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Milford Track Day 3: Mintaro Hut to Dumpling Hut

April 27, 2015June 11, 2019, Hiking New Zealand New Zealand Great Walks Oceania Photography Round The World Trip Travel
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This post is part of a series called 8 Great Walks in New Zealand
Show More Posts
  • Round The World Trip Destination Wish #3: Great Walks in New Zealand
  • Milford Track Booked For April 2015
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  • Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk Day 1: Onepoto to Panekire Hut
  • Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk Day 2: Panekire Hut to Waiopaoa Hut
  • Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk Day 3: Waiopaoa Hut to Marauiti Hut
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  • Wellington, Christchurch, Mount Cook, and Queenstown, In Between Great Walks
  • Routeburn Track Day 1: Routeburn Shelter to Routeburn Falls Hut
  • Routeburn Track Day 2: Routeburn Falls Hut to Lake Mackenzie Hut
  • Routeburn Track Day 3: Lake Mackenzie Hut to The Divide
  • Milford Track Day 1: Glade Wharf to Clinton Hut
  • Milford Track Day 2: Clinton Hut to Mintaro Hut
  • Milford Track Day 3: Mintaro Hut to Dumpling Hut
  • Milford Track Day 4: Dumpling Hut to Sandfly Point
  • Te Anau, In Between Great Walks
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  • In Review: 69 Days of Backpacking in New Zealand

Part of the New Zealand Great Walks Journal
Previous entry: Day 2 – Clinton Hut to Mintaro Hut

Journal entry for April 11, 2015
Distance Hiked: 14.0 km

The night was slightly colder than the previous one. My old down sleeping bag has compartments where there’s almost no down feathers in them, and on cold nights I can really feel it. There was a kid in the hut who was having dreams or nightmares and was screaming really loud.

When I woke up at 7 everyone else was already up. I made an effort to be on the trail by 8 since it seemed like it could be a long day with the 1.5-hour side trip to Sutherland Falls.

Morning view from Mintaro Hut, Milford Track
Morning view from Mintaro Hut, Milford Track
Mintaro Hut, Milford Track
Mintaro Hut, Milford Track

While there was still no rain, it was very cloudy and foggy in the morning. I started hiking with down jacket and gloves on, but soon warmed up going up to Mackinnon Pass. The ascent wasn’t too bad. It was super foggy and windy at the top. My thermometer indicated 4°C.

Milford Track elevation profile (source: www.doc.govt.nz)
Milford Track elevation profile
Milford Track
Milford Track
Going up to Mackinnon Pass, Milford Track
Going up to Mackinnon Pass, Milford Track

There’s a memorial up at the pass for Quintin McKinnon (I don’t know why they spell the pass differently), the surveyor who first discovered this walking route from Lake Te Anau to Milford Sound.

Mackinnon Pass Memorial, Milford Track
Mackinnon Pass Memorial, Milford Track
Mackinnon Pass Memorial, Milford Track
Mackinnon Pass Memorial, Milford Track

It was very special seeing the clouds and fog move so fast because of strong winds. I stayed at the memorial with Dor (the guy from Israel) for a while, hoping that the clouds would soon clear to finally give us views of the surrounding mountains. I was freezing after 10 minutes and decided to move on.

On the other side of the pass is a shelter, and there was another example of the segregation on the trail.

Segregation on the Milford Track
Segregation on the Milford Track

There are two ways to do the Milford Track. One is to do it independently while staying in huts, the other way is through guided groups by the company Ultimate Walks. At over 2,000 NZD per person, hikers get all of their meals cooked for them, and stay in private lodges with hot showers and regular beds. I don’t have a problem with people wanting to pay so much for added comfort, I’m sure hardcore mountaineers might feel that staying in huts like I was doing is too easy and luxurious. So it’s all relative. But I don’t like this flat-out segregation in a shelter, as if they just couldn’t mix with us “regular” hikers.

After lunch at the shelter, the clouds finally cleared, so Dor, Anna, and I made the 10-minute trek back to the pass to enjoy the views.

Views from Mackinnon Pass, Milford Track
Views from Mackinnon Pass, Milford Track
Views from Mackinnon Pass, Milford Track
Views from Mackinnon Pass, Milford Track
Views from Mackinnon Pass, Milford Track
Views from Mackinnon Pass, Milford Track

The trail starts to descent from the pass, passing through a few streams and small waterfalls. The steeper sections all have stairs and boardwalk for the hiker’s convenience. I still had to concentrate with each step, and make sure I didn’t re-injure my knee.

Waterfall, Milford Track
Waterfall, Milford Track
Wooden stairs, Milford Track
Wooden stairs, Milford Track

I stopped at Quintin Shelter to eat a snack, and have some free coffee offered there. Maybe they were provided by the Ultimate Walks company, which owns the nearby hut? Maybe they are not that elitist after all?

Quentin Shelter, Milford Track
Quentin Shelter, Milford Track

From the shelter is about a 45-minute walk to Sutherland Falls. As usual I don’t like to read about a place or look at pictures before a visit, as I don’t like to form high expectations. I had no idea about Sutherland Falls but when I saw it I was more than impressed. At 580 meters, I would have hiked three days just to see these falls. The weather and lighting were also perfect by the time we got there. Thirty minutes before that the sun was still too strong.

Anna looking at Sutherland Falls, Milford Track
Anna looking at Sutherland Falls, Milford Track
Sutherland Falls, Milford Track
Sutherland Falls, Milford Track
Sutherland Falls, Milford Track
Sutherland Falls, Milford Track

Back at Quintin Shelter, it was another 45-minutes to Dumpling Hut, the end of the third day on the Milford Track.

Arriving at Dumpling Hut, Milford Track
Arriving at Dumpling Hut, Milford Track

The hut has four separate bunk rooms, each with 10 beds. I shared one with the seven Australians.

As I finished the third day, I felt very lucky to have gotten no rain at all thus far. But that was certainly going to change on the following day. Jen the hut ranger told us that rain (and maybe even hail) was coming for sure that night. She also told us that some sections on the track were prone to flooding, so if it rained strongly throughout the night, she would wake us all up at 6am, so we could be out by 7 to try to go through those sections before the flooding got too severe.


More info:
NZ Department of Conservation’s brochure and video for this walk.


Next entry: Day 4 – Dumpling Hut to Sandfly Point
Part of the New Zealand Great Walks Journal

Posted in Travel, Hiking, Photography, Round The World Trip, New Zealand, New Zealand Great Walks, Oceania
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kevinstravel

Rough race and not the result I was looking for. W Rough race and not the result I was looking for. Was targeting a sub 2:55 but finished in 3:31. It felt hard from the start and had stomach issues later on. Still proud of the effort and finish.
2 more days 2 more days
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