Saturday to Wednesday, November 23 - 27
DAY ONE - Queenstown to Glade House
Today we took a two hour bus ride to Lake Te Anau. A boat shuttle then took us to Glade Wharf and we walked about a mile with our gear to Glade House. Dinner was a sit-down affair and the guides served us the meal. This was repeated each night and each day we would choose from three options what we wanted for dinner.
DAY TWO - Glade House to Pompolona Lodge
This was our first real walking day. We put in ten miles and got used to our backpacks and the trail. In some sections of the trail prone to flooding during heavy rain (this area gets about ten feet of rain each year) there were guide poles to help you find your way. We were expected to keep walking the trail if flooded but it never was that rainy during our time on the trail. Each lodge also has a (hand) washing and drying room for clothes and a drying rack for boots.
The Fuchsia tree (above and below) does photosynthesis directly through the trunk of the tree and not only with leaves like other trees. The bark peels away to allow this process.
The day started with us making our lunch from the fixings at a sandwich and salad bar that included fruit and baked snacks for extra energy. This was repeated each morning and we carried our lunch with us as we walked.
At the lodge we were advised to keep our boots and packs inside our rooms because the Kea birds in the area liked to rip them apart.
DAY THREE - Pompolona Lodge to Quintin Lodge
This was our most challenging walking day. We covered nine miles with an elevation gain (and then loss as we descended ) of about 1,500 feet over McKinnon Pass. The day started cloudy and became rainy as we reached the summit. At the top we were mostly in the clouds with no view. We then walked in rain for the rest of the day. The descent was steep because we took an alternate emergency trail. The main trail was closed due to the possibility of seasonal snow avalanches.
DAY FOUR - Quintin Lodge to Mitre Peak Lodge
Today was our longest walk. We covered 13.5 miles to Sandfly Point and then took a boat to Mitre Peak Lodge. It was a nice sunny day for walking. However, by evening it was raining again. The rain of course was to be expected because we were in a rainforest. Luckily we didn't experience the really heavy rains that could flood the trail!
DAY FIVE - Mitre Peak Lodge to Queenstown
The final day and no walking! Instead we took a boat ride around the Milford Sound and then a bus back to Queenstown.
