MILFORD TRACK 2020
The Milford Track: New Zealand's most famous Great Walk
Located in Fjordland National Park
South Island of New Zealand
On my first trip to New Zealand, the Milford Track was the backpacking trip that I looked forward to the most. Considered to be one of the world's best hikes, it is highly popular. Access is permitted only through a web-based sign-up system, and a ranger told us the 2020 permits sold out globally within 7 minutes! One can pay extra to travel with a guided group, staying at lodges that include hot showers and prepared meals. Alternatively, one can travel without a guide, staying in primitive huts with bunks, toilets, cold water (but no showers) and gas cooking facilities. Of course, I chose the latter. Backpacking with flushing toilets and without having to carry a tent, stove or fuel - what luxury! The Milford Track did not disappoint: It truly offers some spectacular scenery.
DAY 1 -- Te Anau Downs to Clinton Hut: 5.7 km
The trip began in front of the Fjordland information center (i-site) in Te Anau, as we boarded the Tracknet Bus at 9:30 a.m. for the short drive to Te Anau Downs. As a group of about 20 hikers, we were transported from the dock on Lake Te Anau to the start of the Milford track in about 1 hour by a fast-moving ferry transport.
I had acquired a virus recently, and was suffering from a massive sore throat and headache; grateful that I brought extra ibuprofen. My first hiking steps in New Zealand felt as though I was walking in an enchanted forest! The vegetation was thick and a vivid green, and the bird song was quite different and sounded exotic. The weather was perfect, although rain was in the forecast. I checked out the side trail to the wetland walkway, and had plenty of time to rest upon reaching my first day's destination at the Clinton hut in the early afternoon. The trail to Clinton Hut was fairly flat for most of the short distance, making for an easy first day. The ranger on duty led an excellent short tour of the area near the hut, highlighting the unique botanicals and explaining the efforts of the Department of Conservation to preserve and restore the native birds by trapping the introduced rodents, stoats, and possums.
Lake Te Anau
DAY 2 -- Clinton Hut to Mintaro Hut : 20.7 km
The day began early with several alarms going off, including my own, which was not deactivated from the previous day! I apologized profusely to my hut-mates, but several were getting up anyway. I was still feeling poorly, but was on the trail by 8:00 a.m. with my fellow hikers. There was very light, intermittent rain throughout the day, and I stopped for a couple side trips, to Hidden Lake and Mirror Lake. At Hidden Lake I was distracted by my first introduction to New Zealand's "Cheeky Weka", and lost my water bottle from my pack. I didn't discover it missing until another 30 minutes or so down the trail, so had to hustle back. Fortunately, I encountered a kind British couple on the trail, Jim and Bethany, who found my water bottle at Hidden Lake and returned it to me, so I didn't have to backtrack too far. The trail was quite level and easy, with a more noticeable climb for the last few km to Mintaro Hut. I felt quite lucky; just as I arrived at Mintaro Hut, the rain began a steady downpour.
The birds in New Zealand are unique! As I stopped to take photos, I encountered a New Zealand Robin that was quite friendly, and stopped to peck at my boots as I took his photo. It reminded me of our Black Phoebe's in California, but much less shy!
I was to encounter the "Cheeky Weka" many times during my stay in New Zealand. These birds have acquired their nickname for their cheeky sass in stealing anything and caching it in a hiding place known only to them. (See my page on sea kayaking in Marlborough Sounds).
Then there is the Kea, which purportedly has the intelligence of a 3-year old human. These birds resemble large parrots, and inhabit the mountainous territory of Fjordland. They are known for stealing the insoles from hiking boots, and for destroying hiking boots left on the ground. Thus, we all hung up our hiking boots securely at the Mintaro hut, and left nothing outside of the huts. The Kea are more rare, but I was lucky to spot one at dusk, high in the trees near Mintaro Hut. There are many bird calls at night, especially up in the mountains -- it adds to the exotic ambience!
Day 2 Slideshow
DAY 3 -- Mintaro Hut to Dumpling Hut: 16.2 km
It rained steadily during the night, but the morning weather looked great, clearing with some blue sky. Once again, I felt incredibly lucky! This promised to be the most strenuous day of the trip, and I was again thankful for extra ibuprofen. The hike began easily, and then became more steep as I turned north.
Overall, the climb up to MacKinnon Pass was gradual enough and not overly steep, and the views became ever more dramatic as I climbed higher. As I was hiking, I imagined the Maori and the explorer Quintin MacKinnon bushwhacking their way up this pass for the first time, in search of a route to the ocean for trading and delivery. I could imagine their exhilaration as they reached the top and knew that Milford sound was accessible.
The suspension bridges that only allow 1 person at a time always made me nervous.
The Spectacular Views Along the Climb to MacKinnon Pass
Just before reaching the top, I stopped at the memorial to Quintin MacKinnon.
It was quite cool at the top of the pass with a great deal of clouds and fog swirling and dancing, partially obscuring the views. Although these mountains aren't that high at ~ 1000 meters, the view was quite dramatic as the cliff walls were steep and the surrounding mountaintops quite rugged. In spite of the partially obscured views, it was definitely worth the climb!
Although I reached the pass before noon, it made sense to stop for lunch before beginning the descent, as there were few rest stops after the pass. Several hikers relaxed and ate lunch in the shelter hut at the highest point, savoring the views and thrill of the adventure. Later, I was glad I had rested and had a relaxing lunch, as the descent was very tiring: the path was very rocky, requiring careful foot placement with some steep descents. As a solo hiker, I wanted to be extra cautious, and I was immensely grateful that there was no rain. The first three hours of the descent required close attention, with narrow and steep rocky paths interspersed with several staircases built into the slopes. The stairs certainly helped make the descent much easier, but most of the hikers found the descent more difficult than the climb.
The descent was steep and quite rocky, requiring careful steps.
The descent from the pass was filled with more beautiful views, and several waterfalls with viewing platforms. As I was feeling progressively worse during the trip, I chose to bypass the 1.5 hour side trip to Sutherland Falls, opting instead to snap a photo from afar, further down the trail. My virus was getting worse and I knew I didn't have the energy. The Dumpling Hut was a welcome sight after a glorious but tiring day.
Day 4 -- Dumpling Hut to Sandfly Point: 19 km
Many hikers were up early in hopes to catch the 2 p.m. ferry from Sandfly point, but my reservations were for 4:00 p.m., so I had plenty of time for the roughly 6 hour hike. The elevation change was slight and the path was much less rocky, and very well maintained. I stopped to take a few pictures and enjoy the scenery, although I was feeling progressively worse. The hiking was easy, with numerous creeks, waterfalls, and some picturesque suspension bridges.
I stopped briefly at the Giant Gate Falls shelter for lunch, where a large group of guided travelers were congregated.
Approaching Sandfly Point, the trail became much wider, as this was the trail that had been built by convicts many years ago. I arrived at the Sandfly Point shelter just after 2 p.m. and my fellow hikers Jim and Bethany were the only ones left from our non-guided cohort. Like me, they were enjoying the sights and were in no rush. The shelter was enclosed and allowed us to escape the sandflies, which fortunately weren't too voracious. The water taxi arrived before 3 p.m. and took the 3 of us, plus some guided hikers, on the short boat ride out to the Milford Sound Harbor. The rain had been intermittent, but began a steady drizzle as we boarded the boat and arrived in Milford Sound. Somewhat to our surprise, there was only one major building at Milford Sound, arranged more like a giant bus terminal, with numerous kiosks for tour groups to go out on the Sound. There were no restaurants or food vendors, but the large building was warm and dry.
Milford Sound, the end of the Milford Track
Jim, Bethany and I hadn't realized that the next bus back to Te Anau was not until 5:00 p.m. So I relaxed and wandered around the harbor a bit to enjoy the cool sea breezes in the rain. The Tracknet shuttle brought several of us down the long, windy road back to Te Anau. Time for a hot shower, a hot meal, and rest! I spent the next week holed up in my campervan, too sick to explore or hike anywhere. I felt very lucky, and immensely grateful, to be able to complete the trek. Less than 2 weeks later, the Milford track was closed due to a severe landslide.
The Milford Track is indeed a world-class backpacking trip, and a trip of a lifetime. The reward of unique scenery and spectacular views is very high for an intermediate trek. The history of exploration of the region is rich, and the combination of lush forests, rivers and waterfalls, and soaring mountains make every minute worthwhile. I highly recommend this trek.
LOGISTICAL INFORMATION and PLANNING
Photographs by Cris Lewis, Olympus TG-2
Department of Conservation of New Zealand: The DOC oversees all the hiking tracks and conserved parks and land within New Zealand, and they are a well-run operation! Nearly every question you may have about the Milford track can be found online at their detailed websites. I include a few details here for non-guided trampers that are not covered on the site.
Reservations for the Milford Track must be made online usually 6-9 months in advance. The website opens at a given time, usually in June of each year, and reservations sell out very rapidly. In 2020, a ranger told us the Milford Track reservations sold out within 7 minutes! In addition, in 2020 the DOC was piloting a program of charging more for international travelers, up to twice that for New Zealanders. It's not known if this policy will continue or not.
The busiest part of the tourist season is from late November through the end of January. This is the New Zealand summer, and I was told that the children don't typically return to school until early February. However, this is probably irrelevant as I believe the Milford track is probably full to capacity (roughly 40 non-guided hikers per day) throughout the summer. However, the guided hikers are typically separated in time and space from the non-guided hikers, and the trails are not at all crowded. I spent ~ 90% of the time hiking alone, which suited me just fine.
While resting or stopping along the way, do not leave anything unattended if there are cheeky weka about. Their thievery is not restricted to food items, and they are lightning fast. Don't leave anything outside of the huts except boots and poles (which are hung up at the Mintaro hut). It is helpful to bring lightweight shoes or flip-flops, as boots are not allowed in any hut or cooking area.
Knowledgeable rangers staff the huts, which hold up to 30 people in bunks or floor spaces with covered foam mattresses. Some sites have smaller huts with only 10-12 hikers per hut. The mattresses are comfortable enough to not require any sleeping pads, but earplugs are a necessity given the frequent snorers. There is cold running water and, in most places, flush toilets. The water is rain-collected and not treated, and although several rangers said they drank the water, numerous signs recommend treating the water by boiling or filtering. I found I fared better on all my New Zealand outings if I treated or filtered the water. Stoves and fuel are not required, as gas stoves are provided in the huts during the summer months .
The sandflies are only bothersome while you are stopped, but then they can be persistent. Individual responses will vary, and the rangers suggest bringing antihistamines if you may be allergic. I found sandfly bites to be mildly itchy, less so than mosquito bites and far less than flea bites. DEET (20%) was an effective deterrent, and I didn't use the headnet I brought.
Most of the huts have old National Geographics or other reading material, for the few hours you may be resting. No need to bring a book. Cell reception is mostly non-existent, although I didn't bother to bring my phone. I could send GPS Inreach messages at each hut, so GPS reception is fine. At higher altitude, you may have to wait longer to acquire a GPS signal.
The water taxi pickup schedule at Sandfly Point is somewhat flexible. You need a reservation, but if you arrive earlier or later than your reservation you may still be picked up as long as there is room on the boat. The taxi gives preference to non-guided hikers over guided hikers. They didn't necessarily leave on the hour, but would take everyone available at a given time and then return shortly thereafter. A sign offers guidance for hiking time for the last day.
If you want to take one of the tours or enjoy other activities at Milford Sound, you can squeeze some activities in if you take the 2 p.m. water taxi out of Sandfly Point, then the 5 p.m. Tracknet bus back to Te Anau.
Te Anau is a pleasant town, offering a full supermarket, restaurants, and pharmacies, but more limited camping supplies.
Most hikers did not use the more expensive commercial freeze-dried food. I did, and I regretted it! These meals were not at all tasty, and had more than a gram of sodium per serving! They are the most lightweight option, but probably not worth the weight savings.
If you become ill and need to cancel your reservations, you must receive a note from a Doctor to receive a refund. If you have travel insurance, this is a worthwhile option for those too sick to hike. The Fjordland Medical clinic in central Te Anau is well run without a long waiting time for appointments. (I now suspect I caught Covid-19 at the beginning of this trip, as I became ill a few days after initiating travel. It later became clear that Covid was circulating in the Bay area at that time, and I stayed in a small hostel dorm room with several women who had recently arrived from mainland China. International awareness of Covid had not yet come, and there were no tests. I never experienced Covid symptoms in the years after this trip, but I'll likely never know. It was the worst virus I had experienced, especially for the long-lasting fatigue. Although I was unaware of Covid at the time, I stayed to myself; I only hope I did not infect more people.)