Having the bed right next to the door in a twenty-bed bunkhouse is not to be recommended. Given the relatively young age of the residents, I was surprised at the apparent lack of bladder control. Despite everybody’s attempts to leave and enter the bunkhouse quietly, it was a night of naps, as opposed to solid sleep.
It was a curious start to the day because we did not know what the day would hold. We were to meet with the warden after breakfast to find out the situation regarding the weather conditions at the top of the mountains, so we were not sure whether we should be packing up to move on or making plans for alternative activities. Breakfast was easy enough with packets of instant porridge and various snack foods. As we sat around in the kitchen area Billy the Warden went round asking who would want to move on today if there was the opportunity? After getting an idea of the numbers he went off to consult with his manager.
To cut a long story short, there was an opportunity for ten people from forty to move on. There were twelve people who had put their name forward, including our party of four. Following a slightly acrimonious discussion as to who should go, with the same two couples inflating their own importance, we agreed on a ballot. At first, if your name was pulled out of the hat you would go on. We suggested the alternative, that if your name came out you were not going. As we were a party of four, if our name were pulled out of the hat towards the end of the process it would negate the whole thing. If we were pulled out first, game over and all the others could go ahead.
Guess what? We were first out of the hat and that settled things. While we were slightly disappointed at the result, we soon settled the matter for ourselves and looked forward to an extra day’s tramping in one of the most beautiful environments in the world.
Guess what? We were first out of the hat and that settled things. While we were slightly disappointed at the result, we soon settled the matter for ourselves and looked forward to an extra day’s tramping in one of the most beautiful environments in the world.
After some discussion, we decided to take the five / six mile hike up to the area of the Hirere Falls. Although we would walk the same route tomorrow there is so much to see here that you could walk it ten times and not see it all. We didn’t take any packs and made do with just a couple of water bottles and some fresh fruit.
On our return there would be opportunities to visit the wetland boardwalk through the swampy jungle and going to see the glowworms after it has become dark. With over 7,000 plant species, including exquisite small ferns and mosses, the Milford area is veritable garden of delight.
Arachnocampa luninosa, or the New Zealand Glow Worm is the larval or maggot stage of a fungus gnat fly. The glowworms use the light at the end of their bodies to attract small flying insects in to their lairs, while the female may also use it to entice male glowworms to mating. Just below the Clinton Hut there is an area beneath a fallen tree where the glowworms can be seen when dark has settled.
Nearby, there are also a couple of swimming holes in the Clinton River that are easily accessed. One feel of the water was enough for me to decide not on this trip!
On our return there would be opportunities to visit the wetland boardwalk through the swampy jungle and going to see the glowworms after it has become dark. With over 7,000 plant species, including exquisite small ferns and mosses, the Milford area is veritable garden of delight.
Arachnocampa luninosa, or the New Zealand Glow Worm is the larval or maggot stage of a fungus gnat fly. The glowworms use the light at the end of their bodies to attract small flying insects in to their lairs, while the female may also use it to entice male glowworms to mating. Just below the Clinton Hut there is an area beneath a fallen tree where the glowworms can be seen when dark has settled.
Nearby, there are also a couple of swimming holes in the Clinton River that are easily accessed. One feel of the water was enough for me to decide not on this trip!
Suffice to say for this entry, it was a beautiful walk with stunning scenery and lots of interest. We stopped just short of Hirere Falls in a flat area beside the river where we could admire the many waterfalls that careened down the sides of the mountains. On the heights there is only a very shallow covering of soil and below that solid rock. It means that rainwater does not soak away in the same way as where there is deeper topsoil. The result is that most of the rain runs directly off the steep mountain sides. As it had been raining and snowing for the last couple of days there were small waterfalls everywhere you looked.
From the clearing we had great views up the valley and of the mountain ranges on either side. Even from our lower elevation we could see the extensive snow on the lower peaks, which added to our worries as to whether or not we would be able to go on. If the pass is still blocked tomorrow we will need to go back, as Morven and Kendra have deadlines to meet for thier respective applications.