About the Milford Track

Here's as little information about the Milford Track that we're walking starting Saturday, November 29. We are walking the track independantly (no guides).

Time:

4 days

Distance:

53.5 km

The Milford Track (53.5 kilometres) is in the heart of spectacular Fiordland National Park, part of the Te Wāhipounamu – South West New Zealand World Heritage Area and is administered by DOC on behalf of the New Zealand public. Located in the southwest of the South Island, the track starts at the head of Lake Te Anau and finishes at Milford Sound.

For a day-by-day description of the track, click here.

This was the tramp that we had to book ahead of time, since it is very popular and only so many people can start per day. We are looking forward to the adventure!

Updated Google Map

If you scoll below all the blog entries on this page, there is a google map that I've updated with most of the places we've stayed. Click on any of the tents to see where we stayed at least one night. Or, visit the map here. I'm trying to get pictures associated to the places, but it takes forever to upload the pictures. Slow going on the picture front.

enjoy!

My Pretty Amazing Day...

I thought Janwyn's post regarding her favorite day, last Wednesday, was a good idea. I'm going to go ahead and steal it.

Thus far on the trip, this past Friday had to be my favorite. Why? Well I'll tell ya...

We had a few hours to hang out in Dunedin before our Cadbury World factory tour, so we opted for a beach walk which our guidebook recommended. Unfortunately, it didn't tell us precisely how to get there, so we ended up hopelessly lost in a suburb called St. Kildes (sp?) near a beach. It didn't look good for the home team!

But, I took another look at the map, thought it was worth a try and drove off, staying on the left side of the road of course. And we're glad we did, because we found the beach, called Tunnels, about 15 minutes from where we were. It was a 30 minute hike to the shore, but there we found natural, wave-carved tunnels as well as a man-made tunnel, dug through sandstone down to a private beach. How great!

A note to my Dad- Hey Dad, do you remember seeing that posting on a road trip we took once that said, "Once the wind stopped blowing in Nebraska, and everyone fell over?" Dunedin, and the entire South of the South Island for that matter, it exactly the same way. Needless to say, going Uphill against the wind from the beach was not as fun as going Downhill with the wind to the beach. Oh well, we made it.

Than it was off to Cadbury World where we were plied with plenty of free samples and learned all about what makes Cadbury the best chocolate maker. Of course, Janwyn and I being Americans, when asked what our favorite Cadbury product was, just had blank stares. Uh, Snickers? (wrong) Kit-Kat? (wrong) M&M's? (really, really wrong!). A correct answer is Morro Bar or Perfect Nana for future reference! (We'd never heard of either of those).

And a note for everyone at home ... when we're uncovered as Americans, as we were on this tour, the strong majority of foreign nationals want to express they're vast excitement for our in-coming president. They are SOOOOOO excited, they can hardly contain themselves and wish to share their joy with us. So I'm passing it on to you. Enjoy.

And back to the story, after being filled with chocolate and then a quick dinner, we headed to a nearby glowworm grotto, a stream-carved valley where the same glowworms made famous at the Waitomo caves in the North Island light up at night. It was a similar cool experience as the North Island, without the cliff-jumping or cool head gear.

And the icing on the cake was possibly the best geocache we've ever done! (are you listening Grandpa Jack?). On the trail back from the glowworms, someone had set up a geocache where you tracked small, reflective triangles through the bush (American: Forest) for 500 metres (American: 1/4 mile) to the final cache. It was a really great way to tie geocaching in with the glowworms we just saw. We both felt lucky that was our first NZ geocache for this trip!

All-in-all, it was a pretty impressive day. I hope for similar days to come!

The quote of the trip thus far...

"You're here for four months!?! And you're Americans? Well, good on ya,* I've never heard of Americans staying in New Zealand that long!"

- Kim at the Olive Grove in Oamaru, when told how long we're spending in New Zealand.

* "Good on ya" is a Kiwi expression, used nearly as frequently as 'Sweet As' and 'No Worries'. It generally means "way to go" or "good for you".

At long last ... some pics!

It's been a challenge to get these to you, so here you are...

I'd like to dedicate this moment to all my engineering teachers, and all those hours I spent playing Tetris!

Here I am at the end of the Speight's Brewery Tour in Dunedin (pronounced Spayk's). For note, Speights on the South Island tastes better than it does on the North Island.

After six hours of hiking, this is NOT the "Top Bus" that we would be spending the night. That was yet another 1/2 hour further.

I'll try to get some more up here in a second.

My great day

I meant to post this a couple days ago, but I didn't have the chance.



Wednesday was my best day in New Zealand so far. I'm sure you're wondering what made it such a great day so I'll tell you about it.



After spending a cold night in a little cabin at Dansey's Pass Holiday Park, about 30 minutes outside of Oamaru, we quickly got up, showered, had breakfast, bid our American hosts (who had only been there 4 months!) good-bye and headed back towards Oamaru. On the way we stopped off to see the amazing geological formation of Elephant Rocks. The Chronicles of Narnia was filmed here...this was the site of Aslan's camp (if anyone remembers that part of the movie -- I had to look it up). There is currently another movie set onsite here, perhaps another Narnia installment?



Back in town we mulled around a bit admiring the beautiful limestone buildings while we had the car brakes checked out and we secured insurance. Thankfully everything checked out well and the car got a clean bill of health. I even got to sneek in a quick chat with a good friend from home which lifted my spirits (thanks Holly!).



So we were off to see the Little Blue Penguin colony, but apparently you can only see them in the evenings and it costs $20 to see them waddle up the beach. Instead, we just enjoyed the scenery and the information about the penguins. Not the best investment of our funds or time, so we headed out to find a bed for the night.



We decided to try our luck out at Olive Grove Lodge & Holiday Park. It turned out to be my favorite hostel/lodging place. What a lovely place! If this place was closer to a larger city, it would be my ideal home. When you walk through the gates you are greated by Lyn's organic garden. Pockets of flowers, plants, and vegetables growing everywhere. And everything about this place has a creative touch, but in a sophisticated, not over-done way. There are shells and colorful stones pressed into the concrete paths that swirl throughout the garden moving people to either the lodge rooms, or the main house, or up to the inviting cozy porch where you can choose from any number of couches, tables or even a hammock to rest in.

We made up some dinner and tried a new vegetable, silver beet -- not too bad! Kinda like swiss chard or bok choy but not bitter. And then we quickly headed off to see the Moeraki Boulders. They are great round and smooth boulders, the largest of which is 2 meters or 6.5 feet, that have been entrapped in the earth's sediment and released by the crashing waves and wind. About 20 of them now sit on the beach. I think Corey will be posting some pictures soon.

Then we quickly headed off to the Lighthouse so we wouldn't miss the Yellow-Eyed Penguins coming onshore, which they do for about about 2 hours before dusk. Even the drive there was amazing! As we climbed the steep hills, it looked like we were launching into the sky, and then we'd crest the top and slowly tip the car back down, like we were on a roller coaster or something. The penguins are much smaller than you'd think (I think I've seen March of the Penguins too many times), but it was fun to spot them in their native habitat. We actually got within 5 feet of one who was exhibiting itself just on the other side of the fence.

Anyways, back to the Olive Grove Lodge for the best night of sleep so far. And to top it all off, I'm feeling much better. A resident cough still haunts me, but thank goodness for Robitoussen. (sp?)

Headed (further) South

Hi All,

Just a quick update as I sit at my terminal at the Internet Cafe (not so much a cafe) in Christchurch.

We've come up with a rough gameplan for the next couple of days, though we've vowed to stay flexible. I ran back into town to recharge the AC in our new Nissan (pics to come soon, Andy) while Janwyn stayed in camp at Purau Bay on the Banks Peninsula.

We had hoped to come into town together, but last night Janwyn's fever peaked and she hardly got any rest. Thank goodness the campground host was attuned to her condition and gave us a caravan (mobile home to you Americans!) for no extra charge. Staying in a tent would not have been the best remedy. It really appears that she's back on the mend, but we're going to stay an extra day in Purau to be sure she's better before spending the better part of the day in a car.

If all goes well, we'll head out from there early tomorrow to Oamaru on the East Coast. There they have two colonies of Penguins, the little blue and the yellow-eyed. From there we head inland and may spend Wednesday night in Queenstown. Of course, this is all if Janwyn is feeling better!

After just over a week in, we're about headed into a more remote part of our trip. We'll be camping a large part of it and by Early December should have our first Wwoof experiences. Hopefully in there we'll have the chance to post some pictures ... We'd really like for everyone to see some of the sights we're seeing!

Take care and we miss everybody!

Thoughts of the day...

• We've met less than 10 Americans on our trip so far. It makes it easy to tell an American if they're wearing a baseball cap, order a Domino's pizza for dinner, or can't name a player on the All Blacks. Oddly....if they are wearing a shirt boasting the name of an American city (Detoit 76 for example)....they are NOT American.
  
• Thin walls and heavy doors at the Old Countryhouse do not make for restful nights.
• Fish n' Chips are great for 3 meals ... then the novelty wears off and you're longing for a strenuous hike
  
• The wind breeze here in Christchurch makes 20 degrees Celsius feel like 20 degrees Fahrenheit...well maybe more like 40F.
• Go USA U-17 Women's soccer!! We saw them comeback to beat Germany in the World Cup semi-finals 2-1. They go onto the finals in Auckland on 11/16 against the People's Republic of Korea.
  
• We don't "miss" Target yet, but do appreciate how convenient they really are.
• Next time you're checking out at the Fred, Cub, or Safeway, appreciate how efficient they are at scanning your items and getting you out the door. Believe us, that's not a universal phenomenon.
• We hope Megan and Jon (and Wendy and Jim for that matter) are getting some sleep.
  

Auckand Quick Pics

A few shots from us from New Zealand...

Christchurch City Crest

That's the view we came back for (Waiheke)

The walk UP to our place with Helga and Moana

Yes, Jeannine, this one's for you ... Neenish Tarts! Apparently they're popular, we've also seen them in Christchurch. Pricey [but you wouldn't expect less, would you?: =)]

Does anyone really use those Best Buy airport kiosks? Yes: when you forget your iPod in Fremont!

An update from the Old Countryhouse - Christchurch

Hi All,

I feel we’ve been a bit neglectful of the blog, now that we’re in NZ and at the “exciting” part. Do know that that’s not due to our lack of effort, but a lack of abilities. Apparently “free wi-fi” is a pretty foreign concept to the Kiwis. However, we’ve buckled down and bought some time (Megabytes actually) at our Hostel.

So, as an update, we’ve made it to Christchurch on the South Island! We’ve settled into our hostel, The Old Country Inn, and figured out the bus system to get into town (for note, get off at the bus exchange!). From here we’ll get settled in the city and buy a car over the next couple of days. That feat may take some wrangling, but it appears that the city’s pretty well equipped for that kind of request. There are a few car auctions per week and a backpacker’s car lot. Should be a good opportunity to test out my new negotiation skills per Tom Tripp!

Also going on this week is the U-17 Women’s World Cup. We’re not sure yet who’s playing, but the semi-finals are here in Christchurch tomorrow night. Tickets seemed reasonable, so I think we’re going to take the opportunity to check that out. Our Hostel owner hadn’t heard anything about it, so that should bode well for actually getting tickets.

Christchurch was founded by the Anglican Church to be a community in their ideals, so it still retains that fell of true English charm. It’s set close to some very nice beaches, so in-between car shopping, We’re hoping to take some advantage of that proximity!

So far we’ve learned a few things:
A. They DO have Heinz catchup, though a bottle goes for around NZD $6.95 (USD $5.00).
B. The kiwi’s “bristling” feelings about Aussies surpasses those of the Vikings-Packers rivalry. I know see the Vikes-Pack dispute as sibling rivalry. Which is funny, because it seems that most Aussie/Kiwis are actually cousins.
C. And we’ve invented a new game as we watch folks check into the hostel. It’s called: “Are they Americans?” And it helps after a bottle of wine. Probably not in good taste, but it is entertaining!

Cheers from Down Under,
Corey & Janwyn

At the airport ... again

We've had a pretty swift and busy first few days in the country. To catch everyone up to speed:

• Got into Auckland, stayed two nights at City Garden Lodge in Parnell. Rode the Link bus (which uses Adblue!) to our content.
• Caught the ferry to Waiheke Island, a 8,000 pop. community in the harbor. There we stayed with Mercedes' (our friends' in Portland) godmother Helga and daughter Moana. We enjoyed an Olive Festival and a few tramps around the island, including one to a place called 'Stoney Batter'.
• Headed back to Auckland yesterday to stay at the City Garden again. Had a nice dinner at Queen's Ferry Inn with a few Monteiths and Tuis to compliment.

And now we're at the domestic terminal about to board for Christchurch on the South Island. Hopefully we'll have better ability to post pics and videos from there.

A note of congrats to Megan and Jon on the birth of Samantha Jean on Sunday! Everyone is happy and healthy. Yes, Janwyn and I are officially and Auntie and Uncle now!

Made it through customs...

And then realized it was 6 in the morning and there was no sense in trying to check into our hostel yet.

So, we found our way to the food court and found some wifi.

I attempted to shoot a short intro video, but really ... it looks like every other airport.

Customs were better this time than last. No problems on our "Working Holiday Visa" and a few questions on our foods we were carrying in.

They also needed to inspect our hiking boots and tent. Gene and Kathie, you'll be glad to know they could see through the plastic bags that our boots were clean enough to enter the country! I think that's a credit to your daughter high aptitude for cleanliness, especially in a country with as high-standards as this.

Hazy and cloudy out today, but it's only 7:30 am ... more later

41 hours till take off.....

Accomplishments so far:

• Completed our first round of packing....need to unload, ditch half the stuff, and repack
• Skype has been setup and tested, web cam has been purchased!
• Had our last In-N-Out burger and shake
• Had lunch and said good-bye to both grandmas
• Went to REI for the last time...hopefully ??
• Enjoyed a great open house with family and friends this past weekend

We are looking forward to:

• The latest movies for free (on the airplane)
• Starting this great adventure!
• Leaving the country after election votes are in (depending on who wins)
• Hearing about our new niece

We are NOT looking forward to:

• The LAX international terminal
• 15 hour flight
• Saying goodbye to Yin
• Leaving the country after election votes are in (depending on who wins)