My wife Joanna and I recently hiked the Milford Track in the heart of the Fiordland National Park in the South Island of New Zealand. We had gone to New Zealand mainly to visit our three-year old grandson. But when you get that far, you might as well explore the place a little. Plus, in December, you get the benefit of at least a 15-hour day--it being Summer and all. So, partaking on a little 40+ mile jaunt for the two of us was a no-brainer, right? Or was it a hair-brainer? (Photo: Crossing the Clinton River, Day One.)

The Milford Track (track is Kiwi for trail) is known as one of the most beautiful hikes (Kiwi: tramps or walks) in the world. It used to be used by early Māoris to transport takiwai, a highly prized and rare form of greenstone. We opted to go with a private company called Ultimate Hikes, which transports you and your 48 fellow trampers to the Track from Queenstown, and then guides you over about 33.5 miles (40+ total miles of hiking, including the side hikes) in four days, while staying in three lodges. (As an aside, according to Wikipedia, “the fastest known completion of the trail and record is by British ultramarathon, trail and mountain runner Ajay Hanspal in 5 hours and 19 minutes and 33 seconds set on 18th November 2023.”)

The trek is only one way, South to North. Trampers cross numerous suspension bridges over roaring rivers and creeks, while walking through exotic beech tree rainforests, flanked by towering mountain peaks where torrents of water come cascading down the steeply lush mountainsides. Think Yosemite Valley-lite, but with none of the terrifying traffic or hordes of humans. Oh, and since the area receives an average of seven meters of annual rainfall (about 300 inches!), expect to get wet.

We stayed at the company’s three lodges along the track, all of which had fantastic accommodations. Incidentally, there are other ways of hiking the track, where you can stay in huts along the way, dormitory-style. And since you have to bring most of your gear, and it is run by New Zealand’s Department of Conservation (which also maintains the track), the trip is significantly less expensive. But, because you have to lug your own gear, including sleeping bag, food for four days, utensils, etc.,etc., we were not at all interested in going that route. These days, lugging 40 or 50 pounds on our backs is a hard no. So, we opted for the “Ultimate” version.

Since we knew the track was going to be a total of 40 miles in four days, we had to get in shape well before the start. Also, we knew that we would still have to carry around 15 or so pounds on our backs. This was a major concern for us because we had not come close to that kind of high impact mileage on foot for years. (Photo: Joanna on the South Kaibab Trail in the Grand Canyon.)

We took it seriously, and started a training regimen about three months prior to the hike. We went down to Arizona and hiked around the Grand Canyon and Sedona. Also, just before the trek, we hiked amongst some gorgeous mountains in the Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park in NZ.

However, as soon as I began training in September (an easy-ish hike at Skyline Park), I started getting serious inflammation in my left knee. I went to see my doctor, and the X-rays found that I had mild arthritis. That made it even more worrisome, because we had paid quite a lot of money for this trip. If I cancelled now, would I get the money back from our trip insurance? Worse: would I ever be able to hike again, something I loved and had been doing since I was two? The stress was starting to mount. Luckily, there were several helpful things one could do to mitigate the inflammation, such as lose weight, use hiking poles, pop a few anti-inflammatories, and use my glutes more as I walked. (Photo: The beginning.)

We arrived in Queenstown on December 17th, the day before the Track/Trek/Walk/Hike. We met up with our group and guides to go over the itinerary for the next few days, and to ask any questions we had. The next day, we 49 hikers and four 20-something young guides left early on a bus, and drove about three hours to Lake Te Anau, where we boarded a large boat to ferry us several miles to the start of the track. We now had no internet or cell phone access with the outside world. Hurray!

After disembarking, we gathered all our gear (our packs indeed did weigh about 16 pounds), and walked a whopping one mile through a beautiful beech forest to our first lodge. Since it was still pretty early in the day, our guides split us up into groups and took us around the area for a three-mile “nature walk,” to help us get a lay of the land, and probably to give the guides an opportunity to see who might be in shape--or not. (Photo: An aerial view of our first lodge, courtesy of Ultimate Hikes.)

We could see that among our fellow walkers, I was the clan elder (I am 67-years old). Amazingly, there were several families with children, the youngest being ten. Well then, if a ten-year-old can do ten miles, we can do it. I also noticed that we weren’t the only ones nervous about the length of each day’s hikes. Much nervous chatter about the possibility of bad weather and long mileage spread across the dining area that first evening.

The lodges were quite lovely. We had a large area for gathering together, with large comfy couches, chairs, and tables for playing games, or in our case, on which to place our wine or beer glasses. Adjacent to that, there was a large dining room area, where our 3-course dinners were served. Did I mention the bar? Oh yes, as an extra bonus we could buy lovely Kiwi wines or beer. (Photo: The lush beech tree rainforest of the Milford Track.)

In the morning, we had a choice of a hot and/or cold breakfast. They also had a large spread of meats, breads, and veggies to prepare our lunch for the day. My wife is vegan, and she had planty of great options at every meal.

The rooms were quite nice too. A few slept six people, dormitory style. Joanna and I opted for a private room with two separate beds, and a private bathroom, which had some of the best hot showers we've ever had.

The next day, clouds had come in and it was forecast to be rainy throughout the day. We had a ten-mile hike to the next lodge, mainly along the Clinton River. I've made a six-minute video of the trek, which you can see here. It gives you a sense of the lush rainforests and gorgeous waterfalls that we passed through. (Photo: Joanna and the author at a clearing on the track.)

When we came to an opening in the forest, both sides of the mountains that hovered over us were gushing with dozens of cascades and waterfalls. There were the occasional dreaded sandflies, a miniscule mosquito-like creature that bites your skin, drawing blood in order to nourish the eggs that the female lays. It took a couple of days before I had my first bite. Some people were highly allergic to the bites, which created large welts on their hands, legs, or face. I was lucky: for me, they only itched like crazy.

We were on the lookout for many duck species, such as mallards, grey ducks, and the large paradise shelduck, the females of which have a distinctive white head. If we were lucky, we might spot the takahe, an endangered bird thought to have gone extinct a few decades ago. And then perhaps we might spot a kea. It’s a species of parrot that is also endangered. They are large, green birds and are considered one of the most intelligent birds in the world. (Photo: A kea in flight, courtesy of Reddit/CountryManR60.)

Needless to say, when we arrived at the lodge that second day, we were drenched from head to foot. None of our waterproof gear, that is, raincoat, rain pants, and boots worked in such heavy rain over several hours. But the great part about the lodges was that they had special heated rooms where you could dry things: one room for hanging your clothing, and another room for your gear. We learned however, that although things became moderately dry, it wouldn’t matter because the next day the wetness of your entire body would be replenished.

After an incredible hot shower, it was wonderful to join the other travelers (who hailed from various parts of the planet) in the large gathering room to discuss the day’s adventure over a lovely glass of New Zealand pinot or beer (or two, or three). We also discussed the next day’s nine-mile adventure that switched-back up and then down a total of 2600 feet in elevation gain/loss—in the pouring rain.

Part Two will be published in the next newsletter (here is the link to the that article). If you have any questions about the Milford Track, please email me at napavalleysierraclub@gmail.com. Thanks!