Flat Tire and Epic Hike

Chad Post:

Saturday we wake up to a nearly empty campsite and a flat tire.  The gas station didn't have Fix A Flat, so we gambled and lost.  At this point we are 70 km up the slow-winding Milford Sound Road. No service and no plan.  I search the Jucy Van and find a shitty scissor jack missing an extension and I get to work.  I had a bad experience with a scissor jack on my Volvo but that is another story all together.  Our big American fire gave us some street cred amongst the campers, so the French couple that were the only ones left in the campsite were willing to help.  They lent me their bottle jack and the job was done in no time.....now for the dilemma......

1)  Drive 70 km Te Anau to the open service stations and cell service, call Jucy, get the Van fixed and waste the good part of Saturday

2)  Roll on the donut to the end of the road, pray we make it and see if anyone can help at the end

Survey Says: 2 - Why waste a whole day dicking around with a tire?

We head to the Milford sound with a plan....There are several cruise tours out of the sound, including a large tour ran by Jucy, our van renter...maybe if we get there we can contact their maintenance department and get this tire fixed....maybe even get a discounted cruise while waiting!?!?!?! No Chance...I get to use their phone, sit on hold for 20 minutes and get told it is my problem because I denied the $40 a day insurance.  Instead of living the high life we are stuck on a donut at the end of the road with no service.....what next???

We take our photo (as all tourists do) in front of New Zealand's iconic Mitre Peak and decide, since it is a rare sunny/clear day in Fjordland to go hike Gertrude's Saddle.

 I said we have been lucky with the weather, people wait weeks for a day like this to attempt this hike.  We roll in late afternoon on a donut, last people on the trail, and away we go.....the walk is easy through the valley then it is straight up for I guess a mile or a mile and a half. Up a gray granite bowl....it burns....we pass a beautiful lake and it is straight up some more...cables are drilled into the mountain for us to hold and it is straight up some more, eventually we make it to the top.  Incredible view of the valley, down to Mitre Peak and into the Tasman Sea....most days you cannot see this far....we can!  

We spend 45 minutes at the top with another couple from North America.  We feel very accomplished, now we hope to make it down safely, which we do and go back to the Van....all four tires are still good, so we drive down the hill.  We come to a cabin resort halfway down, and find an open cabin.  It is the best stay of the trip...including a hot shower, a comfortable bed and a stove to cook the two lamb chops I bought, all before the sun goes down.  What a wonderful day it turned out to be!!!!  It's funny how it all started with a flat tire and a choice of what to do.