NZ GREAT WALK: Milford Track

DAY 1: Te Anau to Mintaro Hut

After a small bus ride to Te Anau Downs we caught the ferry across Lake Te Anau.


We arrive at Glades wharf ready to start our walk.


Perfect metre wide paths all the way to Clinton Hut


The big red beech tree


It was helicopter day for the great walks huts so we saw about 10 helicopters overhead moving food.


We stopped for unch at Clinton Hut.


These markers show where the track is in flood. A couple of times a year the track floods with over 2 metres of water here.


We saw plenty of trout and this eel with came and swam with us when we jumped in the water to cool down.


Bus stop rest shelter on the way up the first climb.


A few waterfalls on the climb up to the hut


Another stream that gets really flooded with any water.


We make it just as it gets dark to Mintaro Hut - 700m asl

DAY 2: Mintaro Hut to Dumpling Hut

As it got dark last night about 10 keas came to the hut and started jumping on the roof. Everyone took their boot sna dclothes in as they have been known to take tshirts and drop the shoes off the hooks


A cheeky friendly kea


A look up to where we will be crossing the Mackinnon Pass.


Looking back down onto Lake Mintaro and the hut.


The path zigzags up the mountain through alpine vegetation.


Memorial at the top of the pass


We had lunch at the shear 1000m drop over the other side of the pass. A kea put on an acrobatics show for us.


The highest point of the Mackinnon pass at 1150m asl


I try my luck hanging off the edge of the cliff face


Looking back across Clinton Valley


We saw so many different types of flowers.


A western tiger moth Metacrias erichrysa enjoying the good sunny weather


We spotted a few blue ducks and ducklings


New Zealands highest waterall - Sutherland Falls 580m (14th highest in world)


The walk behind the falls was amazing - if you look closely you can see Karen.


The waterfall has 3 leaps: Top 248m, Middle 229m, and Lower 103m. In flood the 3 leaps form into one solid fall.


The falls from a distance shows you how big it really is


We finally reach dumbling hut after a challenging day of walking


DAY 3: Dumpling Hut to Milford Sound

A little bit of cloud hangs around the mountains between drizzle showers


We follow the Arthur river down the valley to Milford Sound


We manage to spot some trout and eels


One of many waterfalls pumping hard because of the rain this morning.


Lake Ada


We reach sandfly point with swarms of sandflys (hense the name)


This little boat took us to the Milford Sound terminal where we then caught a bus back to Te Anau.


18 December 2010

We have both done the Routeburn and Kepler so we decided to leave the best for last and walk the Milford together. It was a wicked 3 days of mostly perfect weather.

The first day was mainly flat walking up the river - we had lots of swims and enjoyed the hot day. Some great views from the pass on the second day and we got to see Sutherland falls. Then a bit of rain of the 3rd day as we followed the river out to Milford Sound through the beech forest.

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