Clinton Hut to Mintaro Hut

I was the first one on the track, about 6:15 AM. I wanted to enjoy the early morning light as well as the solitude of walking alone. This was my pattern all 3 mornings on the track. Later in the day, other trampers would overtake me and I'd often walk along with them for awhile, enjoying the company and getting to know some VERY nice people, some of whom I still correspond with. (Note the New Zealand flag on one side of my pack, I had a US flag on the other side)

From Clinton Hut, the track begins to slope upward, gradually at first but increasing further on. It's not a really difficult walk, but I would definitely recommend being in shape and prepared for it. The tramper in the picture on the left is Agnes, a lady from Germany.

Along the track can be seen many small birds such as the fantail (shown here) and another called a tomtit. Fantails can hover in midair, catching insects on the wing. As we walked along the track, we stirred up the insect population and the fantails eagerly capitalized on the bounty. They're very friendly little rascals, not at all shy with their newfound human friends.

Waterfalls are a common sight along the track, varying from small runoff creeks from the snowpacks in the mountains to the Sutherland Falls, the highest in New Zealand, and McKay Falls. (More on these falls later). This is Hirere Falls.

McKinnon Pass loomed ahead of us almost the entire 2nd day of tramping. The highest point at McKinnon pass is 3,785 ft. (1,154 meters).

About 1/2 way to Mintaro Hut, there's a nice pool for swimming, just above Lost Lakes. Lost Lakes looks more inviting, but the DOC Ranger warned us that it's full of eels, and "...they're NOT very nice fellows...". I had thought the water in Lake Te Anau was cold, but it was a warm spa in comparison to this pool. The water was running directly off the snow pack above the cliffs. It sure felt good on a pair of tired feet, though, once I got used to it!

A mile or so past this pool is a rest stop called "The Bus Stop". No matter how tired you are or how long you wait, the bus just ain't gonna show up!

Other birds one might encounter on the track are the WEKA and the KEA. The kea is a mountain parrot and is probably one of the world's best animal thieves. They'll carry off anything they can get a beak on, and destroy almost anything else. I once saw a pair of keas tear the windshield wipers off a car near Homer Tunnel, on the road to Milford Sound, and remove some chrome strips from it. The bird pictured here is a weka. This one was hanging around Mintaro Hut hoping to beg a morsel of food. (On the Queen Charlotte Track a couple of weeks later, a weka bit my toe as I was going for a swim). The weka is a flightless bird that many NZ visitors (tourists) mistake for a KIWI, New Zealand's national bird. Actually, the kiwi, being a nocturnal creature, is rarely seen in the wild. There was a pair of them nesting near Clinton Hut and they could be heard late at night, but they are very shy and even if one felt inclined to go looking, they would quickly head for the bush.

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