Milford Track lived up to its billing as being one of the Great Walks of the World. The scenery along the 33.5-mile track is among the most beautiful of any place I’ve been. Tall rocky mountains, green valleys and clear streams and waterfalls that you can drink from make this place one of the top destinations in New Zealand. I am very fortunate to have experienced it, getting approved for a permit just two and a half weeks ago. The reservations for the walk are booked solid for several months

(sometimes a year) in advance.

Only 40 independent walkers get to walk the track at a time. The reason for this is that there is only space in the bunkhouses for 40 people and no one is allowed to camp in a tent in this national park. That’s probably why it’s in such pristine condition. There aren’t any trash cans anywhere so as to make everyone carry out whatever they brought in. It works. You can’t find any trash along the track.

There is also a guided tour run by Real Journeys that has its own lodging along the track. Their accommodations are spiffier and the guests have their meals prepared for them, but they pay out the nose for it. We independents cooked our own food and carried our own 30-pound packs 33.5 miles. Man, I must have really wanted to do this tramp!

The reason it’s called a track is because the path is well protected with wooden planks for the walkers to step on so as to not damage the land. There are several swinging bridges, too, which move as you cross the streams and creeks.

I met people from all over the world who traveled to NZ to do this walk.

A lot of good people. Among them were Miriam, an architect from Germany who has been living in Australia; Dyllan, her partner who is a banker from Cape Town who also has been living in Australia; Kaori from Osaka, Japan who has been working in NZ and learning English; Louise and Rachel who are nannies from Christchurch; and Mike and Nancy from Vermont. There were also two groups of Israelis. The Israelis must really like to trek. I met several of them when I was trekking in Nepal.

There was also a group of about 25 students from the American School in Singapore who were among the 40 independent trampers. These are 15 and 16 year old kids who are originally from different parts of the world (mostly the U.S.) but their families now live in Singapore. One of the activities is to take a trip and among the destinations to choose from are NZ and skiing in Switzerland. The options aren’t too bad, huh?

The kids were polite and generally well behaved although a few of the girls reminded me of why girls in high school used to get on my nerves.

It’s always interesting meeting people from other countries and exchanging ideas, culture and ways of doing things. It’s really interesting watching people work in the kitchen and seeing what they eat and how they prepare their meals. I went the easy route and brought Chinese noodles that I added boiling water to but the others cooked vegetables, curries, stews and pasta and really ate well. Oh well, at least my pack was a little lighter.

Overall, Milford is easy tramping, certainly easier than what I experienced for 10 days along the Nepal Himalaya and at Mt. Mulanje in Malawi, Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and the mountains in Kashmir. Still, it’s no pushover. The first day was only about three miles of tramping--in the rain. Then things picked up with the final three days averaging about 10 miles a day. The third day was probably the toughest since it had a fairly long ascent. You appreciate how much of an ascent it is when you’re carrying 30 pounds of gear on your back--cooking equipment, food, clothes.

The weather was super. Once we got past the first two days, we had clearing skies and ideal conditions. This area of NZ gets an abundance of rain so it takes until about mid-day for the clouds to move out so that you can get a good view from atop the mountains.

Once I finished the tramp, I took a two-hour cruise on Milford Sound and soaked up some of that scenery. It seems a little different from a boat.

I’m really happy that things worked out and I was able to do this tramp. It was a great walk that I hope all of you can experience for yourselves. Make your booking early!

Next: the last of my New Zealand tour

                   It’s time to start living the life you imagined.

                                      -- Henry James