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30 Oct - 16 Nov 17 days Group Two NZ & Milford Track

Day 1: The group consisted of 8 ladies and 2 men and they gathered at KLIA for our long flight to NZ in the afternoon. I was already in NZ with Group 1.
Day 2 Kaikoura: The two Malaysian students studying in NZ flew in the morning and I proceeded to take them shopping for provisions and visit the town center, while waiting for the rest. We left promptly at 5pm for Kaikoura with enough time to take things easy and recover from the long flight.
Day 3 Whale-watching: Our first stop for this day was the Fyfee House, an old whaling house. Then its off to a lavender farm with its 300 or so species including "white" lavenders. There was the usual stops for pictures. After lunch, we went on the famous whale-watching trip, where we saw two sperm whates during the 3 hours we were on the waters. We finish the evening on the Kaikoura cliff watching the sunset over the seas and mountains.
Day 4 Maruaia Springs, Punaikaiki & Greymouth: Instead of Hamner Springs, I opted for the less-visited Maruaia Springs. The spring pools are smaller but set overlooking high mountains. After a good soak and lunch, we headed towards Punaikaiki with its beautiful pancake rocks and blowholes. After a good visit we left for Greymouth for our night stop.
Day 5 Hokitika & Fox Glacier: Our first stop was the coastal town of Hokitika, famous for its greenstone or jade. We lunched on whitebait fish burgers, a local delicacy. We headed towards Lake Matheson for a view of Mount Cook. Unfortunately it was cloudy and there was no view. Later we went on the Fox Glacier trek. This is different from Franz Josef in that it involves a difficult to trek up a hill to a viewpoint. The time spend on the ice is about the same. After we finish, we rushed to Lake Matheson for a second look as the clouds cleared up. It was late when we arrived in Haast.
Day 6 Mt Aspiring National Park, Wanaka Puzzle & Queenstown: The journey along this UNESCO World Heritage site involves numerous scenic stops for photos. We lunched at the Wanaka Puzzle World, with the world's first 3-D maze before making our way to Queenstown for a short walkabout before retiring for the night.
Day 7 Queenstown: We started the day in Kawarau Gorge, the site of the world's first commercial bungy jump. This was followed by the usual visit to Arrow Town, a former gold mining town and to the Shotover Jet site. This time only two members went on the Jetboat ride. We left for Te Anau, arriving at 1pm. I bought lobsters at a nearby factory before the 170km drive to Milford Sound. After leaving the vehicle for our return drive after the Milford Track, I bussed back to Te Anau. At night we had a wonderful meal of lobsters and pastas.

 
Start at Glade Wharf / End Sandfly Point

Day 8 Milford Track Clinton Hut: We spent the morning preparing for the trek. At 1pm we were bussed to Te Anau Downs, where we boarded a ferry for a 30mins ride to Glade Wharf, the start of the trek. It was only 1.5 hours to Clinton Hut, our first night accomodation but the going was tough because of the rains. Many parts of the track had water as high as our knees and our shoes were completely soaked.
Day 9 Mintaro Hut: The forecast for today was more rains but when we woke up to a sunny morning and clear blue skies. The trail to Mintaro Hut 6 hours, passes though the Clinton Valley, flanked by high snow-covered mountains. It also follows closely the Clinton River with its silver beech trees. Nearing Mintaro Hut, we could see McKinnon Pass, the highest point of the track.
Day 10 Dumpling Hut: We woke up to another beautiful day. This was to be the toughest day with a steep climb to McKinnon Pass. We arrived at noon and spend a good while there, enjoying the excellent views. The trail down passes though some pretty cascades. Most of us also took the one hour detour to Sunderland Falls, the highest in NZ and seventh highest in the world. By the time we got to Dumpling, it was late.
Day 11 Milford Sound & Te Anau: The last day of the trek 8 hrs, took us to Mackay Falls, which is featured in almost all articles on Milford Track. We also viewed Giant Gate Falls plus a host of others. We were at Sandfly Point by 1pm waiting for our boat for the 15mins ride to Milford Sound. We picked up our van and drove back to Te Anau, with the usual stops at the various scenic spots.
Day 12 Catlins then Dunedin: Our first stop was the nearby village of Manoupori with its delightful lake. We drove through Invercargill, which has many old buildings and houses. Our next destination was the Catlins, with its quaint windblown trees. This is yet another scenic area, less frequented by visitors. Another must-do was the beautiful Nuggets - a scattering of small island. We arrived in Dunedin in the evening.
Day 13 Dunedin: We had a full day in Dunedin, where we visited the Peninsular Reserve with its colonies of seals, penguins and albatross. We stopped at Larnarch Castle on the way back to Dunedin. We had a free afternoon, where some went on the Tawera Gorge train ride and others walkabout this Scottish town.
Day 14 Oamaru then Mount Cook: We stopped for a quick look at Baldwin Street, recorded as the steepest street in the World in the Guiness Book of Records before heading to Oamaru to see the Moreaki Boulders and blue penguin colony. Unfortunately these shy penguins can only be seen after 8pm. We arrived in Mount Cook in the evening but the mountains were shrouded in clouds and visibility poor.
Day 15 Hooker Valley then Christchurch: Once agan our luck held out. Despite the poor weather forecast, we woke up to a beautiful morning. At 6am, we rushed to Hooker Valley and trekked up to the Glacier head. There was fresh snow on the ground that enhanced the beauty of the place. We stopped for a quick look at Tasman Glacier before heading to Christchurch with the usual lunch stop at Lake Tekapo and the Church of Good Shepherd.
Day 16 Christchurch: We went shopping on the outskirts of Christchurch at some hypermarket and clothing wharehouse. We also had a sumptous buffet lunch before finishing our day at the Catheral Square and the area near Hyde Park.
Day 17 Rangitata Rafting: All but three went to the Peel Forest Reserve 2.5 hours away to the site of the white-water rafting on the Rangitata River. This is reputed to be one of the best in NZ with several grade 5 rapids. It was a beautiful day and we had fun frolicking in the river despite the cold waters. It was late evening by the time we got back to Christchurch.
Day 18 Fly Home: Went to the airport in the morning for our flight home.

 
Rangitata rafting / Mountain Tussock

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