Around-the-World with Drew & Erin: New Zealand

Join The Blogging Post as we head around-the-world with our friends Drew & Erin. They’ll be sending us regular dispatches and updates from around, across, and all over the globe. This is their second post from New Zealand…

A Mighty Fine Walk

The finest walk in the world. This is the description New Zealand´s Department of Conservation uses to market the Milford Track, based on a poet’s quote dating back to the early 1900’s. The Milford is the flagship walk of the DOC’s nine Great Walks - multi-day excursions that are heralded as the best the country has to offer. In getting caught up in the impressive photos and descriptions of the Milford, Erin and I didn’t forgot to factor in the weather when booking the dates of the trek – a necessary step due to the track’s popularity.

To limit the environmental impact, only forty independent trekkers are permitted to start the track each day, and these spaces must be booked well in advance. But the weather became a major factor when the rain started the first night we camped out on our drive south from Christchurch and had not yet relented as of several days later. As we visited the Fiordland National Park Visitor Center in the lakeside town of Te Anau the day before we were scheduled to start our trek, the park rangers told us the trekkers currently on the trail were walking in water up to their waists and being moved by helicopter over flooded sections of the track. We came to understand that the area receives up to nine meters of rain per year and that we should expect AT LEAST one day of heavy rains on our walk. This was not exactly the picture I had in mind when daydreaming about this trek for years.

When the day dawned clear with blue sky from horizon to horizon the next morning, Erin and I were excited and relieved. We caught a boat that ferried us the length of Lake Te Anau to access the start of the track at Glade Wharf. The boat ride itself was as magnificent as the walk, cruising through towering rock walls that had been carved by glaciers ages ago and were now covered by lush green forests. We enjoyed a short first day to the first hut, passing through primordial rainforests, crossing crystal-clear streams filled with trout, and gazing up at huge, U-shaped, glacier-carved valley walls. That evening we enjoyed the first-class hut facilities that are a specialty of New Zealand’s backcountry. We took a nature hike with the hut warden, checked out glow-worm caves when night fell, and then listened to the ranger´s extremely informative star-gazing lesson about the brilliant southern night sky.

The second day of the trek was longer than the first, continuing up the Clinton River Valley to the Mintaro Hut. The weather was still clear this second day, but according to the forecast it was threatening to deteriorate the next day. Since the section just past the hut is in many ways the most spectacular of the whole trail as it climbs to the top of MacKinnon Pass for panoramic views across both sides of the pass, we picked out our bunks for the night, left our full packs at the hut, and continued on up to the pass that afternoon while the weather was still stable.

While the climb was a somewhat arduous one after a long day already, we were rewarded for our efforts with expansive views over the Fiordland landscape. We could see down the Clinton River Valley from where we had come, up the Arthur River Valley where we were headed the next few days, and out to the summits, small glaciers, hanging valleys, and waterfalls. This afternoon dayhike was the apex of the trip.

On day three, the weather was somewhat cloudy and unstable, but gradually cleared during the course of the day. We retraced our steps to the pass with our full packs this time, enjoying good views but not quite as open and far-reaching as the day before due to clouds. After a brief stop on top, we made our way down the steep, rocky, and wet descent on the other side of the pass. After a brief lunch stop, we took a side trip to and got soaked by Sutherland Falls, the largest waterfall in New Zealand that drops 580 meters in three successive steps. After this taxing third day, we refreshed ourselves with a chilly- but cleansing - dip in the Arthur River before settling into the hut for the final night of the trip. That evening, like all the others, we enjoyed some lively and amusing conversations with the international crowd that was making the trek with us – forty Kiwis, Aussies, Irish, Canadians, Americans, and others that formed a lively and motley crew. The bantering between the Kiwis and Aussies about possums, sheep shagging, cricket, and general superiority in the region was a source of constant amusement.

We woke on the final day to yet another sunny day – capping a four-day stretch of basically clear weather that is unheard of by Milford Track standards. We counted our blessings and savored the final day’s walk through more impressive valleys, taking in the
streams, waterfalls, and bird life that make this place so incredible. At the wharf at trail´s end, we caught a boat that whisked us across the unforgettable Milford Sound and back to civilization. Our tramp had come to a close, and we had enjoyed amazingly nice weather, a stunning wilderness walk, first-class facilities, and enjoyable company. Whether it is THE
finest walk in the world I am hesitant to say, but I will say that the Milford Track is one mighty fine walk.

PHOTOS
#1 - On the trail
#2 - Views from atop MacKinnon Pass
#3 - Reflection on the Milford Track
#4 - Sutherland Falls