December 15

Milford Track: Dumpling Hut to Milford Sound

I was again the first one up when I arose at 6 AM. My camera lens defogged overnight, and it was now clear outside. I decided I would go back to a viewpoint for Sutherland Falls I had seen yesterday, about 2 miles back, near the airstrip I had seen from MacKinnon Pass. I would take a picture in the clear weather before heading on.

By the time I finished breakfast, several others were up, and everyone was up soon after. I left at 7:20, going the wrong way, without my pack. Since everyone normally walks the Milford Track in the same direction, this must have looked rather odd to anyone who saw me. Some others set off toward Sandfly Point, the end of the track 11 miles down the valley. There is a definite time constraint today, since the last boat leaves at 3:00. We were told to leave by 8:30 to make it in time, if we kept an average pace.

I walked quickly back to the Sutherland Falls viewpoint I had in mind, passing several of the guided walkers along the way. In fact, I think I passed all of them at about the time I got to where I took the pictures. It would not be easy to get a good picture because it was so sunny, and the falls were in shadows, mostly. I took some pictures at different exposures and then hurried back, since I was now the last one on the trail to Sandfly Point. I arrived at Dumpling Hut at about the same time as most of the guided walkers, so I didn't think I would be too late. I retrieved my pack and continued on while the guided walkers took a short break. Leaving at 9:05, I had six hours to cover 11 miles.

It was a beautiful day, the first on the track that could be said for. The views of the surrounding mountains and valley were outstanding. I took many pictures. It was annoying having to keep a schedule on a day like this. It was a few miles before I caught up with any of the independent walkers. I overtook them at a long bridge just beyond the guided walk's tea house, but they passed me again when I took some pictures. I stopped a while at MacKay Falls, which was one of the most beautiful falls I've seen, pouring through gracefully carved rocks lined with ferns. The hut warden had told us that even if we thought we had seen enough waterfalls to last a lifetime by now, this one was worth the short side trip.

There were plenty of fern trees along the track. We followed the river most of the way, until it became a lake. Then it was a river again. Much of the trail followed board walks over swampy areas, but there were some deep muddy sections where the trail crossed avalanche paths. Some of the avalanches are actually "tree avalanches", where a whole section of the trees which cling to each other's roots over the rocky cliffs gives way in a rain storm. The sun was bright, and for the first time on this walk, I used sunscreen.

I arrived at the lunch stop at Giant's Gate, a waterfall, at 12:30. There were some shelters here in case of rain, and a number of the independent walkers were gathered here. I was still ahead of most of the guided walkers. It was still an hour and a half to Sandfly Point, so it looked like I would make the 3 PM boat easily. However, my feet were becoming sore, since my boots never really dried out properly, and since I had to walk a total of 16 miles today because of my detour at the beginning. Mile markers along the track made it easy to monitor one's progress, so it was not hard to adjust the pace as needed. I was walking rather quickly toward the end.

I arrived at Sandfly Point at 2:15, with plenty of time to spare. There was a building here to wait in, and a sign hung with boots marking the end of the track, 33.5 miles from the start on Lake Te Anau. The boat arrived at 2:45. Most passengers on this one were guided walkers, since they started an hour behind. The boat ride across Milford Sound was spectacular, with clear views of the conical Mitre Peak, said to be the most-photographed mountain in New Zealand.

I was planning to stay at Milford Lodge, the budget accomodations in town, where I had reservations at the dormitory. They sent a van to meet the boat at the visitor's center. Two of us went to the dormitory, where we met another person, a German who had been diving in the sound. He said it was an interesting place to dive, because there are several meters of fresh water on top of the salt water, and many species of coral and other deep-sea life can be found surprisingly close to the surface. He also told me that he had walked the Hollyford Track, and enjoyed it because it was isolated and had lots of wildlife, such as penguins, along the coast. The Milford Track was a bit touristy and expensive for his tastes. A lot of people avoid it for that reason, and because it is so tightly controlled.

Milford is a tiny town, and the only things there are the Visitor's Center, Milford Hotel, and Milford Lodge, which is quite a way from the center of things, actually. The Lodge had meals starting at 6. This was good, since there was no store in town. I had fish and chips. After dinner, I played pool with the other tramper in my dorm, an Israeli named Orey (spelling?), and then took a walk down to Milford Hotel, about 20 minutes down the road. Some pretty purple flowers bloomed along the way. The sky was still clear at sunset. I was hoping sunset would be over the sound, but actually it was in a different direction. Still, it was very pretty, and I sat there until dusk, taking some pictures by the waterfront.

I walked back to the Lodge, stopping a while to look around the fancier Milford Hotel, which has a relatively expensive restaurant and bar. I talked to Orey in the common room for a while before going to bed at 10 PM. The generator is supposed to be turned off at 10:30, so there was no point staying up much longer.

Copyright Scott A. Yost, 1996. All rights reserved.