Down To Hollyford

Obviously, the weather had cleared up wonderfully during the first day to afford us such fabulous views on Key Summit. On the way up we shed clothing as we felt the intensity of the sun and our bodies warmed from the climbing. On the way back down it cooled off again as we re-entered the shadows of the forest and the peaks as the sun started to go down.

We all climbed in the van and Regan drove us a short distance down in the Hollyford Valley to a camp along the river where we took advantage of the comfort of rustic cabins and even hot, wood-fired showers. There were some sand flies there along the river, however, so our two fire starters, Florence and Eric, soon had a fire going with any spare wood they could find, preferably wet wood to make a lot of smoke. It worked pretty well against the flies.

The Hollyford camp was an interesting spot, run by a quirky old guy who had been there for 50 years, according to Regan. I can't remember his name, but I recall Regan saying the guy was there back when the valley was still named for the Gunn's, and before the Homer Tunnel made Milford Sound popular. His little development there included a gift shop and a historical museum that had an entry fee of $1, unless you were staying for the night.

Eric and I hung out around the campfire as it died down and finished off the last two beers we had picked up in Te Anau. We hoped the clear sky would hold through the night for our kayaking adventure on Milford Sound the following day. That night I got up in the middle of the night to drain my bladder of the last beer and was in awe of the night sky. Even though it was not completely dark because there were some outdoor lights on in the camp, and the mountains on each side of the valley blocked much of the sky, the Milky Way still clearly flowed down the length of the sky above, like a reflection of the Hollyford River flowing down the bottom of the valley. I had a great view of the Southern Cross and the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. I could have pulled out my star charts and binoculars and spent a couple hours browsing the sky, but I was too bushed and it was cold! Oh well, at least I saw it.