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milford track
Come and join us on ‘The
Finest Walk in the World’ - New Zealand’s most famous
Great Walk, which every Kiwi dreams of doing one day.
The Milford Track is the heart of Fiordland National Park, a
World Heritage Area, and also the wildest, wettest and most
isolated part of New Zealand. Everything about this area is
dramatic and awesome. It was fashioned by massive uplifts of rock
2 million years ago, and moulded by water in all its forms, ice,
snow, rain, glaciers, waterfalls, rivers and lakes.
The scene is set once you land at Glade Wharf at the top of Lake
Te Anau to begin the 4 day trip. The fast-flowing Clinton River
drains a vast glacier-carved canyon. The primeval beech forest
around Neale Burn Hut is interspersed with fields of summer
grasses, and everywhere you look there are picture-perfect views
of snowy mountain peaks. Following the river upstream to Mintaro
Hut on Day 2, you are often compelled to stop and stare at the
scenic wonderment all around.
Day 3 begins with a climb up a well graded zigzag track to
Mackinnon Pass (1,073 metres) and then there is an 8 km descent
to Dumpling Hut. This is the most difficult section of the track.
A side trip to Sutherland Falls, the fifth highest in the world,
is a must. The final day is an 18 km journey down the Arthur
Valley to Sandfly Point, from where you take the 20 minute boat
crossing to Milford Sound township.
In the summer some 40 independent trampers set out each day,
along with other trampers on the guided walk, and each group
stays at different huts. Demand is always heavy so it is wise to
secure a booking well in advance.
The Milford track is 54 kms long and can be physically
challenging. Part of the experience is negotiating rough terrain,
stream crossings, and sometimes high winds, but the rewards make
it all worthwhile.
This world famous walk has a well-deserved reputation, and you
will cherish the memory for a lifetime.
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