The flight back ended up being delayed and my bag didn’t come home with us, finally arriving on Monday afternoon! I sat between a man and his wife – he liked the window seat and she the aisle! He droned on ad nauseum about his myriad fly fishing trips to New Zealand, interspersed with a bit of jocular greenie-bashing, sexism and WWII insensitivity. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!
Now I get to go home to Nadia and Cara. How fantastic, I can’t wait to see them. Whenever I see or hear a child here I think of our little munchkin.
Back in Queenstown and only 12 hours until I head home – yippee! Thursday afternoon after the walk we did a 5:15pm cruise on Milford Sound – was brilliant. Incredibly windy but otherwise magnificent. Chips and veggie spring rolls included. A number of times the large boat went right up to the sheer granite walls of the fiord. Impossibly passive mountains, wheeling, cawing gulls, and, to top it off, a pod of dolphins accompanied us for a while at the end. Magical. Dinner at café again (awful quinoa and falafel salad). Ended up with 3 wonderful bunk mates in the dorm room – Kim, a young nurse from Utah, originally Pittsburgh and Jürgen and Birgit from near Frankfurt – he a forester and she a part-time GP. Talked until almost 11pm about a variety of things, including, of course, Herr Präsident Trumpf. A worldwide lament. Had a good night’s sleep on a nice single bed. Breakfast, packed up and headed off – gave Kim a lift to the Lake Marian track then headed on to Queenstown, via Lumsden. Paid my respects to my greatgrandparents at their resting place there – Steve was touched to think that they had come all the way from so close to where he has lived almost all of his life – to make a new life here at the other end of the world. We then followed my GPS on the wrong road out of town for 20km, not realising that the phone had frozen and the map wasn’t moving! Turned around and heading back the right way. We’d just made it to Te Anau earlier in the day from Milford Sound with the very last drop of petrol in the tank. Ended up this evening at Frankton Motor Camp – quite run down, looks like a place for the less fortunate. Poverty in New Zealand might not be as ugly as in other parts of the world, but it’s still there, never too far away. A rowdy group in the kitchen/common room – German backpackers and some locals. All quite jarring after the gentle beauty of the Track. Left us pining for the fiords! It’s such a contrast to the enchanted world we’ve been in. An average night’s sleep in the tent – had been dismantled by customs on the way in to New Zealand, so was tricky getting it properly set up. Head below feet and sideways slope! Knees hurt! Never mind, I’ve survived. Morning routine, now heading out.
Done! The Milford Track. Every superlative anyone has ever used for it is justified and exceeded by the reality. Today was mundane compared to yesterday – mostly under trees along the Arthur River Valley. But still spectacular – beautiful views from time to time across the crystal-clear river waters to the massive vertical mountain walls beyond. Made good time to Sandfly Point in around 6 hours. Early to bed last night – asleep before 9pm. Slept through until 6am when Steve woke me – didn’t hear my alarm through the ear-plugs. 2-minute noodles for breakfast and nutella stew and museli for lunch (using up all the left-overs!). Blisters but relatively small – about the same as what I’d normally have after the first day of a hike.
Summing up – an amazing experience. It’s been good doing it with Steve because it was never going to be a solitary, commune-with-nature kind of walk, given the numbers of people on the trail every day.
Relaxing at Dumpling Hut, enjoying the company of some very persistent sandflies! Utterly fucking revolting insect repellent which I foolishly put on various parts of my body is now getting on everything. I’ve washed my hands multiple times but it somehow still clings on!
A remarkable day crossing the Mackinnon Pass. Perfectly clear all day. Set off around 9am and got here, Dumpling Hut, at 5pm, so once again, a fair bit of dawdling. Climb up from Mintaro Hut through the trees until we broke through into the alpine zone. Views tremendous. Not sure what else to write – this walk exceeds my expectations at every turn. That comment re. the “region of the perpendicular” is the best I’ve found. Was a bit of a slog towards the end today and I think we’re both pretty knackered. I’ve a couple of blisters just starting which I’ll have to attend to.
Should note down the bus driver Bruce’s story from the other day about his friend the avalanche expert in Te Anau, who would at times be called on to go up in a helicopter and throw a sack of explosives (ammonium nitrate) out of the helicopter at a strategic point, to force an avalanche and prevent things building up too much. One time, though, he threw out the bag and it got caught on the skid of the helicopter. The pilot had to dive steeply, upon which it slid off, fell into the bush and exploded. Pilot very famous in New Zealand but I didn’t note down his name. The Maori name for Milford Sound, Piopiotahi, means the lonely or solitary thrush. Very lonely these days because it was wiped out by European invasion/settlement and hasn’t been seen since 1905.
We had lunch at the cairn on the pass. Quite a few guided walkers around. Made pudding out of milk, nutella and broken-up bread – actually not terrible! Views stupendous, impossible to capture with words or photos. Walk down was pretty tough on the knees, took it slowly. One cliff at the top was very vertigo-inducing – could see Quintin Lodge far, far below. Steve and I haven’t been chatting as much today – have both been enjoying the surroundings. I’m starving! Dinner soon. I miss Nadia and Cara so much I feel like I could almost cry. Like a huge part of my heart is shut off at the moment.
Wow, what a day. Had a reasonable night’s sleep – about as good as possible in a sleeping bag on a vinyl-covered mattress! Woke up to a stunningly clear morning. Used the tripod to try and capture the beauty of the mist in the valley, waiting for the sun to appear over the mountains. Breakfast, packed up and headed off at 9am. Got to Mintaro Hut around 5:30pm. A wonderful, dawdling day’s walk along the Clinton River Valley. Lots of stops, chatting, admiring the birdlife and gazing open-mouthed at the astonishing scenery. The “region of the perpendicular” as a woman writer said 100 years ago. It reminds me a little of the valley we drove up in 2015 in the Parc national des Écrins in the French Alps, but really it’s its own place and isn’t like anywhere else in the world. I feel the presence here – it is young, but quiet and watchful. And sad. Once this was the republic of birds, a great avian confederation. It has been silenced by invaders.
Already at Clinton Hut after a very easy 90 minute walk in from Glade Wharf, where the boat dropped us. Not a great night’s sleep – stiflingly hot in the room. Steve left in the middle of the night for the common room. Got the bus to Te Anau Downs – Bruce the driver a very friendly and informative guide. Mentioned many things but most interesting re. Maori trading between north and south – mutton birds preserved in fat, greenstone (Milford’s is called tangiwai = waters of mourning), kumara (wouldn’t grow south of Christchurch), eels, etc. Asked about Maori presence around the Hamptons’ place of emigration in 1883 – Dipton – Bruce thought perhaps small parties but south of Christchurch, all tended to be hunter-gatherers.
Hung out in the dim café at the hotel at Te Anau Downs, lunch outside then a one hour trip on a packed boat to Glade – mostly guided walkers. Walk in was uneventful – some birds like wrens and robins. Saw a tomtit here a moment ago. There are flushing toilets! Comfy bunks! Plenty of room!
Have been imagining bring Cara on a walk like this one day – saw father/daughter along the track today. I miss her so much and hope she’s doing OK without me. Most of all I hope Nadia’s doing alright too, with all the care duties for 9 days. Steve and I have been chatting easily about many things. We’re trying to come up with a good limerick for our travels.
8:30pm Had dinner, now in bed! Steve crashed earlier, woke again at 7:30pm. I hope Nadia is OK, not sure why I didn’t hear back from her.
Finally lying in bed at the Milford Sound Lodge – what a job getting organised! Pain in the arse staying here – packed into an 8-bed dorm room with 6 young Euro backpackers.
Had a leisurely start to the day, leaving Kowhai Hill by 10:30am. Day slowly got wetter. Fed sheep again before we left – so cute and funny. Shopping in Te Anau then drove on to the Hollyford Road and walked to Lake Marian – ended up taking 3 hrs 45 mins. Drizzled the whole time. Spectacular mountain lake surrounded by looming peaks. Drove on to Milford Sound by 6:15pm, checked in, had a very nice dinner at Pio Pio Café, then repacking, showers and now bed. Have just decided I’ll send Nadia a quick email (not so easy, as no mobile coverage here).
An easy day – in to Te Anau for shops etc., short walk to Lake Mistletoe near Te Anau Downs, back again, dinner soon. Great sleep last night, lovely glimpses of distant mountains driving today. Have been feeling terrible about being away from Cara especially but know I’ll be home soon.
8:50pm Fed the sheep the “sheep nuts” provided – hilarious and very cute. Cara would love them!
What’s nice about this situation is that I’ve got loads of time for everything. No care duties, no reading to get through, just free time, no TV to watch, nothing to plan or do.
What should I write? It’s been an uneventful day, really. Did all I had to do, without any major hitches. Friendly guy next to me on the plane. Jonathan the car rental guy a very relaxed, friendly Indian-origin guy – very kiwi. Then groceries from Pak-n-Save, lunch down by the lake and back to the airport, waiting for about 45 minutes for Steve. Great to see him again. Been nice chatting in the car and once here. Great news about Margaret. Accommodation nice, very out of the way – gravel road, 20 minutes to Te Anau.
This is a different kind of holiday – I don’t see myself getting any really solo epiphany moments. For that, I need to travel by myself. Company provides other, equally worthwhile times. Driving here we passed the place I took that photo in 2002.
I searched the rear view mirror to find it – too early for the light to be right. We drove on. Something about that photo evokes overwhelming yearning in me. But it’s accompanied by a strong sense of belonging somewhere at last. It’s hard to describe because I don’t really understand it myself. Life just continues on, relentless, inexorable. Wyrd bið fol aræd. Do I even have any influence at all on the path it takes?
Onboard JQ219 to Queenstown. A year since I wrote in this very intermittent journal. Cara is now such a part of me and has such a place in my heart. And Nadia is my life. Leaving them like this is so hard but it also makes it so clear to me that I love them so much. I’ll do everything I can to really enjoy the next 9 days but if I’m honest I’d rather be with them.
