Can you confirm New Zealand's Milford Track options?

High Perfo

I'm considering walking the Milford Track. So far I can only find 2 options for doing this:

Either:

1 - I carry everything I need, including bedding & food, and stay in in a bare-bones lodge without a shower option. This is the cheapest option, but requires carrying quite a bit of weight (problem for me right now with a foot injury (yes, I can do the hike, but should keep the weight pressure to a minimum).

or

2 - Pay for a guided tour, where the hiker (I) don't carry more than what I want, and have food & bedding provided (among other things). This costs more (the cheapest I've seen is $2,000/person, at $400/day), but easier on the body.

I'm stuck in the middle. Not the guided tour type at all, but probably shouldn't carry so much weight on my feet (such as bedding & lots of food). Got any solutions, insight & ideas?

Thank you.
Thank you all so much for the insights. How could I pick a best answer?...I don't know...

I can manage carrying around 15 pounds (approx. 35 kilos) for 4 days straight, but not more. Have Plantar Fasciitis in both feet, comes & goes, but sure to be an issue if I stress them for days in a row. I'm considering trying to find a series of day hikes around Fiordland to be able to break up the stress on the feet by alternating days.
Would anyone have any ideas on good 1-day hikes, particularly in the Fiordland area, but anywhere in NZ is helpful as I'll generally be driving around much of both islands?

I'm also hoping for a 1-day hike near Fiordland that allows me to gain elevation similar to the great experience of McKinnon Pass...but in a day...up then down...due to me feets :)

Thank you.

Answer
Hello!
When are you planning to go? If you go in summer you can easily pack light but if you go in winter is a different story...
Anyway, I've done the Routeburn track in January last year (summer) and I carried a small pack keeping my things to a minimum. I had one lightweight sleeping bag, one change of clothes and waterproof clothes(just in case!), camera and videocamera, utensils for eating, dried food, snacks and I kept it to less then 5 kg...The track was 3 days but I had food for an extra day I spent in Milford area.
I don't know how much weight you can carry without hurting your foot so if 5 kg is too much you should consider a guided tour: you don't have to walk with them, you can follow your pace and enjoy the nature (the Milford track during high season is one way only so you won't meet anybody!)
By the way if you want to do the Milford track you have to book well in advance!
Whatever you decide to do enjoy New Zealand, I loved and it is my favorite country!


I don't know any day walk in the Fiordland but I've done a really nice one in Arthur's Pass, the Bealey Spur track, it's a day walk around 4 or 6 hours, with amazing view of the mountains, it's not on the Lonely Planet so there's no crowd!
But anyway wherever you go in NZ you can buy the small brochures of parks with all the day walk, it's very well organized, plus the guys working there will help you choosing one, they are experienced and very concerned about people safety so they will help you properly!
Obviously another great one is the Tongariro Alpine Crossing in the North Island (Mount Doom if you are a LOTR fan) you won't meet elves and other little creatures but you'll spend an amazing day through volcanos, craters, blue lakes and lush forests! It's 19.4 k but easily done in 6 hours.
Please when you are in NZ visit the Catlins, most of the people don't go there but it is an amazing area where you'll have the chance to see amazing wildlife!
One last thing, if you go to Waitomo to see the caves (North Island) spend the night there and ask the locals where to see glowworms in the night, there is a place in a forest where there a milions of them and they look like stars and it's really a great feeling when you are there (also not in Lonely Planet!!!)
I really really love it!!!
Ciao

Which camera should I buy for travel vlogging on YouTube?

rosie

I am going on my "gap year" this year, travelling, and I want to record travel vlogs (video blogs) and put them on YouTube for my friends and family to keep up with what I'm doing, and so I can look back on all the awesome memories later...
I will want to use the camera to film during my adventures when travelling (this might include walking, theme parks etc. so the camera will be moving, image stabilisation etc. would be a factor) and also to sit and talk to the camera indoors in the typical vlog style.

What will be important to me is:
-image quality (ideally I'd like 720p or 1080p, I want it to look as good and as crisp as possible
-memory capacity (I want to be able to store a couple of hours of footage at a time)
-battery time (I want to be able to film through the day while I'm out and about, without stressing too much about running out of battery)
-compatibility with MacBook and iMovie '11 (I want to be able to either USB connect or use a memory card reader, and easily import and edit the footage in iMovie)
-It would be quite cool to have a camera that has one of those viewing screens that flips right around when you're filming, so you can see yourself and make sure you're in the shot and everything... this isn't completely necessary, but would be a great bonus :)
-PRICE - I don't have much to spend at all, I'm just looking for the best I can get with what I have, I have saved carefully, that's why I'm being so pedantic about buying the right camera

Anyway, I've been researching for days and at this point I think it's come down to a choice between the Sanyo Xacti VPC-CG21, the Sanyo Xacti VPC-CS1, the Kodak Playsport Zx5 (you can film underwater with this one, which is really cool!) and the Sony DCR-SX21E (is this one even HD, I can't work it out??). They're all very different, I know, but they're the things available in New Zealand that are affordable for me...

If anyone has any advice, just if you've even used one of these cameras and have some feedback, or if you've used another and would recommend it over these options, PLEASE let me know!! :) I'll make sure to choose a best answer and everything, so you get the points you deserve...

Thanks!
The camwhich website does look like a great resource, but it only has still cameras not video cameras... :(

Answer
Maybe, or it should be a waterProOf cAmera, cAnNoN/vivitar?

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