain which has made him immortal.

 A few of our party anticipated the climb with various degrees of consternation but all made it in the end without too much difficulty, albeit in their own good time.

Monument to MacKinnon at the top of the Pass.

 I reached the top with one of the Ultimate Hikes guides where he advised me that he had done this walk over thirty times and this was only the second trip that the summit of the MacKinnon Pass wasn’t shrouded in fog! We were lucky. The tour group which had passed this way only days before had been hit hard by the weather and actually had to be taken out of the valley beyond the pass by helicopter as they were nearly drowned by the overflowing Clinton River!

Made it to the top!

 I waited with my sister Susan at the top of the pass as the stragglers came in and we later walked to the saddle where there is a hut for shelter and admired the views back down the valley from whence we had come. Kia birds had great fun trying to steal the lunch from backpacks and were successful on a few occasions.

 Linda made it to the top in pretty good time for someone who detests walking uphill and it was great to have conquered the major obstacle on the Milford Track and to do it on such a glorious day. But then, we had to descend!

 The track to the bottom of the pass where we would find our guest house and stay for the night was a little less well defined than we found it on the trip up.

The hut and the saddle.

Rocks and stones littered the path and the ominous signs warning that you were walking through a known avalanche region and advising you not to stop certainly kept us moving along rather than pausing to admire the scenery.

 Down below in the valley we could see the speck nestled among the trees which was our accommodation for the night but all in all the trip down the pass was uneventful and the party made it in one piece. That evening a side trip to a spectacular waterfall was distraction from the usual boredom of nights at the guest houses and the next day we made our way to Milford Sound, not without difficulty but that is a story for another time.

On the way down!

Why have I related a story of a trip I took nearly seven years ago? Because I am going back! Yes, part of the team that successfully completed the Milford Track is returning to Queenstown to hike the Grand Traverse. The Traverse is the Grrenstone and Routeburn Tracks combined and will take about six days. My sister Susan and friend Barb will partake whilst Linda has decided that the comforts of a sedan and motel room are more important when travelling and will tour New Zealand while we hike.

 For anyone thinking of going to New Zealand and doing something a little adventurous that doesn’t include bungee-jumping, jet-boating or anything else which may leave your stomach in your throat, then hiking the Milford Track could be for you. You won’t have to be super fit but you will need to prepare. It’s a pleasant hike for the reasonably fit. Ultimate Hikes prepares everything for you even providing backpacks and other equipment. They practically do everything except walk for you!

 Hope you have enjoyed this little slice of New Zealand and I hope it has given you a little taste of what you can expect should you ever walk the Milford Track.

 Have a nice day.