The icy, glacial beauty of the Milford Track has been described in hundreds of guide books and travel journals as ‘the finest walk in the world’. It is an accolade well-deserved and anyone who has trodden the much-visited yet carefully preserved trail cannot fail to be moved by its grandeur. On a tour of New Zealand, walking the Milford Track on the South Island is high up on the agenda of any keen rambler, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for some.

Long-renowned for its pastoral beauty and wide sweeping landscapes there is only one way to truly experience the best of New Zealand – walking. In tune with the abundant sights and sounds of nature, walking, or tramping as it is known colloquially in New Zealand, will melt even the hardest of hearts, and it is hard not to fall completely in love with the magical surrounds of the Milford Track.

To complete the entire trail from Glade Wharf to Milford Sound is a four-day trek, but the walking is considered ‘easy’ so can be completed comfortably by any reasonably fit person.

The trail can only be taken in one direction and the numbers of walkers is strictly limited in order to protect the delicate and diverse eco-systems which make up this region of New Zealand. Walking over the four days will take you through lush, cloistering beech forests; past crystal clear waterfalls; skirt eerie, other-worldly swamplands; and into granite walled gorges, the sheer faces of which soar up to impressive peaks.

The walk is basically divided into four stages, each of which should be covered in around six hours. Your introduction to the Milford Track will be a launch trip across Lake Te Anau and you will begin your walk from Glade Wharf. Setting off along a gentle meandering trail you cross the Clinton River and continue through the majestic beech forests. For the keen fishermen, the river offers ideal opportunities for trout fishing, a popular pastime made all the more enjoyable by the serene surrounds of New Zealand. Walking alongside the banks of the Clinton River affords spectacular and ever-changing vistas of the region’s peaks and glaciers and your first glimpse of Mackinnon Pass in the distance.

When, after an invigorating few hours walking through the forest, you arrive at Prairie Lakes, it is an almost startling contrast in the landscape, and you may be tempted into the glassy waters for a quick swim. The next leg of the Milford Track, upon re-entering the forest, wends its way across swing bridges and through low scrub before slowly beginning a gradual ascent to Lake Mintaro. From here you will begin your trek up, through, and out of Mackinnon Pass; your reward for your efforts being some of the most magnificent views in New Zealand. Walking beyond the Pass takes you once again into dense forests before encountering the spectacular natural phenomenon of time-worn Bell Rock – not to be missed.

As you reach the designated end of the Milford Track at Sandfly Point, the official sign is draped with abandoned walking boots – a symbolic sight, signifying a challenge set and met by the dedicated walkers.

Author Bio: Tony Maniscalco is the Sales and Marketing Manager for Ramblers Worldwide Holidays. Operating since 1946, they now offer over 250 guided group walking holidays in more than 90 different countries. While in New Zealand walking with Ramblers Worldwide Holidays, you can see the most scenic locations & landscapes at the best value prices.

Category: Travel
Keywords: New Zealand walking