As cold weather descended on Colorado, I faced my annually recurring problem – where to go to escape winter blues? The Southern Hemisphere was a good option, summer was just starting there. My records showed that the last time I was in Australia in 2008. Perhaps, I should revisit the country of my second citizenship. I called a friend, Nina, in Melbourne and she kindly agreed to host me. Nina also suggested to go to New Zealand together for trekking on South island.
I lived in Australia from 1992 to 2001 and somehow, I did not find time to visit its nearest neighbor. The idea to see New Zealand was on the same trip was excellent. We booked two walks with the company called Ultimate Hikes. One was Routeburn track for 3 days and the other was Milford track for 5 days.
I made 2 short stops on the way to Australia in Fiji and Vanuatu where I did the usual things – swimming and snorkeling – nothing to blog about, then flew to Melbourne. It met me with unseasonably cold weather. I also arrived with some bug probably caught on the plane or in Vanuatu. A Covid test was negative but I had a sore throat, fever, cough – all symptoms of a respiratory infection – and spent most of my first day in Australia lying flat on the couch at Nina’s place and drifting in and out of sleep.
The trip to New Zealand was in one week. I could not afford being sick and unfit for trekking. Nina was eager to train daily and I dragged myself to do short hikes with her around Melbourne.
My condition improved within days; only a dry, hacking cough remained by the departure day.
We landed in Queenstown, New Zealand, and went straight from the airport to a mandatory briefing at the Ultimate Hikes center. This agency is the only agency that runs guided walks in this area. Our first walk, Routeburn track, began on the following day. A guide explained to us what to expect and what to pack. All meals would be provided. We only carried our personal belongings. The agency allows to borrow their backpacks and raincoats at no additional cost but we brought our own.
The weather in Queenstown was rainy. We checked in into a hotel for one night, had dinner and a walk around the town, then went to bed early. We had to be at the Ultimate Hikes center at 6.30 a.m. on the following morning for our 3-day trekking.
