I. The Milford Track
Five years ago we had traveled in New Zealand for
two weeks as part of an Elderhostel group. At that time we saw highlights
of a country to which we knew we'd want to return: Auckland, Rotorua,
Christchurch, Queenstown, Te Anau, Invercargill, and a few areas in
between. We fell in love with the countryside and with the people. We
knew we'd come back someday, and that on our return trip we would go to
different places and explore areas in ways that most Elderhostel trips
would not attempt.
Alan and Cheryl are responsible for
our going at this time. We had met them on our trip to Machu Picchu
and enjoyed their good nature and enthusiasm for adventure travel. Like us,
they'd wanted to hike the Milford Track
and convinced us to go with them. Alan made the arrangements and reservations
for both the Milford Track and the Abel Tasman Coastal Track. These are two
of nine tracks—hiking trails—designated as “Great Walks” by NZ’s Department of Conservation.
In 1909 New Zealand poet Blanche Boughan
wrote for the London Spectator in which she declared that the Milford
Track was "The Finest Walk in the World." Of such things are legends born.
