To the Shire!

"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.  Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, yet not a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.  It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle."
                                              - The Hobbit or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien

JRR Tolkien's books were a big part of my childhood.  My family would get together every night and read aloud the books starting with The Hobbit and ending with the Return of the King.  They were the perfect books for a child's imagination.  My brothers and I couldn't get enough of the adventurous world Tolkien created.  Of course, it was exciting to see that world come to life in the movies when they came out years later.  Usually, I don't like when movies come out after I have read a book because things never look the same in the movies as they do in the imagination.  You spend so much time painting pictures in your head using the colors of the words you read, only to see it in real life completely different.  I have to say, Hobbiton is one scene painted by Tolkien that is just as magical in real life as it was in my imagination.  I was worried I would be disappointed by the movie set, assuming it would look like a movie set and take away the feeling you get when you read his books or see the movie.  I was wrong.  Walking through the Shire only makes you wonder where all the hobbits are hiding. The hand painted detail, the bright colors, the fresh vegetable gardens, and the real herbs and flowers growing in the hobbit hole yards put you right in the center of Middle Earth.   Hobbiton really does exist and New Zealand is the perfect setting for such an adventurous story.

This is what it actually looks like on the inside,
not very comfortable

The stools that Bilbo stood on to give his 111th Birthday Speech

The oak tree on top of Bag End is actually fake!  

This is the party tree.  This tree is real.

Real Vegetable Gardens

Bag End is the biggest hobbit-hole in all of Hobbiton

New Hobbit holes built for 'An Unexpected Journey'

The NZ Army was called in to make this bridge in classic double arched NZ Army style

A dramatic clash between the fantastical and the real

Left: Green Dragon Pub, Middle: Hay shed, Right: Water Mill

About a month after we got to New Zealand, I decided to buy The Hobbit on my Nook.  I haven't read the book that started a long family tradition and my love for reading in YEARS.  Of course I had to read the book while I was in a country that contains most of the epic scenery described by Tolkien.  We only brought the one Nook thinking Eddie and I would be able to share.  Negative.  We both wanted to read during the down times, because we were both bored.  We decided to take turns reading the book aloud to each other which made the experience that much better.  Our time reading the Hobbit was no less magical than the first time I heard the story as a young kid.  We came on this trip to have an adventure and it was only fitting to read a tale of one of the most grand adventures of all time!

"This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, and found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected."

                                -The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Milford Track and Sound

4/27-4/29

Finally, the moment I have been waiting for, Milford Track and Milford Sound. The Milford Track is regarded by the NZ DOC as the "Finest Walk in the World." Ever since I first laid eyes on pictures of Milford Sound I knew that I wanted to go to New Zealand. Then came the scenery of the Lord of the Rings films and then the first 20 minutes of That's It, That's All. For those readers who don't know, That's It, That's All is A snowboard film that came out several years ago that changed the way people viewed snowboard films, and it certainly changed me. Here's a simplified equation, take the budgets of Red Bull and Quicksilver + the filming style of Discovery Channel Planet Earth + Very talented snowboarders + an amazing sound track. I could spend much longer talking about it but I recommend it to everyone, you must see this film. Anyway, I knew that someday I would make it to New Zealand to see it all for myself. I think everyone cane agree that seeing pictures of a place is great, especially with the Internet these days, but BEING in a place is a whole different and amazing experience.   The eyes are an amazing thing but there is no comparison when you add the whole package of senses together. There's an atmosphere in the Fiordlands that beckons your attention. It grabs ahold of something deep inside and once it does you wish it would never let you go. Many people back home and on this trip have asked us, "Why New Zealand?" I usually found a way to lengthen my answer and explanation a bit for people but really the true and simple answer is, I love mountains. People usually respond, "Well you have mountains in California don' you?" Yes of course we do and I love the mountains back home.  However, there is something very special about these mountains.

Trip Details:

The dotted line is the boat ride, the faint green is the track, and the red is the  bus ride back.

We got dropped off at the Te Anau DoC hq by Syd on Friday morning. After a slight confusion about which bus we were supposed to be boarding we finally got under way. The bus ride took us a half hour north up the east coast of Lake Te Anau to be dropped off at Te Anau Downs. The downs consisted of a pull-off spot, a bathroom, and small boat dock. We boarded the small  boat with the other 11 passengers plus the skipper. It was a beautiful two hour boat ride along the lake with majestic views of the surround fiordlands. Two hours and several photographs later we arrived at the north end of lake and the start of the Milford Track.

The DoC of NZ oversees all of the National Parks in NZ. Most of the multi day walks have "huts" where you can spend the night. As Devon and I found out on a practice hike on the Kepler Track, "hut" is a conservative word for the facilities provided. We discovered that these huts in fact are large buildings with kitchens including several sinks, burners, tables, chairs, a living area with a wood stove, and bunks accommodating up to 40 people at a time. Each bunk comes with a proximately 4 inch vinyl covered mattress that is actually rather comfy. Like anything in New Zealand if its not powered by dairy products then its cash cow(pun intended) is tourism and this does not exclude the DoC. During peak season on the Milford Track the DoC has 3 huts at 50 bucks a night, 150 total for the entire trip. This includes use of the kitchen with running tap, gas stoves, a bunk, and electricity. The other major thing about the Milford Track is its the #1 Thing-To-Do in NZ which means its very very popular for locals and tourists alike. So much so that a person needs to book their reservation sometime in July for the next year...Devon and I did not know this. We formulated a new plan to do the Milford Track once the peak season ended on April 26th. Somehow Devon and I actually ended up doing the track a day later on the 27th. The off season price of the huts dramatically drops to 15 dollars a night but there are several catches like no electricity, tap water, or gas stoves to use. I think the DoC lady was expecting a more dramatic reaction from us but for us this was pretty standard back packing. We were both stoked at the thought of having a bunk and mattress and not having to haul a tent or pad along!

We also modified the trip length by shortening it. You may be thinking like I did at first, why would you wanna shortening a trip in such an amazing place? The reason is after you get off the boat it is only an hour hike on flat ground to the first hut. The boat dropped us off at 11 so that means we would be at the first hut by Noon... and then what? After some deliberation and some divine womanly intuition, Devon and I decided to do the trip in 3 days and 2 nights instead of 4/3. As you will find out soon, I'm very glad we went with Devon's idea to do the shorter trip! The only downside to the off season price was the price of the transportation increased and it was rather steep, kind of. For a 1/2 hour bus ride, a 2 hour boat ride, another 10 min boat road, and a hour and 1/2 bus ride back cost 180 bucks each!


Day 1
On the boat ride we quickly made friends with two Guys traveling. Literally their names are Guy and Guy and they are from Israel. We departed the boat and began the trek with the Guys along the Milford track, our destination Hut #2. The hike was supposed to take us 7 and 1/2 hours according to the times posted on the DoC sign. The 4 of us made it just under 5 1/2 hours, arriving at the hut around 4:30pm. Along the way we had sporadic and light drizzles which wasn't enough to make hiking miserable but it was enough to turn the mountains alive around us. With such a dramatic change from valley to mountain so quickly the mountains shed any excess water however they can. So whenever it rains, hundreds of waterfalls suddenly appear and the whole valley turns into a waterfall bonanza!  Upon arrival at the hut we were surprised to see the hut so full. There was barely enough room to fit us all in, I think every single one of the 40 bunks were taken. People seemed rather impressed that the 4 of us had skipped the first hut and gone straight for the 2nd hut in one day. Though to us we didn't feel it was difficult at all especially having fresh legs and all the excitement of finally being on the Milford.

Devon enjoying a Feijoa 

Beautiful boat ride to the start of the track

Finally!

Devon and the Guys

Day 2
The night was filled with little sleep thanks to a mystery man who snored all night and kept everyone awake, and the occasional load fart from another mystery bunk mate. Who needs sleep anyway! We are on the Milford Track! We awoke to a beautiful clear morning which could not have been better weather for a day of hiking up and over the mountain pass. It was an amazing trek up through the sunless dark valley of the morning and up into the sunbathed summit of Mackinnon Pass. The sun wasn't the only nice thing about the top, the view from up there was spectacular. The mountains looked  like natural pyramids shaped by man instead of glaciers. The amazing sights didn't stop there as we hike over and down the other side. We were met with a beautiful walk along sheer cliffs, beautiful stream and lots more waterfalls. Near the end of the walk we dropped our packs at a shelter and took a short hike to New Zealands Tallest Waterfall, Sutherland Falls! After making dinner and dessert we gathered some of the younger people we had been making friends with and played Spoons!

Normally Hut #2 but for us it was the first.

Start of Day 2

Looking back the way we came.

Almost to the sun!

Finally!

Out of the shadow and into the sun!

Awkward rocks = awkward stance = awkward picture

Sometimes the DoC over-exaggerates the walking times....that building 1 min away...maybe with no legs

Our cozy dorm for our last night. 

Pretty good apple pie for what it was

Day 3
It poured! It rained and rained and rained some more. I told Devon that its so wet that the wet was wet. It was all okay though because it was our last day of the hike and we knew we had dry clothes and a hot shower waiting for us at the end of the day. I only have one picture from the beginning of the day before we started hiking because I did not want to risk my camera getting wet. The amazing thing about the hike was once again all of the water draining off of the mountains, literally hundreds of waterfalls! It was absolutely wet and absolutely spectacular to see!

Woke up to waterfalls all around us on Day 3, it was gonna be a wet one.

Day 3 and Devon with her improvised waterproof backpack cover............

All done with the Guys

After a long day of sloshing through and fording small creeks all day we finally made to the shelter at Sandfly Point. After a short wait at the shelter the man from the boat company arrived with some life jackets and said he would take 6 people at a time and the turn around time was only about 10 minutes. Both Devon and I expected a bigger boat and what we got was a small inflatable dingy with an outboard motor. We let some groups go before as one of the Guys made us some cous cous, it wasn't flavored with anything but it was hot and anything hot was okay in our book. Devon and I finally boarded the boat with another family of four. The family crouched together at the back of the boat while Devon and I were on either side of the bow and realized we were in for one wild ride! I turned the go pro on and we hung on for dear life as the boat floured it across the sound. It was a very intense and exciting 10 min boat ride with the winds later reported up to 100km an hour(62mph) blowing against the boat. The rain at that speed stung as it collided into our bare faces. They family in the back huddled together with their hands in their laps. I'm sure they didn't get feel the piercing effect of the rain on their face but they also missed the amazing view of Milford Sound when the heavens pour down and rain turns into waterfall. I never experienced anything quiet like it. You know what they say, no pain no gain and the view was definitely worth the pain.

We made it across safely and changed into dry clothes in a large tent heated by a propane heater. Imagine a giant hair blower fueled by propane and about a foot and half in diameter hooked up to a high power fan. We boarded the bus and made the voyage back to Te Anau where we had begun the journey only a few days beforehand.

The Milford Track was my (Devon) favorite part of our trip in New Zealand.  I had been waiting to go on a multi-day backpacking trip since we first arrived.  It feels so good to hike all day in inspiring and secluded scenery, gather with new friends in the evening, eat simple, hot, much needed to and wake up and do it again the day. What we saw on the this hike was absolutely breath taking.  We couldn't have been more blessed with the perfect weather combination to bring out all the amazing attributes of this trail.  All that exercise and fresh air revived Eddie and I and got us pumped for the last month or our unforgettable adventure.