Milford Track – 4 Day Great Walk
Day 3 : Mintaro Hut to Dumpling Hut via Mackinnon Pass
Incl. side trail to Sutherland Falls
19.00km. 5hrs 52min. 800m Elev. Gain
Leaving Mintaro Hut; another early start, we are on the track again by 7:30am for the biggest day of the four and the climb up and over Mackinnon Pass.
The first section of the hike took just under an hour as we hiked upward and through the most incredible green forest. Conditions were good and the gradient steep enough to keep us working hard and stying warm.
I loved that climb (and I don’t say that often!). All of the recent strength work paying off as we scooted past other hikers, my knee injury going completely unnoticed, even on Day 3 and under the weight of a heavy pack.
55 minutes after leaving Mintaro, just when the views should have come into sight, we hit cloud… thick soupy cloud…. and there was nothing to see! Fortunate and grateful that a little further on we struck some windier conditions which pushed the cloud around and gifted us a couple of brief glimpses across the valley and down into Clinton Canyon. Heart stopping. The absolute enormity of it really hits you, the mountain on which we stood, every inch of it is just amazing.
We reached the Quintin McKinnon Memorial after 1:11:11 (I know this as we often play a game during hikes, trying to catch our Garmin watches on the same or sequential numbers). There were no ‘awe-inspiring panoramas’, only bitter coldness that stings every part of your body if you stand still. We managed a couple of quick photos at the Memorial before our jerseys, jackets, hats, gloves and all the things went back on.
Onward to the Mackinnon Pass Shelter and the highest point of the Milford Track – 1,154m and just a short walk from the Memorial. If we squinted hard we could make out the outline of the mountains across the valley but it was too cold to sit and wait for substantial change. Mackinnon Shelter providing an escape from the wind and a chance to thaw our faces.
The next section would be mostly downhill. We were alerted by the Ranger the night before that the main track would be closed and all hikers would be diverted along the Avalanche Emergency Track. Apparently it is slightly shorter but steeper than the main decent. So from the Shelter we began and the first thing I noticed was the change in fauna and the beautiful alpine garden that lined the sie of the track. We stuck to the main route for a while before coming to the Emergency Track detour. I learned quickly that my knee was fine going uphill, but down was a completely different story. After straining it on a rather large step down, I took things far more cautiously.
The cloud started to lift leaving a brilliant blue sky. Had we left the Hut later this morning, we might have timed better views on the pass, but we also wanted to fit the Sutherland Falls detour in, so it was a matter of prioritising one over the other. Or doing the Memorial at the end of Day 2 like it was recommended. Darn it.
We hiked past waterfalls and rivers, across swing bridges and finally onto Quintin Shelter. There we stopped for lunch and left our packs to make the side trip to Sutherland Falls a little lighter and easier. Unfortunately that meant we left our insect repellant behind too…
The out and back track to Sutherland Falls added 4.5km to our journey (2.25km each way). The track starts deceivingly flat before turning into a rough trail with a quite a few inconsistent steps. Approximately half the distance is runnable (if you are that way inclined) with the stairs and rocks slowing you to a walk in parts, and a steeper climb onto the upper terrace. The return journey is obviously easier and quicker. We were grateful to be pack-less. Nathan especially as he’d chosen this section for his Streak Saver run, realising the difficulty too late.
The 580m multi-step falls is the highest waterfall in New Zealand. Falling from Lake Quill in three cascades, and given it’s remoteness, I’m so glad we took this side trip to experience another unique pice of New Zealand’s outdoors. Images just don’t do it justice.
Any protection from sandflies we’d left behind at the shelter, so we stayed as long as we could bear their pesky bites before escaping that torture and making our way back to the main trail. Reunited with our packs (insect spray and head nets) we hit the track with all skin covered for the last push onto to Dumpling Hut.
The only hut on and visible from the main track, Dumpling is set at the foot of the hills and just a few meters from the path. Featuring 4 bunkrooms, a shared toilet block and a large welcoming kitchen/dining facility, it was also home to a number of Weka who paced back and forth between the buildings, hoping someone would drop a few crumbs for them to feast on. We spent most of our time here indoors, to escape the hordes of hungry sandflies trying to feast on us!
Nath and I spent some time in the ‘lounge’ soaking up the stories and history adorning the walls here. A rich and detailed collection of newspaper clippings and photographs, sharing first person accounts of exploring the remote land of Milford, and the challenges of building both the track and the huts in this secluded place. Our favourite was the humorous backstory of the discovery and naming of Sutherland Falls, discovered by John Mackay and Donald Sutherland (unlucky there Mackay!)
One more section and we will have completed the Milford Track.
