School had finished for the year so what better way to unwind than to unpack the school bag and pack the tramping pack. Our much awaited family adventure to walk the Milford Track was finally here.
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience the wilderness area of Fiordland National Park that goes from Lake Te Anau to Milford Sound. We were incredibly fortunate to have sunshine and hot temperatures for the entire time. Quite unusual for this area. Our wet weather gear, thermals and puffer jackets stayed tucked in the bottom of our packs and the swim suits, sunscreen and hats were on hand at all times. We swam in all the lakes and rivers, an instant way to cool down significantly.
The kids had a blast. ‘Epic Day’ was day 3 involved a long steep climb (600m vertical) to McKinnon Pass and a long long decent (1000m vertical), followed by an extra 1.5hr walk to the Sutherland Falls, a total of about 22km. This may have put many hardy walkers off, however the smaller feet of the group were running and skipping, chatting and laughing all the way. Us bigger feet had to seriously march at times just to keep up.
There was so much to entertain everyone of all ages. The fish swimming in the clear aqua rivers, the high vertical waterfalls, the birdsong, the cheeky kea and baby weka, the minute beauty of the alpine flowers, the unfolding koru, the views, the hut wardens, the food, the sandflies, and the list goes on.
The kids loved this experience and now wish to walk all the great walks in New Zealand. Their love of nature and the outdoors is huge, and their feeling of accomplishment, alongside rejuvenation after being in the forest and mountains for 4 days, was immense. The smiles and the laughing indicated so. Fun in nature = happy children.
So what will the next tramp be kids? The Kepler, the Rakiura??
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McKinnon Pass, Milford Track
4 days of walking, 3 nights in huts, 2 boat trips, 1 bus ride, lots of scroggin, 53.5kms of track. Find out more about the Milford Track here.