Planning the Big One..
Trip Start
Sep 09, 2004
1
106
394
Trip End
Ongoing
Queenstown, New Zealand
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
- Notice outside souvenir shop in Queenstown.
We've come across lots of stupid signs and sayings lately come to think of it. There's a restaurant at the top of the mall with a chalk board outside that I guess is there to entice and attract innocent passers-by into sampling their fine seafood. The signs have had us in stitches. On one side;
'Phoar...nice mussels'
On the other; the ever familiar Nike logo swooshing across the board in chalk while the message below reads 'Pike - Just Eat It'
Following the Ben Lomond trek I've been resting and keeping an eye on my foot in panic and paranoia following my careful conduct of the steep descent. My previous 'metatarsal head' complaints occurred two-to-three days after the strenuous descents, so I've been a little 'edgy' to say the least. Interestingly though, I haven't had any complaints this time. If there had've been problems I'd have been devastated as I really did make a point of taking particular care on the descent. So all's good.
Now that the coast is clear the next adventure is just around the corner. I've been itching to do the Routeburn track before leaving Queenstown and certainly before the weather makes the track impassable. The winter is rapidly on its way and its time to get a wriggle on. The 'Routeburn track' is another of New Zealand's 'great walks' which is renowned for being scenically spectacular. It traverses both the Mt Aspiring National Park as well as the Fiordland National Park taking the perilous trekker from Glenorchy (slightly west of Queenstown and incredible 'Lord of the Rings' territory) right over to 'The Divide' which sits part way up the Milford road from Te Anau. As Te Anau is where I've just come from it's a little frustrating to have to walk from Glenorchy all the way to the Divide to then have to pay the hefty transport charges all the way back to Queenstown (potentially pushing $100). So (and that's not the reason) I'm doing the next best thing; I'm walking back. At the end of the Routeburn track it's possible to walk a little further and join another popular route called the 'Greenstone track'. It takes you deeper south in a further loop swinging east eventually arriving down the lake a little, just south of Glenorchy. Transport from the 'Greenstone end' involves a boat ride across Lake Wakatipu. This of course means that the whole experience is a lot less popular, longer, further, more remote, but also much more rewarding. To those in 'the know' it's commonly referred to as the 'Grand Traverse' covering 75 kilometres of terrain and taking around five or six days to complete.
After lots of discussion, questions, worries and concerns, Shiny eventually decided to join me on my quest. As I mentioned before she's really getting in to the whole concept of discovering the real beauty of New Zealand on foot and though very nervous, she's starting to get really excited. It's even brought 'Monica' back out of the closet as she's been putting her notebook and pen through their paces making lists, notes and must-do's. Sometimes it requires a good deep breath, but most of the time it's quite entertaining to watch and listen to her. She does worry though (bless her) and likes to take things seriously and take precautions. It just doesn't do her any favours to read that some sections of the track are very 'exposed' and that the extreme weather changes can occur instantly as well as drastically, or that sometimes the weather can take out bridges forcing trampers to wade through rivers in order to continue. It also hasn't done her a world of good to discover that the track crosses the paths of thirty-two avalanches! Truthfully? - It hasn't done me any good either but there's no good both of us thinking like that. I've assured her that either way, we'll enjoy it. After all, that's the whole point.
So for now I'm gonna keep this entry brief. For the first time in a long time I'm actually writing this in real time, as it's happening. It's quite exciting really to be all up to date for a change. After I've finished writing this I'll go in to town and release the entry. Then I'll be gone for five days out in the remote wilderness between the Humboldt Mountains and the Hollyford Valley. I've got a pretty good idea of what to expect; I flew over it in January with my folks in that little six-seater aeroplane as we headed for the Milford Sound. It's simply breathtaking.
As well as monitoring my potential foot complaints, we've spent the last few days monitoring the weather. The last two weeks here have been absolutely gorgeous. It's been bitter cold in the evenings but that's understandable due to the fact that we have an alpine climate here, so it's to be expected. We also know that it's going to be below freezing out there - oh the joys of the great outdoors. Today, Shiny and I went to the DOC office to book the appropriate huts and to finish getting the necessary supplies. As some of the huts have no gas supply I've excitedly bought a nifty little titanium gas stove that pretty much folds away in to nothing and weighs little more than a box of matches (boys and toys). We also, of course, bought food. A little different this time as we need food for a good five days (plus emergencies). Nonetheless, I learned a valuable lesson on the Kepler track and won't be so foolish again. I'm packing light. Very light. Mannion, the little shining star that she is, has kindly offered to drive us to Glenorchy in the morning as we need to get the boat over to the Greenstone end at around 1.30pm.
So it's farewell from the tramping twosome as we head out to venture across this rugged, yet magnificent terrain. All being well, I'll be recounting the adventures in a week or so. If not, we'll have to get air-lifted out. The going rate for helicopter rescue at the moment is around $900. Why oh why, did I buy black clothes!
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