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30 Oct - 16 Nov 2004 18 days NZ Milford Track

Day 1: The group consisted of 11 ladies and 4 men and we gathered at KLIA for our long flight to NZ in the afternoon. Overnight plane.
Day 2 Kaikoura: We arrived in Auckland and promptly transfered to a domestic flight to Christchurch arriving at 2pm. The group visited the nearby Antartica Center and experienced minus 5 degrees C temp. Later we left for the 3hrs drive to Kaikoura with a lunch stop at small town Woodend.
Day 3 Whale-watching: Our first stop was the Whale Watch office where we booked the noon boat. Our next destination was the lavender farm on the outskirts with over 300 species of lavender. We also stopped at the Mt Fyfee Track for a view of Kaikoura and also stopped at a Llama farm for pictures. After a light lunch, we went on the whale boat but we only manage to catch a short glimpse of a tail. The company opted to refund some of the money for this trip. We spend the rest of the day doing the Peninsular Walk with great views of Kaikoura, the seas and Mt Fyfee in the distance.
Day 4 Maruia Springs, Punaikaiki & Greymouth: We made a short stop at Fyfee House, a former whaler's house.. We went on to Maruia Springs for a good soak in the hot mineral pools with great views of the surrounding mountain. We had our packed lunch of fried rice before moving on to Punakaiki with its beautiful pancake rocks.. We arrived late in Greymouth after a long day.
Day 5 Hokitika & Fox Glacier: We visited Shanty Town, a former gold mining town that was popular with local tourists. All of us panned for gold and was rewarded by a few miligrams of gold. Then it was off to Hokitika, famous for its greenstone or jade. We lunched on whitebait fish burgers, a local delicacy. Later we went on the Fox Glacier trek. 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 jetboating in Kawarau Gorge instead of Shotover River because it was cheaper. One of our ladies also bungied at Kawarau Bridge, 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 before we went back to Queenstown to spend the rest of the day.

 
Start at Glade Wharf / End Sandfly Point

Day 8 Te Anau: In the morning, another of the ladies requested to bungy. So we headed back to Kawarau and watched her jump. We proceeded to Te Anau with a photo stop at the Red Tussock Nature Reserve. While the rest of the group were relaxing in Te Anau, I drove over to Milford Sound 2hrs to leave the van there for our return journey after the Track.
Day 9 Milford Track Clinton Hut: In the morning, I drove some of the group members to Te Anau Downs while the rest took the bus. At 230pm the ferry left for the one hour journey to Glade Wharf, together with the 40 guided walkers. It was only 1.5 hours to Clinton Hut, our first night accomodation. We arrived early and most walked 30 mins to the swampland. At night, I took the group out to see glow-worms, which are common in woodlands NZ.
Day 10 Mintaro Hut: We started the day in good sunny skies and enjoyed the walk up till lunch time. The trail to Mntaro Hut is a total of 6 hours and 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, it rained but was still tolerable.
Day 11 Dumpling Hut: We woke up to a cloudy rainy wet day. This was to be the toughest day with a steep climb to McKinnon Pass and when we arrived at noon, it was still very cloudy and raining heavily. Obviously the views were cloud-covered so we went on to Pass Hut for a short break and some hot drinks. The we proceeded down from this highest point and the rain stopped. Despite the long walks, the views of the mountains and waterfalls were magnificent. While most did the one hour track to Sunderland Falls (7th highest in the world), I went ahead to Dumpling to prepare dinner.
Day 12 Milford Sound & Te Anau: Today was a good day with no rains. 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. Some members were feeling the effects of the 55km "walk" and only came in on the second boat at 3pm. The rest left on the 2pm boat which is 15 mins away from Milford Sound. Surprisingly there were no sandflies at Sandfly Point. We left in our van and drove back to Te Anau, with the usual scenic stops.
Day 13 Manapouri & Invercargill: We bought lobsters in Te Anau before going on the Southern Scenic Route which included beautiful Lake Manapouri. We passed numerous pastures of sheep, kowhai-covered hills and wind-swept seas on our way to Invercargill. After a quick look, we drove to the Bluff, the first stop for the earlier pioneers of NZ. Its the nearest port to Australia and has many old heritage buildings.
Day 14 Catlins & Dunedin: In the morning, we paid a visit to Henry, a Tautora, which looks like a lizard but is linked to the dinosaurs. Also in Invercargill is the beautiful Botanical Gardens, with its myriad of flowering plants. We then went on the Catlins Heritage Route with its unusual wind-swept landscapes on our way to Dunedin. We still had a little time to visit Baldwin Street, the world's steepest street and drove around historical Dunedin.
Day 15 Peninsular Drive then Mount Cook: Some members opted for a Cadbury Chocolate tour, the rest browsed this Scottish town. Later we took a bit of time for a scenic drive on the Peninsular, which included a visit to the Albatross Nesting Center. We then went on to Moraeki Boulders. On the final leg to Mt Cook, we stopped at a salmon farm to buy salmon.
Day 16 Hooker Valley then Christchurch: In the morning we went on the 4 hours return trip Hooker Valley trek to view Mt Cook and the Hooker Glacier. The mountains were clouded up but the landscape was still beautiful. We proceeded to Twizel for lunch before going to Lake Tekapo and the Church of Good Sheperd. We arrived in Christchurch at 6pm.
Day 17 Christchurch: We spend our time at the Catheral Square and Art Center. The Aquarium and Kiwi House was a worthwhile visit. There was also ample opportunities for window-shopping. In the evening, we adjorned to nearby Riccarton at a buffet restaurant.
Day 18 Fly Home: Went to the airport in the morning for our flight home. I took a party of 6 ladies for a short tour of North Island from Nov 16-20.

 
Windswept trees / Invercargill's Azeleas

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