The Milford Track

The Milford Track has been described as the best walk in the world. My son, Matthew and I did the walk starting on 2nd March 2003. The rules allow you to do it only in one direction - Te Anau to Milford Sound and you must stay in three huts overnight along the way.

The journey begins with a boat ride from Te Anau Downs. That's Matt on the left.

The obligatory photo by the start marker. It's just beginning to rain.

Crossing the first of many suspension bridges over the placid river - but wait till tomorrow.

We stayed overnight in the Clinton Hut. The hut warden told us that if it rained a lot overnight the water might rise over the track up to a metre high. If it rained very heavily, it might be more tha a metre. If so, they would helicopter us past the difficult place.
Now it's tomorrow. It rained all night - a sign of things to come.

Just after this picture, we encountered the hut warden coming towards us. he informed us that the water hadn't reached a metre high - it would only be about knee high, and he was right.

Water cascaded from all the surrounding mountains.

It was too wet to get the camera out most of the way today.

Here we are at the Mintaro Hut - at last. This was a frustrating day. There was obviously so much scenery around, but mostly obscured by rain and cloud.

This is the cooking/lounging/drying area of the hut. That's Matthew just in front of the window, reading of course.

The next morning - day 2. Snow fell overnight at the level of the hut. This picture is after leaving Clinton Hut and beginning to climb up to McKinnon Pass - the highest point of the walk.

Getting higher now - that's Lake Mintaro below.

The previous night, the hut warden had talked about the 12 zig-zags up to the Pass and the monument at the top. I lost count of the zig-zags and was relieved and surprised to see the monument not too far above me.

And here is the view from the summit. The clouds parted briefly so that I could see the Quinton Hut far below, but it's not visible on the picture.

Continuing along the ridge in ankle-deep snow looking back towards the monument.

Still on the ridge - a small tarn.

No photos of the descent into the valley, I'm afraid. The weather was too inclement to change the film. Back to lower altitudes now and more waterfalls.

Matt was way ahead of me by now and I encountered him again as he was descending from the side track from the awesome Sutherland falls. Here he is taking in the spectacle. The noise - even from a distance - was like a 747 low overhead.

And here are the falls. We were told by the hut warden at Mintaro that it's possible to walk in behind the falls but the power was such that it nearly blew us away just approaching.

On my own again as Matt has gone on ahead at his pace.

Quite a pleasant walk from here to Dumpling Hut for our third and last night on the track.

Lots of rivers to cross by means of suspension bridges so I took a picture from most like this one.

The rain was easing off a bit now, though it never really stopped.

Now on the last day. Still raining.

This is a scary part of the track. Convicts cut a ledge into a sheer rock face. It's very exposed with a sheer drop to the left in this picture. This is looking back along the track.