I cooked and ate. Then afterwards we took a walk to where the glow worms are. Yes, there really is such a thing as glow worms. They are not just toys you give to your children. They were so cool. It looked like the rocks and bushes had Christmas lights. They weren't as bright, but it looked neat. They have a light green glow, quite amazing.
On our way back, we ran into some people that wanted to check out the glow worms. As we caught up to them we saw this black animal the size of a cat. It even looked like a cat to me. The woman said it was some kind of possum. Certainly not like the ones I am use to. It was black and even had a full fuzzy tail. I'll take her word for it.
So that ended our exciting day. Hiked about 11 miles, which included the waterfalls. Just one other thing, as I was coming back from the bathroom in the dark, I heard something, I turned my flashlight toward the noise and I saw a critter gripping the beam. I wasn't quite sure what it was, but kind of looked like what I though a Koala Bear would look like. I didn't think there were Koala Bears in NZ. I asked in the morning and someone thought it could be a ringtail possum or a baby possum.
March 11, 2003
Everyone was rustling around about 6 in the morning. We had to get on the track early because we had to catch a boat and then a bus to TeAnau.
At this point I can't remember anything significant. It was flat for the most part. There were some more beautiful waterfalls. We were trying to get to the end right about the time the boat was coming, because the name of the place was called Sandfly Point. The name should tell you everything. We got the boat on time and then the bus. We arrived at the DUC a little after 5:00. We checked into out "caravan", went shopping, and did laundry. We were going to cook dinner. I had left hamburger from the last time we were here and I was going to have that with noodles. When I went to go to get it, it was gone. So I had soup, potato chips, a carrot, and a bite of Laurie's steak. Actually, I ate so many chips that I didn't feel hungry.
So now that the Milford Track is over what can I say about it: the views were beautiful, the water crystal clear, the sandflies horrendous, the waterfall magnificent.
As I am writing the day is starting to come back to me. I remember that there were a lot of stoat boxes, traps along the trail. I checked a few to see if they had anything in them. The ranger told us that they use steak and eggs for bait. It reminds me of a story from the AT. It was up in Maine and it was a story in a journal at a shelter there. Someone had asked what they used for bait for the bears. They told him donuts. So there was a picture of a thru hiker on the trap eating donuts with powder all over his face. So I am picturing a hiker trying to get to the steak and eggs.
The other part of the day that I was remembering was that we walked through a beautiful lush green rainforest. It was neat because the sun was peering in some places and making neat shadows. Some places you felt like you were in a jungle.
The last thing I want to mention are the people we hiked with. I told you about an older brother and sister. Well they are 77 and 71. They were quite amazing. There were other people I didn't meet until the last day. There was a Brazilian man who worked at the embassy in China. I talked to him a bit about hiking in South America and going to a language school there when we go. There was a girl from Vancouver who was traveling a few months in NZ and a few months in Australia. There was a fellow from Norway and one from Japan. By the end of the track we got to know some very nice people. One person, Leslie, gave us her telephone number. She lives in Wellington, NZ and we hope to see her when we get there.
