HOLLYFORD TRACK Saturday 3 Jan The nine of us met outside the Te Anau Lakeview office at 7.30am waiting for the van to transport us to Milford Sound. After a 2 hour drive we were dropped directly at the airfield where a 6 seater plane and pilot Sean were waiting. We made two trips to fly us and our packs to Martins Bay, where we would begin the Hollyford Track, walking out to the road end. The weather couldn’t have been more stunning, a calm sunny day with blue sky, allowing a smooth flight right down Milford Sound with clear views of Te Mata Peak, waterfalls and even kayakers below. At the ocean we veered right, up the coast to Martins Bay, where we landed after a 15 minute flight. From the airfield it was an easy one and a half hour walk through a shady forest to Martins Bay hut.  After lunch we walked 30 minutes along a coastal path to Long Reef Seal Colony, one of the biggest seal colonies in New Zealand. We climbed over rocks and boulders and counted seals. We saw a few babies, one with its umbilical cord still attached.  From the Seal Colony we could see the sand spit opposite and the wild bar which was the only sea entrance bringing provisions to the early settlement. With the gold rush in the 1800s it was proposed to build a port at Martins Bay to provide easier access for ships from Australia. However isolation of the settlement and the difficulty and infrequency of ships making it across the bar caused the settlement to die. Sunday 4 Jan We spent two nights at Martins Bay hut to allow a day for trekking to Big Bay, which is out to the Point again and further north up the coast. From the Seal Colony on, the track got very difficult. Several people turned back, leaving Nelson, Colin, Paul and John to continue bush crashing to Penguin Rock where they could oversee Big Bay. Monday 5 Jan The third day we left Martins Bay just after 8am to walk to Hokuri Hut. We backtracked one and a half hours through the forest to the airfield where four of us made a 600 metre detour to the Martin Bay Lodge to make inquiries about the jet boat which transports both guided and freedom walkers down Lake McKerrow, missing out the Demon Trail, the most difficult part of the track. It is worth noting here that the jet boat only takes passengers one way, from Martins Bay to the confluence where the Hollyford and Pyke Rivers meet, and that it only runs every second day. The boat does not make stops at the huts along the river, however they did agree to stop at Hikouri Hut the next morning for us and make a drop off at Demon Trail Hut. From The Martins Bay Lodge we continued on for one hour through a beautiful podcast forest, then two hours along the shoreline of Lake McKerrow. A sign on the beach was the only indication that the small settlement of Jamestown once existed here, surveyed in 1870. We entered the forest to view the few relics left behind from the settlement, which later died out due to its isolation. We crossed three tributaries, mid-calf deep, before leaving the shoreline and climbing up rocks to walk thirty minutes of slippery, rocky, muddy track, our introduction to the Demon Trail. It had been raining all day so water was pouring down the track like a stream. We arrived at Hokuri Hut at 1.30pm. Conversation that afternoon with fellow trampers in the hut, including a Danish man, Claus, who Ruth chatted to in Danish, two German guys , an English guy and a Auckland lady, centred on their experiences of the Demon Trail and crossing the 3-wire bridges ahead  of us! Tuesday 6 Jan The fourth day was sunny. The jet boat picked up five of us from the beach below Hokuri Hut at 8am and transported us 15 minutes down the river to the next hut, Demon Trail Hut. The four walkers, Paul, Nelson, Colin and John arrived seven hours later, saying the track had been very slippery and they had had to watch every step. One of them stumbled off the track, rolling down the cliff and only saved from a steep drop down to rocks by crashing against a tree.   Our reflection that evening was led by Nelson, about the lives of pioneers of Martins Bay and Jamestown taken from a book, Pioneers in Martins Bay. Wednesday 7 Jan Day 5 had us walking seven hours from Demon Trail Hut to Lake Alabaster Hut. The track had lots of variety to challenge us. We had two 3-wire bridges to cross, lots of muddy patches and endless rock faces to climb up and then down again. We passed the Pyke and Hollyford Rivers confluence, crossed a bridge over the Pyke River and walked the final easy 15 minutes to Alabaster Hut, a large modern hut on the shores of Lake Alabaster. Thursday 8 Jan From Day 6 the track was well graded and well maintained, and we met a group of guided walkers. Fifteen minutes from Alabaster Hut is Pyke River Lodge where the guided walkers stay. We walked through a tall beech forest and over the Little Homer Saddle before arriving 3 hours later at Hidden Falls Hut. Friday 9 Jan An easy 9 kilometres the next day had us walking alongside the Hollyford River until we crossed a swing bridge over the Humboldt River and arrived at the Little Hollyford Rd. We boiled the billy for cups of tea while waiting for our van to pick us up at 2.30pm and drive us back to Te Anau. A very successful and enjoyable tramp. Having it spread over seven days was great as it allowed us time to absorb the history and the beauty of the area. HUMP RIDGE TRACK Sunday 11 Jan Six people selected this option which was offered simultaneously with the first of the two Milford options. This is a commercial tramp requiring prior booking and then attendance during the previous afternoon for a briefing at the Humpridge track office in Tuatapere. Consequently we elected to travel from Te Anau on the Sunday afternoon and stay overnight at Tuatapere before commencing our tramp on the Monday. At Tuatapere we enjoyed a pleasant stay at Shooters Backpackers where we had stayed when previously doing this tramp. The 62km Humpridge tramp is managed by the Tuatapere community who built the two lodges and much of the track, shelters and boardwalks. A fully equipped kitchen is provided at each lodge along with porridge for breakfast and as the bunk space is booked much less equipment is needed to be carried. This is very welcome considering that we climb from sea level to almost 1,000m on the first 21km day. Initially the walk starts along DoC’s South Coast Track before heading up the hill to Okaka Lodge. This includes passing through some well established bush with many beautiful crown ferns and a lunch stop at a shelter near a bridge provided with a billy on a rope to collect most excellent drinking water for the steep uphill section. The views from the top are superb and just above the lodge are amazing rock formations (tors) and tarns which have their own short board walk formed as a circuit. Monday 12 Jan The second day, also 21km, leads southwards along the main ridge, mostly on boardwalk, through some picturesque "goblin" forest and past "Luncheon Rock" where more wonderful views are seen of Te Wae Wae Bay, with Bluff and Stewart Island in the far distance. The track gradually loses height all the time, and eventually, after a steeper downhill section, emerges on the South Coast Track by the Edwin Burn viaduct. We now followed the old tramway over this viaduct and two more, namely Percy Burn, the highest wooden viaduct in the Southern Hemisphere, and Sandhill. Unfortunately this time Percy Burn viaduct was closed for assessment and strengthening so we had to descend to the valley, cross the stream and climb back up again.   DoC have installed an excellent track and bridge for this manoeuvre which seems far from being temporary. We were soon at Port Craig lodge which is very close to the DoC hut which uses the former Port Craig school house.   It is possible to walk down to the old wharf to see the remains of the short-lived logging/milling industry which created Port Craig and its tramway in 1916. Tuesday 13 Jan The third day we walked out, partly in the bush and partly along the beach, passing the turning to Okaka Lodge which we had taken two days earlier and so back to the car park to be collected by the Humpridge track transport which brought us from Tuatapere on the first day. We all very much enjoyed this walk especially as we had such fine weather with not a drop of rain or mist to spoil the views. MILFORD TRACK Group 1 Sunday 11 Jan Our party of eight departed from the DoC Centre in Te Anau at 12:15pm. Any hopes for a dry start to our hike were dashed as the rain started splashing off the coach's windshield. The splashes were becoming heavier by the time we arrived at Te Anau Downs some 30 minutes later. Fortunately the boat arrived soon after and we were glad to be under cover. The captain was very knowledgeable about the area and kept us informed at regular intervals during the trip lasting just over an hour. After the obligatory group photo at the start of the track we raced off for 5km to the Clinton hut led by Margaret (and Nelson who couldn't be restrained and raced ahead). Neither was the rain restrained and it became quite heavy as we approached the hut. After we had had a chance to settle in we gathered in the dining area and Ruth set up the duty roster by consensus. Colin volunteered for washing up and the other jobs were shared amongst the remainder of us. Kim offered us a devotional on fear. We talked about having courage despite being afraid, that perfect love casts out fear and faith and trust are the answer to fear. For dinner we dug into a hearty bacon pasta followed by almond fingers drowned in creamy custard lovingly prepared by Paul and Ruth. Monday 12 Jan Breakfast was served by Nelson and Kim at 6:45am who made an excellent job of cooking the porridge and we departed shortly after 8am. The rain that had beset us the previous day had vanished overnight and as we walked up the valley we could clearly see the towering cliffs on each side. On our way we observed many majestic waterfalls cascading down the sheer cliffs and some ventured off the track to view the Hidden Lake. Initially progress was rapid on the relatively flat track but towards the end of our 16.5 km hike the going got harder as our tiredness increased proportionally to the incline.  We arrived at the Mintaro hut around 3:15pm and some of us dipped our toes in the icy waters of the nearby Lake Mintaro. There were some ducks and a pair of Canadian geese enjoying the crystal clear water. Back at the hut Ruth nearly lost one of her socks to a weka but managed to wrestle it back. Meanwhile, Nelson braved the walk to the MacKinnon Pass to ensure he got the best photos. Trev, the ranger, warned us to bring in all boots and clothing for the night as the kea are well known for their inquisitive nature often resulting in the destruction of man-made objects. A delicious dinner of sweet and sour pork with rice was followed by an equally delicious apple pudding made by Kim and Margaret. Nelson shared a devotional and Paul mentioned how the granite rocks in this area are the hardest in NZ and sparkle with their crystalline content. Tuesday 13 Jan We began the day with another delicious porridge tenderly stirred to perfection by Brett. After a long winding ascent what a sight it was to see the Mackinnon Pass ahead. We stopped for a while at the memorial at the pass to rest and take some photos and Paul drew our attention to the fact that all of the names on the memorial were Scottish. The weather remained bright and clear and it was a magnificent sight to gaze down the valley up which we had laboured and to look around at the snow-capped mountains so close to us. After another brief ascent past the shelter we started to go down the other side and were enveloped in a damp misty cloud. Visibility was significantly reduced but we did notice the remarkable change in flora, now plentiful and luxuriant compared with the rather sparse desert-like plants on the other side. After a while we came out under the cloud and stopped for lunch at a dried up stream bed but did not stay long as the sandflies found us and appeared to be having more of a meal than we were. The descent continued relentlessly as we passed waterfall after waterfall. The day wore on and, indeed, weary and worn were we too so it was with great joy that we eventually arrived at the Dumpling hut. After dinner Ruth shared with us about not being too busy to be recharged by having time with God. The evening finished with an amusing talk from warden Jen who was at pains to allay our fears about reaching our boat in time on the last day. Wednesday 14 Jan As not everyone had been convinced by warden Jen's speech the evening before a couple of the slower hikers (Brett and Margaret) raced off early to ensure we would all arrive at the wharf around the same time. Although the weather was initially overcast and threatened to rain it had started to clear by the time we all stopped for lunch at Giants Gate Shelter and eventually cleared up completely to reveal blue skies punctuated with streaks of white cloud as we arrived at our destination at Sandfly Point. While waiting for the ferry to take us to Milford we reminisced about both the good and not so good times along the way, compared blisters and congratulated ourselves on a tramp well done. MILFORD TRACK Group 2 Wednesday 14 Jan The whole team coincidently managed to book on the same Tracknet Shuttle service to Te Anau from Queenstown the day before the start of the tramp. Due to the meticulous planning and briefing of the Summer Tramp Organizing team, we were able to implement and followed through with the logistics necessary in preparation for the start of the tramp the next day. The weather forecast from the DOC office was dry weather for the first day with increasing heavy rain expected into the remaining 3 days. Even though properly equipped, we were hopeful that the forecast might change for the better. On the morning of Day 1, picked up punctually by Tracknet Shuttle to Te Anau Downs to board the 1.5 hours boat cruise on Lake Te Anau to Glade Wharf, the start of the Milford Track. It was a beautiful clear day with calm waters for the pleasant boat journey where we met some of the fellow trampers from different countries doing the same track. On arrival at Glade Wharf, we were greeted mildly by sandflies, a foretaste of their increasingly strong presence throughout the entire trip, as we took turns to pose for group photos before starting off. We stopped for lunch after Glade House Lodge and just before the suspension bridge crossing over the Clinton river. As Clinton Hut was only about 1.5 hours away, we were able to set a leisurely pace along the banks of the Clinton River, admiring the crystal clear flowing water through a beautiful beech forest with mountains backdrop. The short detour to the Wetland Walk near the hut was rewarded with view of an incredible carpet of varying shades of orange mosses spreading under and beyond the boardwalk.   On arrival at Clinton Hut early afternoon, we were able to settle in quickly, had a dip in the very cold river, listened to Hunter’s Reflections and a briefing plus an informative nature walk conducted by the friendly DOC Warden Ross. Was informed that good weather should continue into the following day but rain forecasted to close in later. Other than the pesky sandflies, we enjoyed the good hut’s amenities provided and turned in early. Thursday 15 Jan We started Day 2 early intending to arrive at Mintaro Hut before the rain. As briefed by Ross, we spotted the remnant of the old wired telephone system that were installed along the path, the inviting swimming spots, wildlife, big trouts and even the odd eel in the river, the rubble of massive landslides, the hidden lake and the sheer scale of the rock walls towering above on either side and snow capped mountains as we walk up the Clinton Valley. Also noticeable was the change in vegetation reflecting the heavy rainfall and higher altitude. Although we arrive at the Hut dry but eventually the rain set in resulting in many waterfalls appearing on the mountain ranges nearby. Hut Warden Tom confirmed what we already suspected that the wet weather would be accompanying us for the next 2 days. One bright spot though, after much internal discussion and external consultation, finally solved the mystery of how to cook the night’s dessert of dumpling with delicious results. Friday 16 Jan Day 3 was a wet, foggy and blustery morning as we started to traverse the MacKinnon Pass. It was slow going up with view mostly obscured and not all of us had even the chance to see the MacKinnon Memorial and its surroundings due to the adverse weather. The only thought was to reach the MacKinnon Pass Shelter to wait until the worst had passed. Even had to extend some assistance to a female independent tramper with sprained ankles near the summit and as we descended the mountain where it was wet and slippery. The traverse was memorable due to the many waterfalls coming off the mountains due to the heavy downpour. The other highlights were the detour to the Sutherland Falls; it was well worth the extra effort and of course, the free hot drinks that were provided at the Quintin Shelter that was very appreciated by all. On arrival at Dumpling Hut, the sandflies made their presence felt strongly. During the briefing by Hut Warden Jenny, she advised that we might have to delay our departure the next morning until clearance was given for possible flooding along the track to Sandfly Point. Saturday 17 Jan Started Day 4 early and fortunately by 7am, the go ahead was given. As we followed the Arthur River, there were more waterfalls, riverside sceneries and mountain views to behold but our attention were also focused at catching the earlier 2pm (although booked for a later ride) boat ride back to the Milford Sound town centre for a cup of coffee at the first cafeteria we laid eye on. At Sandfly Point, it lived up to its name.   A very memorable and enjoyable trip for all. To top it all, the lady we assisted introduced us to her husband; "Steve, they helped me down the mountain".