DOC – take a bow

Twenty-five years after arriving to make a new home in this extraordinary land of the long white cloud, I’ve finally ticked off an item that’s lurked near the top of my bucket list for nearly half a century – walking the Milford Track. I know ‘hiking’ – or ‘tramping’ as home-grown Kiwis like to call it – isn’t really a mainstream part of the boating lifestyle, though you do need two boat trips to tackle the Track. One across Lake Te Anau to get to the start, and another at the end – at Milford Sound – to escape the torment that is Sandfly Point.

Yet walking the Track resonates with a theme that is familiar to the boating lifestyle – savouring Aotearoa’s elemental majesty is as simple as deciding to embrace it. It’s available to everyone – you just have to get off your butt.

Veterans of the Track will understand these ‘words-fail-me’ sentiments – the grandeur of the primeval landscape is gobsmackingly incredible. Not for nothing is it regarded as one of the world’s most iconic hikes.

But I was also struck by the remarkable standard of the trail infrastructure and the facilities in the three huts – all maintained by DOC rangers living in isolation, deep in the bush. Quiet, thoughtful, fascinating men and women. I particularly enjoyed their informative presentations in the evenings, covering the history of the Track, the geology, the ecology, the fauna and flora.

Perhaps as a spur to exhausted hikers, a thoughtful ranger had written the following words of encouragement on one of the hut’s noticeboards: “Always walk with your face to the sun, and the shadows will fall behind you.”

Originally penned by American poet Walt Whitman, this aphorism might provide a little comfort to trampers negotiating some of the Track’s more daunting climbs – and as my aching bones and muscles will attest, there are quite a few of these.

But the words also point to the wisdom of looking forwards in life, not backwards. Of embracing new opportunities, rather than dwelling on regrets. The perfect philosophy for enriching and extending your boating horizons.

Thank you, DOC.

Happy Boating.