It is said that there are three things about travelling - the planning, the doing and then the telling about it. This Blog is about all three!
Having been to the south island of New Zealand in 2014 this is in part a repeat of that trip. This time however I have enjoyed planning it on behalf of the four of us doing the Kepler Track and then three three of us doing the second part.
The aim when one is getting older is to try and keep the weight down - about 25 lbs. in the backpack for the Kepler track (three nights in huts and carrying all ones food). We do not have to carry mattresses or tents. Light weight sleeping bags helpful. Need also to plan for rain. On the Milford Sound tramp in 2014 we unfortunately had much rain and wind at the summit. I discovered a poncho is no good in a lot of wind. Need to plan also for getting chilled and appropriate merino type clothing.
It helps to keep fit particularly when one is getting older (79 this year!). Over Christmas daughter Sarah gave me a three day pass a facility she works at to work out and in Victoria there is hiking each week and biking as well the YMCA close to home.
New Zealand agricultural regulations and airline restrictions all have to be considered but easy to find information on the web.
Electronic devices are part of the norm to-day. I will be taking pictures with a Sony Cyber-shot HX90V Wi-Fi 18.2MP 30x Optical Zoom Digital Camera, downloading them onto an IPad (wirelessly) and then posting them to this Blog when connected to Wi-Fi in hostels or AirBnb. I will also be carrying my IPhone 5S and will probably get a Sim card in Auckland Airport with some data so that we can make phone calls. However it will be good to be off the electronic addiction and not responding to Clickbait for the four days of tramping. (Recently read and influenced by "The Addiction Merchants" - by Tim Wu).
Looking forward to warmer temperatures - it will be about 20C, at least in Queenstown at the end of this week, compared with a cool Victoria 8C and very cold Eastern Canada and US with snow even reported in Texas. Also happy and hoping to escape the threatened winter Influenza which seems to be spreading throughout Canada.
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