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On The Milford Track
Access is very carefully controlled by the New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC) in order to preserve the wilderness state of the area.
There are two ways to walk the track: guided walks and independent tramping.
On a guided walk, all your meals are cooked for you and you will sleep in relative comfort in huts apart from the independent trampers. You do not carry a pack except possibly a day pack with a snack, camera gear and any other personal gear you might want throughout the day. You will be with a group of about 20 others and before and after each day's walk your guides will give a lecture pertaining to the local flora and fauna and other things of interest on the track. The cost for this service is, of course, greater than the independent walk, but not prohibitively so.
Whether you go on the guided walk or the independent tramping will depend on your own needs and personal preferences.
On an independent walk, you will be in a group of about 30 others, but you will not necessarilly have to walk with the group. You may proceed at your own pace, so long as you make it to the evening's destination. You will, of course, meet a lot of very nice folks that you probably will want to get to know, and, therefore, you might want to walk along with someone in your group. The independent tramping is the way I chose to go. You have to carry a backpack containing everything you will be eating and using on the track. Everything that is carried in must be brought out, every scrap of paper, every empty container, etc. At the DOC huts where you will be spending the nights, there are limited disposal facilities. Any rubbish generated along the track must be carried to the next hut or on to Sandfly Point.
Trampers may travel from Te Anau to the track beginning point by bus to Te Anau Downs and
by launch from there to Glade Wharf.
An alternative means of travel, the one I chose, is to go with Skipper Murray Cardno
on The Little Ship Manuska. The cost is a few dollars more, but far from prohibitive
and WELL WORTH it. Skipper Murray is very knowledgable of Lake Te Anau and the
Manuska is clean and comfortable. In fact, the ride from Te Anau to Glade on the
Manuska was one of the most memorable parts of my Milford experience and I very highly
recommend it. The following pictures are from this "leg" of the trip.
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"Little Ship Manuska" anchored at Te Anau |
Skipper Murray stopped a couple of times for
"swim call". The water was COLD, but
invigorating, refreshing and delightful.
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| We stopped at a beach and did a little "beachcombing" and exploring |
Jennifer Kopp from Me on the beach Philo, CA enjoys a walk on the beach |
Milford
Track
Map (left)
and
topographic
chart
(right)
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The track begins at Glade Wharf and winds along the Clinton River about 4 miles to the first night's stop at Clinton Hut. |
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The walk from Glade Wharf to Clinton Hut is a short one, about 4 miles. The two of us on "Manuska" walked it in about an hour. It was rather uneventful, though we walked through some lovely woods alongside the Clinton River. The only disadvantage that I could tell from taking the "Manuska" to Glade Wharf was that we were the last to arrive and all the best sleeping accomodations were taken and we had to settle for upper bunks. A small price to pay.
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