We had enormous expectations for the Milford Track, often called the “Greatest Walk on Earth.” And, we were completely blown away. It is impossible to describe the overwhelming magnificence of MacKinnon Pass. Our best attempt is the video below, though even that fails to do the views justice.
What the video also cannot capture is just how close we came to missing it altogether.
Milford is unique in that the access points on both ends can only be reached by boat. In dangerous weather, the New Zealand Department of Conservation prohibits private operators from doing the drop-offs. Due to weather that one local dubbed the “worst May she’d ever seen,” Milford was officially closed day-after-day. And relentless rain stayed with us back in Te Anau after the Kepler Track.
When the Department of Conservation finally re-opened the track on May 15th, and with sunshine forecast a few days out, we took a chance. The dock at Milford’s start was completely submerged by the overflowing lake, waterfalls thundered down every rock surface, and newly-fallen snow glinted white far below the tree line.
The first day, we walked in rain. The second, the clouds slowly cleared. We fell asleep anticipating the possibility of a brilliant day on the pass.
On the morning of MacKinnon Pass, we climbed into an impenetrable cloud. A total whiteout met us at the pass. Utter disappointment.
After ten days of clouds, it seemed like a long shot. But we waited to see if the weather might catch up to the forecast.
A hint of a mountain peak. A dark shadow in the white void.
We waited.
Then suddenly, out of the white nothingness, an ocean of snowcapped peaks in every direction, hanging magically above beds of mist and set against brilliant blue skies. A view of a lifetime.
Forged by glaciers, Milfords mountains are dramatic sheer cliffs, described by one early explorer as “truly the region of the perpendicular.”
And, we had it all to ourselves. In high season, Milford huts sleep 40 each night. We shared it with only four souls. Before we started, the track was closed due to weather. For days after, no one could start because the private operator’s skipper had a wedding he couldn’t miss. So, we had unimaginable solitude. We soaked in MacKinnon Pass for three hours, seeing no sign of other life but the tracks of a New Zealand weka in the snow.
Photos
