"The finest walk in the world"
This quote from an article in the London Spectator by poet Blanche Baughan had perhaps the most significant impact on New Zealand tourism from its 1908 publication date until 2001. We're not sure we would put it at the very top our list, but it is certainly in the running!
It takes four relatively easy days to hike the track from the northern shores of Lake Te Anau to Sandfly Point on the Milford Sound with three nights in New Zealand Department of Conservation huts along the way. It covers a total of about 54 km or 33 miles and reaches its highest point at Mackinnon Pass at 1,140 m (3,740 ft).
We were very lucky that we had great weather for the full trip. It was cloudy at times but never really rained. Some say the Track's beauty is augmented by the rain in that hard rain makes for more numerous and more intense waterfalls. But we were glad to have the sun!
 |
|
The trip begins from Te Anau Downs which is basically just a parking lot and a dock for the catamaran ferry. The ferry takes you north on Lake Te Anau to Glade Wharf. We caught the later of the two ferries and our boat was filled mostly with "guided walkers." Milford track is one of New Zealand's "Great Walks" and one of the few that has separate huts for guided walkers. These "huts" are more like hotels and, for a hefty fee, you can stay in them and have your own room, showers, meals, etc. Plus you don't have to carry much more than a daypack. The huts on the Milford Track are staggered and the first hut you reach is very close to Glade Wharf where the ferry dropped us off. This is called Glade House and is a guided walkers hut. The nice thing about the huts being staggered is that despite a large number of people of the Track, the separate locations of the huts means we never saw any guided walkers again and enjoyed relatively uncrowded trails. We continued past Glade House for less than an hour to Clinton Hut for the night.
The Track requires all "trampers" to stay in the huts so we needed reservations. We got ours over nine months earlier and were lucky to get them then. An interesting result of this is that you are with the same 40 people in the huts all three nights. On the first night we ate dinner and talked with Darrel and Michelle Lamb. When they found that Australia was our next destination and that we intended to go to Byron Bay over Easter, we learned that Byron Bay is their hometown and that the annual Bluesfest would be happening that weekend. The Lambs are a great example of Kiwi and Aussie hospitality as they offered to let us park our campervan at their house in Byron Bay! More on this and the Lambs in our Australia post coming soon!
That night the hut ranger, Peter, took those interested out for a short walk after dark to see some glow worms and then to observe the stars. We had a perfectly clear night and Peter had a cool laser pointer that literally seemed to reach the stars... and we finally figured out some of the constellations we had been wondering about such as the Southern Cross.
The next day we hit the trail relatively early for a gradual climb along the Clinton River through beautiful forests. The rivers in this area are stunningly crystal clear and an emerald color. We could observe rainbow trout and eels clearly as we hiked along the Clinton. Of course waterfalls are a highlight of the Fiordland area and we saw many this day. But the best was yet to come. We arrived at Mintauro Hut in the early afternoon. The sandflies we have mentioned in earlier posts were out in force making us glad to have the shelter of the hut.
The next day is the biggest by most reports. We again were among the first to set out and headed up steadily right from the hut to the Mackinnon Pass, the high point for the Track. It wasn't totally clear at the pass, but we could still clearly see the Clinton valley we had just traversed and the valley ahead of us.
A few kilometers down the trail begins to follow a river. A ways down, back below treeline, the river begins to sharply descend via a series of incredible waterfalls carved into the limestone. This is, for me, the most beautiful part of the Track though it should be mentioned that it is hardly what we would call "wild." While it is understandable due to the remoteness of the location and volume of visitors, it was still a bit disappointing to find steel and wood staircases along the trail. But this is a minor gripe.
We arrived at the Quintin Public Shelter beside the palatial guided walkers "hut" for an early lunch. From there we did the side trip up to Sutherland Falls. This waterfall is officially New Zealand's highest falls and at one time was believed to be the highest in the world. A nice feature of the falls is that you can literally walk behind them. We tried this and though we got VERY wet, it was well worth it to look up at the falls from behind with the sound of the rushing water reverberating in your chest.
We arrived at Dumpling Hut in early afternoon and again hid from the sandflies in the hut. Though we did take advantage of the seclusion of being among the first to arrive to take a swim in the river.
The final day is the longest in terms of mileage (meterage?), but is pretty easy hiking. This day was by far our best weather bringing clear blue skies with just a few puffy white clouds floating in and out of the valleys. The trail again passes through rainforest and along picturesque rivers and streams boasting waterfalls each uniquely beautiful.
Knowing we were going to have plenty of time to get to Sandfly Point in time for our boat across Milford Sound, we moved leisurely and checked out the myriad of birds in the area. Many of the species have no natural predators so are not very shy. Though a notable exception to this are the introduced animals such as stoats and possums that are currently preying of endangered species such as the Blue Duck and the Kiwi. Still we spotted kea, wekas, robins, bellbirds, tui, fantails, paradise ducks, herons, spoonbill, amongst others.
We found Sandfly Point to be, unfortunately, accurately named. Still, we took the time to walk around the area and see some of the stunning vistas the Milford Sound has to offer. We eventually climbed on the boat and headed across the Sound to the Milford Sound Visitor Center. From there a two hour bus ride along the also stunning Milford Road brought us back to Sly, our campervan, in Te Anau Downs and the end of our Milford Track experience. The Milford Track is indeed a great walk and we would highly recommend it for almost anyone. There were people of all fitness levels on the trail at the same time as us as well as ages ranges from young children to folks in their 70s. It is a truly great way to see New Zealand's Fiordlands.
Your pictures are beautiful and your descriptions are very well written. We have dreamed of going there ever since my husband was told he less than a year to live from brain cancer. Here we are, four years later, still wanting to take this track. We have hiked many miles since his diagnosis, but your blog and pictures have driven me closer to accomplishing this goal on our bucket list. His only limitation is elevation. What was the most elevation you covered in one day? We live in the Pacific Northwest, so we can work/train regularly to get him up to the challenge if we know how high we need to go. Any other advice would be great. Thanks for sharing such beautiful pictures and great information.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind words. We're very happy that our blog has been an inspiration to you in such a difficult time. We did the unguided trip which stays at different huts than the guided trips so the following numbers are specific to unguided. Though obviously the MacKinnon Pass max elevation is the same for both. The longest day with the most elevation gain is day three when you hike from Mintaro Hut, at an elevation of 500 meters, over MacKinnon Pass, at 1,140 meters, and down to Dumpling Hut at 100 meters. So an elevation gain of 640 meters and a descent of 1,040 meters. Good luck to you both and we hope you accomplish your goal!
ReplyDelete-Leslie & Jim
Hi Leslie & Jim, Loved your photos and explanation of the track.
ReplyDeleteMy Dad who is 82 and reasonably fit, (He plays golf 5 days a week walking 4-5km and carrying his clubs) is really keen to walk this track. Im just wondering if the tracks are in good condition and not too unstable underfoot?
Kind regards
Gabe
Gabe,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like your father has the fitness to do the track. The one long day up over the pass is also where the ground gets a bit uneven. However we saw many folks of all ages while on the track. If he is at all in doubt, perhaps doing the guided trip where more is provided for you and therefor you don't need to carry as much yourself.
Good luck!
Cheers,
Jim