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Action Packed Queenstown and the Awe Inspiring Milford Track

Wow. I am seriously still in awe of how incredible New Zealand is. Queenstown and the Milford Track both went above and beyond my expectations. The last week has been truly a week to remember!

We left a very rainy Auckland last Sunday and arrived in incredibly warm and sunny Queenstown. The flight attendants literally had to tell people to not take photos as they exited the plane onto the tarmac. We had landed in a stunning valley next to a lake, surrounded by mountains and no one could stop looking. Once we arrived in town, we quickly learned that this was truly the “first day of summer” for Queenstown residents, as there had been very little sun for months and now it was finally here. We lucked out to say the least!

Our flight had been delayed 2 hours so we were starving and headed straight to Fergberger, Queenstown’s famed burger joint which has a line out the door at every hour of the day (and it’s even open til 5 a.m.). Stacey, who reads my blog and is from New Zealand, recommended it to us and we also read about in our guidebook. Apparently everyone else did too as the line was, as warned, out the door. The burgers (and fries) were absolutely to die for and we ate them out on the steps next to the lake, watching the boats and birds.

View from the top of the Queenstown Gondola
View from the top of the Queenstown Gondola

After lunch we took the Skyline Gondola up the steep mountainside, passing by a bungie jump and mountain biking trails along the way. The views from the top were spectacular, especially given the beautiful day we were having. We also purchased two rides on the luge, which I had seen on the Amazing Race at some point and had always thought looked fun! You take a little chair lift even further up the mountain and then get in little plastic sleds that slide down a winding track. It was really fun!

 

Luge Track
Luge Track

That evening we had our pre-trek briefing for our Milford Track tour. There are only 2 options for trekking on the Milford Track – complete it as an “independent hiker” and carry your own gear and food, or pay the price for a guided, luxury tour. We splurged and chose option 2 and it was worth every penny! More on that later. That evening we had a really amazing indian food dinner and headed to bed – before the sun went down. It stays light until past 10:30 PM here!

Sunset over the lake in Queenstown
Sunset over the lake in Queenstown

The Ultimate Hikes Milford Track guided walk is composed of 5 days – Day 1 is driving to Te’Anu (3 hours or so), a 1 hour boat ride and then a short walk to the first lodge as well as a 1.5 hour guided nature hike. Day 2 – 4 are full hiking days, 9-13.5 miles per day and Day 5 is simply a the Milford Sound boat cruise and the drive back to Queenstown (5 hours).

When we arrived at the lodge on the first day, we realized that our money was well spent. We had our own private ensuite room with a cozy bed, a hair dryer, fancy shampoo and conditioner and electricity from about 6 a.m. – 10 p.m. every day. There was a place to wash our hiking clothes each day and a drying hut to place them overnight so they’d be nice and warm and dry in the morning. We were hardly roughing it! Our room in each of the lodges was very similar. All lodges have a dining room and lounge and each one had a Christmas tree! We were served a hot breakfast every morning and a 3 course dinner every night. When we reached the lodge each day we were greeted with cold drinks and cookies, the bar was open for beer and wine purchase in the evenings and there were appetizers served during happy hour. Yes….it was certainly not camping ….and it was amazing!!!

View of the lodge on Day 3 from our room
View of the lodge on Day 3 from our room

After settling in on Day 1, we took a group picture with the 41 other “walkers” (which reminded me of the Walking Dead every time we were called that) and our 4 guides. We then went on a wonderful nature hike which ended at a waterfall. Our guides explained the history of the area and pointed out various plants and birds that we’d be encountering on our trek. It was unknown to me before this time that New Zealand was an island solely inhabited by birds for almost its entire history. It wasn’t until the British started to introduce new animals to the country that it ever had anything like deer. That’s the reason there are NO snakes in the entire country!

 

Mike outside our first lodge on the first big day of hiking
Mike outside our first lodge on the first big day of hiking

The amazing weather followed us for Day 2 of the trek as well. It was already warm and sunny when we got up. The trek was 10 miles that day with a few option side tracks, including one to a wetlands area. Although this was a luxury tour, we did have to carry our own packs with our change of clothes and shoes, toiletries, daily lunch and snacks, water, etc. Carrying a fairly heavy pack was hard to get used to at first and that was definitely the biggest challenge for me on day 1, since the trail itself was mostly flat. 10 miles of trail walking with a pack is definitely harder than my easy 10 mile morning runs.

image

We hiked through mostly forest during the first half of the day and later in the day it opened up a bit more. We crossed countless bridges and stayed close to the river. Although our group seemed large, we found ourselves walking completely alone for a large part of the day, which made the shaded forest paths seem even more magical. Toward the end of the trek we had the chance to go for a swim in a swimming hole – Mike made it all the way in but it was basically ice-melt water so I convinced myself to at least get halfway in, figuring it was a good ice bath.

MIke filling up our water bottles from the river - all river water is safe to drink!
MIke filling up our water bottles from the river – all river water is safe to drink!

Day 3 was the big day – although we’d only hike 9 miles, we were heading up and over Mackinnon pass, an ascent of about 2,000 feet and a descent of over 2,500 feet. We stuck to the front this time and walked the first portion with one of the guides, an energetic 18 year old Australian guy whose knowledge of the track made him seem much older. A group started to bunch up as we made our way up the 11 switchbacks to the top, but no one spoke as we all were huffing and puffing. The view from the top was spectacular and we stopped for warm drinks (the guide carried them to the top for us!) before heading on another 30 minutes or so to the lunch hut at the top of the mountain (which has a bathroom that overlooks the valley – nicknamed the “Loo with a View”).

Climbing up one of the switchbacks
Climbing up one of the switchbacks
We made it to the top!
We made it to the top!
Our 2nd night lodge is in the valley behind Mike
Our 2nd night lodge is in the valley behind Mike

As we runners know, going down is often harder than up. The descent was technical and challenging but I enjoyed it quite a bit. We had started to make some friends on the trek and had a good time chatting with them on our way down. Once we arrived at the lodge, we were tired but were told that the optional 1.5 hour (including return) trek to Sutherland Falls, the world’s fifth largest waterfall, was worth the extra effort. It definitely was!

One of the most beautiful waterfalls of the trek
One of the most beautiful waterfalls of the trek

Day 4 was the longest day of walking, with 13.5 miles to be crossed before the finish. This walk was abundant with river crossings (with the requisite bridge) and short climbs and descents over rocky paths. A large majority of the paths wove through stunning, vibrant green forest covered in a thick coating of moss. Every view was incredible. By lunchtime, my legs were definitely tired from the cumulative miles but we continued until we reached Mile 33.5 at aptly named Sandfly Point (so.many.little.flies). We waited for the rest of the group and then headed over to the Milford Sound on a little boat where we made our way to our final lodge.

Moss covered forest
Moss covered forest
We did it!
We did it!
Mike at SandFly Point
Mike at SandFly Point

The view from our room was simply incredible. Just as we thought Ultimate Hikes could get any better, we opened the door to our room which had an incredible view of the Milford Sound. That night we had our final celebratory dinner and were each given a finisher certificate with our group photo from the first day. Although those 41 people and 4 guides were strangers that first day, they felt like friends now.

View of the Milford Sound from outside the lodge on the final night
View of the Milford Sound from outside the lodge on the final night

The boat cruise around the Milford Sound on Day 5 was just the icing on the cake. It as raining and foggy, our good luck weather having worn off, but it was still stunning. We stayed on the top deck for the duration of the 2 hour cruise, enjoying every whip of the wind and rain drop on our faces.

Milford Sound from the boat cruise
Milford Sound from the boat cruise

I tried my best, but I can’t even fully describe how beautiful and surreal the Milford Track was. There is something truly humbling about being surrounded by such an incredible display of nature’s best work. There’s also something to be said for disconnecting from work, email, social media and the world for 5 days and fully immersing yourself in nature, as well as dining and walking with strangers who become friends, swapping stories and learning about new cultures simply through the art of conversation.  The trek was an excellent example of why I love to travel so much.

Once we returned to Queenstown and wished our new friends goodbye, we had just about 24 hours left to enjoy the city. After a relaxing evening wandering the streets, stopping to listen to street artists playing music, dining on fish and chips on the sea wall, and sharing a cup of gelato, we finished up our trip with an exciting white water rafting trip this morning. I had never been white water rafting and was a bit nervous as they kept talking up how dangerous the rapids can be (which were Class 4-5), but it turned out to be just fine. It was incredibly exciting but not too scary – only one person fell out of our boat the entire time (another boat did completely flip though!). Our guide did let us jump in and float down the river for a bit and it was exciting without even falling out first!  Whitewater rafting was a rush and a great way to say goodbye to Queenstown, the city of adventure.

The only photo I got of white water rafting since we weren't able to take our cameras (obviously). But it sums it up very nicely.
The only photo I got of white water rafting since we weren’t able to take our cameras (obviously). But it sums it up very nicely.

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December 21, 2014 By fitnessfatale 6 Comments

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Stacey

    December 22, 2014 at 5:18 am

    YAY! you had fergburger!! I’m glad I recommended it. Looks like you are having so much fun.
    Be sure to stop in my hometown (Christchurch) on your way through to Nelson!
    Keep the blog posts coming!!

    Instagram: @staceismint

    Reply
  2. Abby

    December 22, 2014 at 4:27 pm

    The hiking sounds absolutely incredible!!! I love that it’s with a group and lodging/food is all pre-arranged, but you can walk on your own at your own pace.
    The pictures are stunning, especially with that heavy fog/cloud.
    Glad you guys are having such an fabulous time!

    Reply
  3. Leslie @ Triathlete Treats

    January 1, 2015 at 11:13 pm

    I am super jealous that you hiked the Milford Track! Great pictures and weather!! That was one of the things that I wanted to do while I was there but we really didn’t have enough time! If I go back that is definitely something that I want to do!! We did go to Milford Sound and went on the boat tour. It was raining but so amazing. I loved Queenstown too!!

    Reply
    • FitnessFatale

      January 2, 2015 at 4:24 am

      You must do it when you go back to New Zealand!!!

      Reply
  4. Kristin (@SweatCourage)

    February 25, 2015 at 5:10 pm

    This is long overdue, but I loved reading this post (and following your NZ adventures on Instagram!). This post took me back to 2005 when I was studying abroad in Australia… We took an RV with 7 of us and toured the entire South Island for a week. We took the boat ride through Milford Sound and I also did the Whitewater rafting! I would love to take my husband back there and do more adventurous stuff, like you guys did. That guided hike sounds like a DREAM come true!! You are so lucky! Also, jealous you have a shorter plane ride to get there, being on the West Coast:)

    Reply
    • FitnessFatale

      February 25, 2015 at 5:36 pm

      Ahh it’s so fun! It makes me sad to even think back to this vacation because I already miss it so much. I highly recommend the milford trek – you must do it if you return!!

      Reply

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