Hollyford Track Pre Departure and Day 1

Although difficult to leave the beauty of Lake Wanaka, the withdrawal shakes had begun to set in, for it had been over a week since our last winery visit.  We were just in luck, as just a few miles down the road we found ourselves in the middle of Central Otago, a region famous for its pinot noir.  We pulled into the Lazy Dog Vineyard for tasting flights, enormous cheese plates and an intense game of Bananagrams!  As we traveled through valleys and alongside lakes, once again the landscapes of New Zealand impressed us all.  After dropping our bags in the adrenaline junkie town of Queenstown, we headed downtown for our briefing meeting preparing us for the 3 day walk ahead of us.  They provided us with hiking packs, heavy duty raincoats and a nervous excitement after learning our pick up time was 6:30 am! Immediately, we beelined it for the supermarket to load up on sugar and granola bars as Day 1's seventeen kilometers sure seemed like a lot.  Opting to save our legs, we taxied home, packed our bags with the bare essentials and called it an early night!

Over the next three days, our crew would be walking the Hollyford Track, a thirty nine kilometer guided walk that begins in the forests of Fjordland National Park and concludes with a helicopter ride through Milford Sound.  For weeks, Tim gushed excitement as he spoke of this birthday present journey.  Yet I, the girl who declared herself a "city girl" at the age of seven, did not necessarily feel the same way.  Little did I know, this trip would be one of my New Zealand highlights.

Group shot

Day 1: I woke up anxious for my debut as a Kiwi Tramper (not tramp, people). The Kiwi walking/tramping outfit includes leggings, shorts and incredibly sexy hiking boots (see attached photo).  With my day pack on, an English muffin in hand and a smile on my face, the bus picked us up at 6:30 sharp.  After several pick ups, we were en route to Te Anau for a flat white and our first opportunity to meet our guide, Bard.  Our group of fourteen boarded the bus as strangers, unaware of how could we would become over the next three days together.  The commentary and jokes began from Bard immediately and for the first time I thought that I actually may enjoy this. Our bus dropped us off at the end of the road/start of the track with our full packs in the middle of a downpour.  Our guide's incredible knowledge of the flora and fauna combined with hilarious story telling caught all of our attention right away.  While showing us the stinging nettle tree, he testified to the group "So, if you take off all your clothes and roll around in this, only then would the histamine give you a very slight chance of dying.  Katie, we know you were forced to go on this trip--but don't do it!" Between the humor and constant forest eating--tried the caterpillar looking seeds on the back of the koru, pieces of young shoots of asparagus, the pepper planet-- Bard kept us all so happy. 

End Day 1

We devoured our lunch inside the ironically named Sunshine Hut, savoring every moment of being in dry surroundings.  Bard assured us this wasn't "man rain", but just a light shower in the Fjordland.  As we walked through the tracks of early explorers and Fjorldland legend Davy Gunn (the greatest man that every lived), I marvelled at the enormity of the beech trees, diversity of the ferns/mosses and the towering mountains in the background.  The kilometers continued with Lady Gaga songs, gummy worm popping and multiple rounds of twenty questions.  By afternoon, our group began to gel, for at any moment you could be walking with any person enjoying a new conversation.  By kilometer fiftteen, I started to embrace the puddles and mud, instead of avoiding them.  Once Tess, Megan and I reached the jet boat sign and our cue that we were only fifteen minutes away, we let the entire national park know our excitement by the decibel level of our screams.  Our lodge hosts greeted us at Pyke's Lodge with orange slices and delicious lemon barley water.  I stripped down and anxiously jumped into the hot water-- a joyous and luxurious feeling.  A glass of red wine, a three course meal and plenty of laughter made for a delightful evening.  The only thing that could tear us away from the fire was the opportunity to feed the monster eels leftover venison and blood juice :)  Our group all hit the pillows with a warm hot water bottle and duvet, dreaming about the tracks ahead of us on day two.  I hit the pillow thinking about the breathtaking scenery, water falls and river crossings I'd seen today and thought that maybe, just maybe, I am liking this whole nature thing.