Click here for a short video documenting our Milford Track hike.
Day ONE: Queenstown -> Te Anau -> Glade House (1 mile hiked)
We boarded a bus with our fellow hikers and soon-to-be friends, and enjoyed a relaxing and scenic two hour bus ride to Te Anau, where we stopped for lunch. So much pastureland! So many sheep!
At Te Anau Downs, we boarded a boat to get to the trailhead. The Milford Track is a one-way trail, because it is a multi-overnight hike and you need to have reservations for sleeping in the lodges (no back country camping permitted off-trail). The only way to get to the start of the hike is by taking a boat across the entire length of Lake Te Anau.
They start you off very easy on the first day -- it is only one mile from the trailhead to the first lodge. We had a really nice leisurely walk in the forest before arriving at Glade House.
What a location! The lodge was nestled in the middle of the wilderness beside the Clinton River. Our room was more luxurious than we expected. In fact, all of the lodges that are run by Ultimate Hikes are really comfortable, especially considering that they have to bring all the supplies in by foot or by helicopter.
We gathered with all our fellow hikers for a briefing of what to expect on Day 2, followed by a delicious meal and drinks from the bar.
After dinner, Kevin was able to find his signature in the 1997 guestbook from his first time on the Milford Track. We had an hour or so to socialize with the other hikers until lights out at 10pm. Literally. The power for all the rooms is run by a generator that is shut off nightly, so we made sure to be safely tucked in by then.
Day TWO: Glade House -> Pompolona Lodge (10 miles hiked)
After breakfast and packing our lunches (if you've never had a Whittaker's chocolate, they are a MUST for a trail lunch treat), we got an early start and crossed the river via suspension bridge. Now we were really on our way!
The terrain was pretty flat and once we all got going it was almost as though Kevin and I were hiking completely alone in the wilderness. We would occasionally pass or be passed by other hikers in the group, and our wonderful guides were spaced evenly through the group so that they could answer questions or take photos.
The first section of the track was so green - towering trees with lots of ferns and moss. It was so different from the scenery we see while hiking in Arizona!
Later in the day the valley opened up and we could see more mountains and even some rivulets of waterfalls.
At the lodge we were treated to an impromptu talent show organized by one of our fellow hikers. Our guide Mitch stole the show with an original (and hilarious) composition about a romance that didn't work out because of dietary restrictions.
Day THREE: Pompolona Lodge -> Quintin Lodge (9 miles hiked, over Mackinnon Pass)
We knew we were in for a long day when we woke up to a very steady drizzle of rain. Luckily we had packed appropriately and layered on rain pants and jackets over warm wool clothes. Unluckily we had to stomp through several tiny streams making for very wet feet right at the start of the day.
At least there is one benefit of a lot of rain: we were able to really take in the beauty of the waterfalls as we made our way up the steep slope to Mackinnon Pass.
The steep incline to the pass was for sure the toughest part of the hike. There were lots of switchbacks and over 1500 feet of vertical gain. The trail was well-maintained though, so it was definitely challenging but do-able. Just as we approached the pass, the fog started rolling in and it turned from a light drizzle into gusty and cold winds. We were glad to get into the shelter near the top of the pass to have lunch and warm back up!
We made it back down the other side of the pass, and arrived at Quintin Lodge after a short detour hike to Sutherland Falls, New Zealand's tallest waterfall.
Day FOUR: Quintin Lodge -> Mitre Peak Lodge (6 miles hiked)
Day four would normally have been the longest day of hiking -- 13.5 miles -- but because of damage to the track we would only hike to the Boatshed, about 6 miles of hiking. The morning was misty and drizzly, and it made for some slippery hiking through the ferns. We were glad to have hiking poles in many places.
We were disappointed that we had to cut the hike short and miss out on some of the sights along the last miles of the track, but a helicopter ride from the Boatshed into Milford Sound more than made up for our disappointment.
Kevin and I were in the first group to arrive at the lodge, so we had time to take a quick hike to a viewpoint of Milford Sound.
Mitre Peak Lodge itself was in a stunning location with great views of the sound. Because the road into Milford Sound was closed to tourists, we were the only group staying overnight in the village. It was very relaxing although I'm sure during the height of tourist season, it would normally have been bustling with activity.
Our last night in the lodge was a lot of fun -- we played a custom board game developed by some of the other hikers, and we shared a few drinks with our excellent guides - Sophie, Lara, Kiel, and Mitch -- who had really gone above and beyond to make our hike safe and enjoyable.
Day FIVE: Milford Sound -> Queenstown (NO hiking!)
The next morning we joined the rest of the group on a cruise of Milford Sound.
The boat got us right up close to some of the spectacular waterfalls only accessible by water.
A very tired group of us piled into the bus for the four-hour bus ride back to Queenstown. It was truly worth coming all the way to New Zealand just to do this memorable hike.
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