Walking 32 kms with a 12 year old.

Walking 32kms with a 12 year old.

It is dark. It is 4.30 a.m. The alarm has just gone off. Tom (my 12 yr old grandson) and I are being picked up in Hamilton,by the Road Cat shuttle at 5.20 a.m. to catch the plane to Queenstown from Auckland. The start of our very exciting four day freedom hiking trip of the Routeburn Track.

Checking in was seamless but for some bizarre reason I believed our packs had to be bubble wrapped so for many precious minutes the night before Tom and I had wrapped and sellotaped our big packs, only to be looked at by a very bemused check in person, asking why we had done that!!!!

 Tom was a little white faced as he had no idea what the following four days held in store for him.
For me it was four very precious days to spend with him.

Lots of hugs and laughter when meeting up with Tony (my brother in law, who I have enjoyed many hikes with) and his daughter Alex (Also 12yr) as they were to do the hike with us. Di, my sister in law, was a little envious of us going without her. The "Last supper" was enjoyed at Farelli's, a beautiful, authentic  Italian restaurant . The food and wine enjoyed that night,certainly set us up for the four days of hiking food.

First Day:
A really great coffee before getting on the bus, settled some of the butterflies in the stomach. I had done this track about five times before but you are never sure of what may lie ahead. Lots of nervous chatter as we travelled on the bus then finally we were at the track and swinging our packs on our backs, we were on our way. All I could hear from Tom was "WOW!! This is amazing" accompanied by another click of his camera. The track was edged with beech trees. The track smothered with tiny leaved. Black  Robins swooped and twittered around us. Birdlife was plentiful due to a  a very good trapping program

Stopping at the Routeburn Flats hut for lunch introduced Tom to Pita Bread, a dryish, but doughy bread, useful for hiking as it doesn't go mouldy but quite difficult to eat with dry salami and cheese. This recipe needs to change. Maybe Tuna or Salmon sachets would provide a little moisture.  Tom never came to terms with it, just managing to force down half a slice so his body had some refueling.

A really steep, sharp hike brought us to the first hut. A 4hr hike, not including stops (which I needed quite a few of).  Macaroni Cheese made from a packet and mixed with dried milk powder and water was eaten with gusto, for dinner. This was a real winner.

Second Day. On to the Mackenzie Hut, a 50 bedded bunk house, situated by the very picturesque Lake Mackenzie. Packs on at the Routeburn Falls and off we started over a fairly rocky track. Waterfalls and stunning views greeted us at each corner we turned. With the weather being so kind to us(sunny but not too hot) it was pleasant to just walk and absorb the views. Although today was 6 hrs so while we wanted to enjoy it we didn’t want to stretch it out too long. We kept changing partners which was nice. Stopping for lunch on the  Harris saddle, we were  provided with amazing views of snow lying in the crevices of the rocky mountains which surrounded us.  About an hour before the end we cam across a memeorial to a hiker who had lost his life in 2016.His partner had stayed for three weeks in Mackenzie Hut until she was found. Sadly enough they were only about an hour from the hut.  The last part of the track has many trees which was pleasant for the coolness they provided, but even this wasn't ok for Tom. Just before we got out from there Tom said," Nani I am really tired." I could really empathize with him as it had been a long day. 

 It has always been a habit of mine, that as  soon as I arrive at any hut, I find the nearest water hole and wash away the sweat and dust of the day. So leaving on my dirty knickers and pulling on a top which covered the most important parts, I headed, with the others, to the beautiful Lake Mackenzie. My thoughts of swimming lazilyy around, quickly disappearwd when my first foot entered the snow cold water!!. I quickly raced in, jiggled a little bit , splashed the important places and quickly got out, enjoying the warmth of the sun as it dried me. It was so enjoyable to have nothing more to think of  than the beauty I had enjoyed during the day and chatting to fellow hikers in the hut.

Second night,Chinese Rice rissoto was a winner for dinner.  It can be difficult to provide tasty food when you are hiking.

Third day we headed to Howden hut but as this was only four hours and being the last day we took it far more leisurely., stopping at a place called the orchard for morning tea and enjoying the majestic Earland falls for a luch stop. (Still pita bread ,much to Tom’s dismay) Getting to the hut we met an amazing young 17 yr old woman from Scotland. She was in New Zealand for a year before she went back to university. She had done a lot of hiking with her parents so was happily tenting and travelling on her own very comfortably. This is one of the delights of freedom hiking - the variety of people you meet on the track. After cooling our selves down as best we could in the Lake, we walked up Key summit with her, enjoying her many stories and hopefully entertained her with our many hiking experiences as well. That night Creamy tomatoe and pesto was on the menu. All three dinners were heaped with praise.

Last day
Only a one hour walk to the Divide, situated on the Milford Road, where we were picked up by bus to return to Queenstown. Everyone was excited. We had had a wonderful three days but it was also nice to be going back to hot showers(no showers on track, hence the need to swim as much as we could) good coffee and no pita bread for lunch so we were all up early, eating the last of the muesli and fantasizing about the breakfast we would have on the lake front the next day. There was a slight hill of about 20 mins to climb before hitting the flat which led to the way out so I left about 20 mins before the others. I had almost got to the junction when they caught up. It did feel good to walk with the three of them. I am fine on flat terrain. It is the hills which I have to work hard on (However, I am also lucky that I can manage it with a 12 kms pck on my back so if I have to slow down a bit, that has to be ok)  We were so happy walking out. Discussing the pros and cons of which pie we would eat when we got to Te Anau, the first stop, when unfortunately my foot a hit a stone, I tripped, my pack pushed me forward and I hit my head on a rock(resulting in two beautiful black eyes on my return home) It was  just an unfortunate accident. Even this could not dampen my enthusiasm

Out trip back to Queenstown was uneventful (the potatoes topped pie bout at Te Anau tasted like nectar. This from a woman who tends to scorn food like this) As I reflected on the last four days, I thought how lucky I had been to have spent such precious time with these three exceptional people.

Life is definitely about making time for special adventures.