Well now, that's a bit annoying. I'm in Te Anau, gateway to New Zealand's beautiful fiordlands, and I've booked onto the Kepler track for the next three days. Exciting stuff, but I've just been to the DOC centre here and discovered that there is a place suddenly available on the Milford Track starting in two days time! The Milford Track, for those who don't know, is arguably one of the best multi-day walks in the world. I had given up hope on doing it because it is fully booked almost all year round. As if rubbing salt in the wounds, the weather forecast here is glorious for the whole week. b*****.

That said, the Kepler Track is probably more weather dependent because it involves an alpine crossing, difficult in good weather and potentially lethal in bad weather, so I should be glad that I'm going to experience that. And the huts won't be completely full, which is nice.

Karin is also joining me for the walk, but she's taking her sweet time getting her car up here. I think she's pretty nervous about doing her first multi-day hike. Or tramp. Now that I'm in New Zealand.