Length: 31.30 mi
Elev. gain: 5978 ft
Time: 19 hrs 48 mins
The hike:
https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/milford-track–159
Known as “the finest walk in the world”, Milford Track is probably New Zealand’s most famous walk. It’s 53.3 km long and must be finished in four days in the Great Walks season.
Obviously it was something I could not resist.
The day after we survived Routeburn Track, my friend Christina and I were ready for Milford Track.
Day 1 (11/21/2018): Te Anau Downs –> Glade Wharf –> Clinton Hut (5 km / 3 mi)
It was only a short 5 km walk on the first day. So we took our time and left Te Anau around noon. We took the bus to Te Anau Downs where we boarded our ferry to Glad Wharf to start our hike.
It was an easy walk to Clinton Hut.
Day 2 (11/22/2018): Clinton Hut –> Mintaro Hut (16.5 km / 10.25 mi)
The day started with fog and clouds but it eventually cleared and we had a beautiful sunny day. It was a very pleasant walk.
Day 3 (11/23/2018): Mintaro Hut –> Dumpling Hut (14 km / 8.7 mi)
Day 3 was relatively the most strenuous day of the four due to the climb to the highest point (Mackinnon Pass at 1154 m) on the trail.
Weather was fair, with no rain but cloudy.
We saw a kea.
And wildflowers.
There were more kea birds as we climbed higher. They were not afraid of people at all. One of them even tried to get a hiker’s attention.
This one was very interested in the bottle I was holding.
Great views most of the hike.
During the descent from Mackinnon Pass, I was in a rush and didn’t notice the small ditch next to the trail and accidentally stepped into it and lost my balance and fell. After I got back up, my ankle started to hurt. I managed to finish the remaining 2km for the day.
By the time I arrived at the hut, my ankle was swollen and it was very painful to walk. There was no ice at the hut. So Christina borrowed a bucket from the hut attendant and filled it with cold water multiple times to soak my foot to try to reduce the swelling. There were a lot of sand flies outside. Every time she went outside to fill the bucket, she risked being bitten by the sandflies. I felt so guilty but was also overwhelmed with gratitude.
During dinner (I didn’t go because I couldn’t walk) Christina also found out that one of the hikers was a physical therapist who came and took a look at my foot. Based on the location of the swelling, she thought the bone somewhere above my ankle might have cracked and helped secure it with some first aid kit she brought with her.
Day 4 (11/24/2018): Dumpling Hut –> Sandfly Point –> Milford Sound (18 km / 11.2 mi)
Final day of the hike. We were to hike to Sandfly Point where we’d take the ferry at 2:00pm to Milford Sound. With my injured foot I knew it would take much longer to walk the 18 km to Sandfly Point. But I was determined to make it because it was just too much hassle to deal with the delays and rearrange everything. So I headed out early at 6:00am, about two hours ahead of the original plan. I didn’t want to trouble Christina so I asked her to take her time to get ready and leave with everyone else. But she insisted on going with me in case I needed help. For that I was again extremely grateful.
Fortunately the trail was relatively flat. Another hiker kindly loaned me one of her hiking poles for me to use as a cane which really helped.
With all that, I was able to walk at a relatively steady pace and made it to the ferry in time. As soon as I boarded the ferry, everyone applauded. They all waited for me. Another thing I was grateful for.
After about 20 minutes of the ferry ride, we arrived at Milford Sound where we took a bus back to Queenstown.
My route:
