Milford Track — March 2013

I saw an episode of Globe Trekker about the Milford Track years ago and instantly knew this would make a perfect destination for our 10 year anniversary. It’s called the finest walk in the world, and is both challenging and beautiful. And if you’re spoiled like us and not interested in camping, you can opt for the luxury route with Ultimate Hikes and have a hot shower and three course dinner with great New Zealand wine at the end of every day. If you truly want to get away from it all and spend a few days alone with your thoughts, this is the way to do it.

Sandfly Point

The trailhead of the track is reached by boat from Te Anau, goes up and over Mackinnon Pass (3,786 feet at the highest point), and down to Milford Sound. It can be done guided, which is what we opted for, or independently, which means booking far in advance to ensure yourself a spot in one of the Department of Conservation huts along the track and bringing your own food. The track is open from late October to late April, although the weather can be dodgy at either end of that and I read other reviews from people who had to be helicoptered over the pass due to avalanche danger. Even when we went, when the weather was warm and sunny the whole time, there were still portions of the track we weren’t supposed to stop on because of the risk of avalanches.

When you book your trip with Ultimate Hikes they send you a PDF with information about the hike, the lodges, and a packing list. Once you get to NZ, the first component of doing the track with Ultimate Hikes is a briefing at their office in Queenstown the night before you leave. You’re herded into a room, given a detailed packing list, and you can ask any questions you have. (There’s also a briefing option in Te Anau if you’re already staying there.) Then you’re given a pack, which is bigger than a daypack but smaller than a huge rail pack, a rain coat, a sleep sheet if you’re in a bunk room, these ingenious plastic bags that fit inside the packs that you can just grab by the handles and lift out when you need to turn the pack in at the end of the hike, and a laminated map of the trail. Then you go back to your hotel, pack, and if you’re like me you barely sleep that night because you’re so excited to leave the next day.

After showing up at the office the next morning we met our guides and boarded the bus. The driver offered some history of the area on our way to a tiny town called Mossburn where you stop at a little store for an ice cream and bathroom break. Everyone snoozed until we got to Te Anau and our lunch stop. If there’s anything you forgot this is your last chance to pick it up before heading out to the track. We also got to see the bus with the group coming off the track as we were about to leave. It was trippy to see everyone laughing and hugging and I wondered if our quiet group would be like that in a few days.

Our bus then headed to Te Anau Downs for the boat ride to the start of the track. The ride is about an hour-and-a-half, with the crew pointing out a few points of interest along the way. It was a comfy ride and you could either stay warm and dry inside the cabin or get some fresh air and the occasional splash outside. This was our first sight of the independent walkers and their huge backpacks. When we arrived they asked us to let the independents go first since they have a two-hour hike to their first hut, while the Ultimate Hikes hut is just 20 minutes.

This was also our first sighting of sandflies. These are awful little bugs you see along the track, particularly near water. Their bites are very itchy and bug spray doesn’t seem to really do much against them. A guy we friended in our group literally wore 100% DEET on his hands, which was his only exposed skin other than his face, and they’d land on his hands, bite him, then die. The bites take a long time to go away, and I somehow wound up with two on my feet, which were super fun under wool socks and hiking boots.

Giant’s Gate waterfall

Lodges
I didn’t know what to expect from the lodges, so I was excited to get to Glade House to finally see one. Sure we were paying a lot of money to stay in them, but they’re in the middle of nowhere far away from the nearest road. Supplies are generally helicoptered in. We had booked a private queen room with an en suite private bath for the trip, it being our anniversary and all. Our rooms in all the lodges were simple but had enough room for our stuff, and the bathrooms were probably the same size as the one at our hotel in Auckland. All of them had outdoor walkways between the rooms and common areas, so you have to keep covered up against sandflies when walking around. The lodges are run on generator power. Not only does this supply light and hot water, they also make great dryers for wet clothes. The laundry facilities at the lodges consisted of sinks with bars of soap, a wringer, and racks in a room next to the generator, which supplied lots of hot air. I figured out that plugging the sink and filling it with soap and water, then scrubbing and rinsing got our clothes cleanest, and they’d dry in a matter of hours in the drying room. Having the laundry facilities cuts way down on what you need to pack. The generators also provided an alarm clock. They were shut off at 10 p.m. every night, so you’d just leave your lights on and then they’d wake you up in the morning when the generator started again.

As the name says, Glade House is in the middle of a grassy field next to the Clinton River. After dropping off our stuff in our rooms and taking a group photo, the guides took us out for a nature walk. They told us a little about the history of the area, and pointed out some of the birds, plants, and animals of interest. The walk concluded at a little waterfall and we were told that we could drink any water along the track as long as it wasn’t stagnant. Then it was back to the lodge for a hot shower before the bar opened. Before I left for the trip I figured I’d lose a pound or two during the hike between the physical activity and basic meals. There was plenty of physicality, but Ultimate Hikes makes sure you don’t miss a meal, or even a snack. Each lodge had a good selection of wine and beer, which were extra. I believe it was braised venison for dinner that first night. Dinner was always two options with sides, which you’d pick the night before, they’d set out rice and salad and bring you dessert. Then one of the guides showed us a slide show of the route we’d be taking the next day and some of the sights we’d be seeing, which they did every night before or after dinner. After that you could either sit around and socialize or head to bed.

Mornings in the lodges were rather regimented to get everyone out the door in a reasonable amount of time. Fifteen minutes after the lights come on you head to the dining room to make your lunch. The staff lays out quite a spread of sandwich fixings, snacks to carry along or compliment your lunch like fruit, nuts, and miniature candy bars. When we were done making our lunches, we’d usually go back to our room and pack, then head back for breakfast. There were eggs, bacon, potatoes, oatmeal, juice, coffee, tea, and cereals. We never went too huge on breakfast because lunch was usually pretty early. Then it was back to the room to grab out packs and we were off.

Day 1
The first real day of hiking was both the shortest and flattest day of hiking. With a few little side hikes it was around 10 miles. There’s a lead guide and a back guide with a couple spread out in between. Sticking near a guide was interesting because they could point out features along the trail, but we usually tried to space ourselves out from others so we could be alone. The first part of the trail on the first day was a wooded area along the river. Then the river splits and you’re walking through a wide canyon. Lunch on the trail was in huts, with the guides providing hot and not-hot drinks, and instant chicken soup. The hut on Day 1 had a nice view of Hirere Falls. Farther along there were a couple lakes, and my husband decided to be brave and swim in Prairie Lake. According to him it was ice cold but refreshing.

That night we stayed in Pompolona Lodge, which was a bit of a labyrinth of different levels and built right in the forest. There were also some dramatic views of Mackinnon Pass far above us. I learned that wearing shorts and flip flops when doing laundry was not smart thanks to the all the sandflies, but I did try my first Speights. This is a local beer from Dunedin and is quite good.

Mitre Peak

Day 2
This is the big day when you go up and over Mackinnon Pass. I’m going to guess that the first part of the trail from Pompolona can be bad if it’s raining a lot. We crossed a lot of bridges over dry rivers, but I know that for some of them you can actually be up to your waist in water if it’s running high. Then you cross a rather pretty, flat area full of local plants, then you hit the switchbacks up to the pass. There are 11 switchbacks, but after the second there’s a series of smaller ones (a-e). We do a lot of hiking in the area around Seattle, and a lot that involves elevation changes and switchbacks. This climb wasn’t really too bad for us, and the view on the way up was gorgeous. We were lucky enough to stay just ahead of clouds moving up the mountain.

The views from Mackinnon Pass were stunning. A true 360-degree view of the surrounding peaks under a perfectly clear sky. Once you reach the ridge there’s the Mackinnon Memorial Cairn. After walking around to take in the sights with a nice hot cup of cocoa provided by our guide, we headed along the ridge to the true peak and our lunch hut. It’s also home to the outhouse with the best view in the world (google for pics because I certainly wasn’t going to take the time to take a picture while sitting in an outhouse). From the lunch hut it’s literally all downhill until you reach Quintin Lodge. And down and down and down and down. This was the toughest part of the hike for me. Parts were steep and slippery, and there are long dropoffs right off the trail. Mind you it’s certainly not impossible, but I’d be nervous doing this in heavy rain. Along the way down is a gorgeous waterfall and lots of steps, and a few cold streams for dunking swollen hands or feet.

It’s appropriate that the lodge at the end of this day is the nicest one on the track. Just very cozy. Our host was Kelly, a former guide who wanted to spend more time out on the track and away from civilization. Dessert was hokey pokey ice cream! Normally you also do a hike to see Sutherland Falls from this lodge, but a big rockslide had closed the trail and it remained unstable and unsafe when we were there.

Day 3
So this was the single longest day of hiking (14 miles), but pretty much entirely flat. We started out eager and ready to get back to civilization, but the guides warned us that if we beat them to Sandfly Point we’d have to sit outside the hut and learn the hard way why it’s called Sandfly Point. We settled for just trying to keep a pace that left us fairly alone. From Quintin Lodge it’s still a little more downhill, but it eventually leveled out and we followed the river to the Boatshed, our “morning tea” stop. There weren’t going to be hot drinks at the lunch hut, so this was it for us. (Independent hikers can’t use the hut, but there are flush toilets for everyone!) Then we were across the river and to Mackay Falls. This is a gorgeous waterfall used in a lot tourism ads for New Zealand, and the spray felt great. After this the trail was nice, but pretty ho-hum as far as scenery. Also, my feet were getting sore. While I had been tired the previous two days, I didn’t consider the actual hiking to be too challenging and wasn’t in any sort of real pain. But walking on rocks for hours every day started to catch up to me before lunch. Fortunately, lunch was at Giant’s Gate waterfall, which provided a great opportunity to sit on the rocks in the stream and soak my while eating and swatting sandflies.

Mackay Falls

The boat was scheduled to make two trips from Sandfly Point, one at 3 and one at 4. Some people in the group intentionally took it very slow to enjoy the sights along the trail as much as possible. We, on the other hand, always made sure to stop to catch everything, but the promise of a hot shower and clean clothes generally kept us moving along and we were usually some of the first people done every day. Knowing we could keep a good pace, we hung out at the waterfall until the time our guides had given us as a cutoff for making the first boat, then left. It didn’t take too long before my rejuvenated feet started to hurt again, and then I just wanted it to be over. The last bit of the trail was nice and level, but not so interesting and we were starting to see more helicopters and other signs of civilization.

So after the mile 33 post, you think you’re home free and Sandfly Point is just around the next bend in the trail because the trail is 33.5 miles long. Then you get around the bend and there’s another long straight section of the trail. Then you get to the next bend and there’s another long straight section of the trail. This happens several more times. Our guides told us after we’d finished that the trail was recently re-measured, and it’s more like 33.9 miles long. This is a rather mean joke to play on tired people with sore feet fighting off sandflies.

So we finally made it to the end and crowded onto the boat. The stinky, dirty bunch of us were basically staring at the tourists getting on boats to see Milford Sound like we’d never seen shoes that weren’t hiking boots before. We then piled in a bus and were driven the short distance to Mitre Peak Lodge. This “lodge” looks a lot more like a hotel than a lodge, and offered luxuries like newspapers, spirits, a pay phone, and a gift shop. It also had washing machines and dryers! Really that was pretty exciting stuff for me. Still no cell service, though. When you leave Queenstown you’re given the chance to pack a separate small bag that’s delivered directly to Mitre Peak Lodge for you to use your last night. We didn’t do this because we didn’t really see the point, but that night there’s a little ceremony where the guides give everyone certificates and in retrospect it might have been nice to look a little spiffier. We didn’t stay up too late, but I know a good bunch of people from our group stayed up singing and drinking that night.

The next morning you get to sleep in a bit later, then you’re up to make your lunch, eat breakfast, check out of the room, drop off your pack and other borrowed items, then back to waterfront for a tour of Milford Sound. We had another sunny dry day, which meant the waterfalls weren’t quite as dramatic, but we could see to the tops of all the cliffs and Mitre Peak.

The cruise gave the guides a chance to load up the bus with our plastic bags, and when we were off the boat it was right to the bus for our drive back to Queenstown. The drive is beautiful, but it’s long. My husband was getting a little carsick by the time we got to Te Anau. There’s also an option to take a helicopter back to Queenstown. Much faster but quite steep at $575NZ per person, and you need four people and the right weather for it.

Weather
All the information about the track says to hope for rain so you can see all the gorgeous waterfalls. Don’t believe that stuff. I’m sure it’s pretty, but we had warm sunny weather the whole time and it was wonderful. No squishy socks, no messing around with pack covers, no slippery mud or hip deep rivers. The only downside was we brought a bunch of crap we didn’t end up needing because we were preparing for the worst.

What to pack
The packing list Ultimate Hikes provides is pretty austere. They want to make sure you’re prepared for snow, but the only toiletries they say to bring are deodorant, a toothbrush, and toothpaste. Granted you should not be bringing the kitchen sink, but with the guided hike you’re basically just packing clothes, so I felt like a creature comfort or two was fine.

For the actual hiking you can wear the same thing every day. Nobody will judge you, and you really can do a decent job with the sinks and drying room as far as cleaning everything. I wore cargo pants that I usually wear to hike, a t-shirt from Target with a fleece handy (I never needed it), Costco hiking socks, and a hat I bought in Hawaii years ago. The more quick drying stuff you can wear the better, and I’m sure that’s even more important if it rains. Pretty much everyone in the entire country sung the praises of merino wool clothing for its ability to keep you warm without overheating, drying quickly and not getting smelly. The guides always wore shorts, but I think the grass and weeds brushing my legs and sandflies made me happy to be in long pants.

At night in the lodges I wore a pair of really soft comfy jeans, a thin t-shirt, a hoodie, and slippers with a bit of sole to them. I wore shorts and my husband’s flip flops once to do laundry and got a bunch of sandfly bites, so I tried to stick to keeping everything covered below my knees after that. A lot of people rocked the flip flops with socks look, and really it wasn’t a bad idea.

Soap, shampoo, and conditioner were provided in the lodges, and they even had lotion in the room at Mitre Peak Lodge. The en suite rooms also had a flashlight and bug spray. We also brought a can of our own bug spray, but I don’t think I ever used it. I definitely used a lot of sunblock and hand sanitizer though! It’s not like the outhouses had sinks and soap outside. We also brought plenty of bandages and Neosporin in case of blisters. The guides also do “foot love” every night where they’ll treat anything that needs it and tape over blisters so they don’t get worse. I’d recommend buying this stuff called foot fleece if you’re prone to blisters, too. They sell it right in the Ultimate Hikes shop and we’re proud owners of a bag. You stick it on your foot where you feel a hot spot and it pulls moisture away so a blister doesn’t develop. I tried some and I think it did help although I don’t think I used enough.

If you’re really looking to get away from it all, and I mean seriously cut yourself off from the real world, this is the way to do it. It’s just a great way to immerse yourself in some beautiful scenery, spend time with someone you love (or just yourself), meet some great people, and check an item off a bucket list.

Mackinnon Pass