Rain & the Milford Track

There might be a day or two delay until the next blog (still 2 or 3 to catch up on from Milford), we're on the move again & I'm unsure if I'll have reception- the latest two should keep you going :)


I’ve read it so many times over the years & heard it from various people. “You must see Milford in the rain, it’s a whole different experience”.

Yes, it would be nice to see Milford in the rain, but not on the one & only day that I had pre-booked an organised trip. We wanted to walk part of the Milford Track known as “the finest walk in the world”.

To walk the 53.5km, four day Milford Track, one of New Zealand's Great Walks, you would have had to book many months in advance. This is because its so popular and also because only 40 people per day are permitted to start the walk; there are only that number of bunks available at each of the huts en-route. The track starts at Glade Wharf on Lake Te Anau and ends at Sandfly Point, Milford Sound.

Our walk was from the end of the track into Giants Gate and then we’d retrace ours steps back to Sandfly Point, an 11km return tramp. It was only possible to do this with the one company that has a concession to do day walks from the Milford end of the track, "Trips 'n Tramps". I had booked it before we left Manapouri knowing that there would be no cell phone reception on the Milford Road.

We were booked to meet the guide at Milford Lodge carpark at 8am, an hours drive from Cascade Creek so we were up bright & early or should I say pitch black, cold, wet & early. There was a light drizzle falling when we pulled out of the still dark campground and it rained on and off all the way to Milford where we met Anna and another couple who were going to be on the walk with us.

We climbed on board a small boat in the carpark of Deep Water Basin. There are no marinas here, the boat was backed down the boat ramp & into the water with us aboard ready for the short ride across the Basin to Sandfly Point where we clambered onto a rocky & slippery jetty and gathered out of the now steady rain under the roof of the Milford Track Shelter. After completing the walk, this is where trampers gather to wait for their boat ride over to Milford.

Lady Bowen Falls can be seen as we leave Milford Village

From here we begin our walk which follows along the Arthur River then passes Lake Ada and continues on to Giants Gate with it’s beautiful waterfall and swingbridge. The rain was steady all the way to the Gate leaving little opportunity for me to get my camera out. With the low cloud and heavy rain there were no views of the surrounding mountains anyway and in fact if we hadn’t been told about them we wouldn’t have known that they surrounded us.   Not before time we reached Giants Gate and even though we all had good wet weather gear on, everybody was more or less soaked. I grabbed some quick photos of the waterfall & bridge and not succeeding in sheltering my lens from the rain; most of my photos have cloudy spots over them.   

The others had continued on over the bridge & just off the track to the shelter for a welcome cup of hot coffee (which Anna had carried in) & a bite to eat. While we were there the Day 4 trampers started arriving from the other direction. They had to pace themselves on this leg as the boat to take them to Milford arrives at 2pm. Get to the end too early and they’d have to wait awhile. We spoke to a couple that shared our bench. A sister & brother in their mid forties accompanying their father who was celebrating his 70th birthday by walking the Track. They were by themselves as their father had carried on walking, he had not wanted to stop as he thought he might not be able to start again. They had found it hard & their father even more so, every bone in his body ached and he felt he hadn’t slept in days. But at least he could cross the Milford Track off his “Bucket List”

Before long it was time to head back down the track, the rain still heavy and getting heavier by the minute. I grabbed a few more shots as our party crossed back over the bridge then wrapped up my camera in the dry-bag (thanks Rach & Cam) and tucked it away in my pack.

I had to get it out again not too soon afterwards to grab a shot of a marker post- 4kms to go, and a photo of an old mug & boot hanging on a telephone wire support. Back when the track was first formed, this was the only walking route into Milford and originally it was going to be a road. Telephone cables were used to communicate with the work huts located along the track. Of course the road never eventuated.

For the rest of the walk it was head down & bum up, by now the rain was torrential, dry rocky creek beds we had crossed on the way in were now flowing swiftly and the track was afloat with water 2-3 inches deep. Where before we had been gingerly stepping around puddles in the vain attempt to keep out boots reasonably dry we were now ploughing through rivers of water keen to get back to Sandfly Point & our boat.

The sound of the waterfalls now surrounding us was deafening, everywhere you looked water was gushing over the edges and thundering down the sides of the mountains. I took the photo on the left on the way up when we stopped to look at Lake Ada, the photo on the right is of the same rock face on our return.

Back at the shelter where quite a number of the trampers now had over an hours wait for their boat(some had passed us on the way down) we quickly boarded our waiting boat and headed back to Milford and our car. We threw as much of our wet gear as we could get off into the back of the ute, wrapped ourselves up in towels & dry clothes as best we could with it still torrential outside and headed back up the highway and into a magnificent sight.

The mountains on all sides were alive with waterfalls which were gushing down every available slope, everywhere you looked there were white ribbons of water. Around every corner were more and more and all I could say was “Wow, WOW, look, LOOK, look at that, look over there”. Poor David had to keep one eye on the road and the other on approaching cars who were also awe struck with spectacle & driving slowly. With not too much traffic on the road we were able to slow right down on occasions so I could grab a shot our the window.

When I knew we were getting close to The Chasm carpark I quickly suggested David pull in so we could have a coffee & a sandwich before carrying on, and I’d also be able to get out and take some of the rock face behind the park.

I wondered why there were a few people with cameras walking along the front of the cars in the rain and then realised with great delight they were photographing a kea! Great, my very first wild kea!. Even if a tarseal carpark wasn't quite a natural environment.

And what a little rascal he was. He was looking for an easy meal ticket, he wasn’t here the other day when we stopped and I had asked a few people on our travels if they’d seen any kea and none had, although we’d seen four flying around far above us when we were in the Homer Tunnel rock garden. On a fine day he was out in the sun soaring the skies, on a wet day he’d come to the carpark to beg, clever little fellow.

Kea are the world's only alpine parrot and are renowned for their intelligent & inquisitive nature. They have learnt long ago that humans will feed them if they look cute enough. Humans should not feed them & there are signs to say so but you know humans, they can’t help themselves. In the car beside us a woman was throwing out bits of bread which the kea was eagerly collecting. That was until a guide in a tour bus frowned at her and told her to stop and they drove away.

So what did the kea do? He flew right on up onto our roof to see if we had anything to give him. David went into panic mode “get that bird off my roof!” as the kea bounded across with his hob-nail boots from side to side. As most New Zealanders know, & more than a few tourists, keas are known to love destroying things and in particular anything rubber. When left to their own devices they can cause a whole heap of expense & much damage by pulling window seals out and wiper blades off. I went close and shooed him off although I was a little wary of that beak, he was more interested in the camera I was holding maybe he could see his reflection.

It was still raining and by now, my dry clothes were once again wet so I climbed back in the car when, who should appear at my window, the kea! I wound it down to get a shot and I honestly thought he was going to jump on in and join us! He has a good look round and especially at the lunch box on the console between us. I quickly pushed the window button back up and he realised that he wasn’t going to get anything here and flew off to another car that had just arrived.

We pulled back onto the road and drove slowly on and up to the Homer Tunnel, still marvelling at the sheets of water & waterfalls cascading down from everywhere. No worries today waiting six minutes for the lights to change at the tunnel, I got out for some more shots. And what do you know, another kea approached us from the opposite side of the road ("Tickets, please"). Two keas in one day, both looking for handouts. They know what side of the bread the butter's on. The lights changed before he got too close and we were off.

 

 

 

We might not have seen the Milford Track in all its glory but we still had a magical experience and one not too many people will have seen. If I hadn’t booked the walk we would have stayed in all day and look what we would have missed; a gazillion waterfalls & two cheeky parrots! Magic!

Gertrude Saddle

I knew of another location where we might find the, so far elusive, rock wren which failed to materialize at the Rock Garden beside the Homer Tunnel. The Gertrude Saddle is at the head of a short & spectacular valley enclosed on three sides by sheer near vertical mountains & is just before the Homer Tunnel.

The walk over the saddle is for experienced alpine trampers only, the route is not easy to follow as there are only a few markers posts above the bush line and it’s especially difficult towards the end where there are huge boulders to get over and around & steep rock slabs to climb with the aid of steel cables. The attraction at the top of the saddle are the Black Lake & on a clear day, Milford Sound can be seen.

But I was going to be OK, I only wanted to walk to the bottom of the saddle at the top of the valley. It was here that there was another population of rock wrens & I was hoping I might be able to spot one or two. David decided after yesterday’s walk to Key Summit he’d take a break this time, his knees were still complaining, so we parked in the carpark and I left him for the next three hours, scouting around in the bush surrounding the gravel park for birds & waiting for me to return.

The first section of the track nearly had me beat, clambering up a rocky & dry river bed following sparsely placed locator poles, I thought if this was how it was going to be all the way it would wear me out, especially carrying my heavy camera (which I always have nestled in the crook of my arm). But it soon broke out onto a flat area and then passed into a short section of bush.

Once out of the bush I had a clear view of the valley ahead of me and the sheer size & scale of the mountains surrounding it. This walk was by far my most enjoyed walk while in Milford (and such a pity David wasn’t there to share it), the scenery was once again jaw droppingly spectacular!

The track followed along the edge of a dry boulder strewn riverbed. Though not a river at all but obviously a snow melt water course with the odd avalanche thrown in for good measure by the look of the washouts here and there. There was a track to follow with marker posts but it was dug narrow & deep with lots of twists & turns around the rocks in the spongy undergrowth and very hard to walk in.

I kept an eye on a lone walker ahead of me which made it easier to know where the track was heading and also gave me scale in my photos. I passed quite a number of groups returning down the valley, some had been to the top and others had turned around at the head of the valley where the sheer cliffs rose. By now the clouds had settled in over the saddle so even if I was to climb to the top I wouldn’t get to see much.

After awhile I was back into the open again, more scree than boulders and getting closer to where I could see another large “rock garden” where the wrens were located. I knew I was getting closer, as like the Homer Tunnel area, there were plenty of predator trap boxes laid.

I scanned the rocks below the saddle (which is to the left of the valley head) to see if I could locate where the track went and spotted a couple of “tiny dots” people trying to get up the rock slabs. I’ve blown this up so you see them (look for the red at the right hand base of the rock face). I also spotted another couple of groups making there way back down.

The track was getting more difficult now, more a mass of rocks that you had to manoeuvre around or over and as the sun had long dropped behind the range & the cloud was rolling in I decided I shouldn't leave it too long before I returned to the carpark.

 

Looking back down the valley towards the carpark.  Rock cairns help pinpoint the track.

 

But not before I found a rock to sit on while I searched with my binoculars for about 20 minutes looking for a rock wren.  But not a rock wren in sight once again, all I found were bloody chaffinches! Chaffinches? What the heck are they doing living in an alpine rock garden. I've heard that sometimes you have to wait for over an hour before spotting rock wren, if I had come earlier & David wasn't waiting for me, I probably would have stayed for at least that long. But it wasn't to be.

I called David up on the walkie-talkie to say I was on my back down (we use them to keep in touch on walks in the open-  they don’t transmit in the bush so well) & probably about an hour away and just as I stepped back onto the track I spotted…....….no not a wren (wish it was) but the last of the Mt Cook Lily (actually a giant buttercup) in flower. I’d been hoping I would see some when we were in the mountains but it is getting very late in the season and so far I’d only seen clumps of dried & dying leaves and collapsed stems. Small consolation but at least I didn’t leave empty handed.

 

 

Homer Tunnel & the Road To Milford

The next day was another stunning one and we decided to head off to the “rock garden” beside the entrance to the Homer Tunnel. We were on a mission; to see if we could locate the Rock Wren- Piwauwau. The rock wren is slightly larger than the Rifleman and similar looking with long legs & a short tail. It is NZ’s only true alpine bird, it lives above the bush line and in various pockets of the Southern Alps of the South Island. A small population is known to exist in the rock garden beside the entrance to the Homer Tunnel.

But before we reached the tunnel our first stop along the road, along with a few dozen others, was at Monkey Creek. This is one of the stopping points for the tour buses and while we were there at least 3 buses pulled in. The 360 degree views of the Upper Hollyford Valley from this advantage point were fantastic. Down by Monkey Creek are a number stone cairns, most of the people on the buses rushed down to fill their drink bottles with the crystal clear water when they arrived (obviously this is mentioned in their itinerary).

Back on the road, the views are jaw droppingly spectacular and I spent the whole road trip going “wow, wow, look at that, OMG….”. At every turn in the road the near vertical towering rock faces of the mountains rose straight up beside us.

We parked in the large gravel car park beside the east entrance to the Homer Tunnel and followed the nature walk track up through the alpine vegetation and the huge boulders & rocks that litter the area, it’s in amongst these that the rock wren live.

This "little" valley with its snow melt waterfall tumbling over the cliff face at the back isn’t quite as small as it looks. In the second photo, see if you can spot the two people ahead of me, look for a spot of red.

 

 

We stayed in the area scanning for the wrens for over an hour but sadly we were unable to locate any. There were also no keas on the ground(they are known to frequent the area) but we did watch a group of 4 soaring and squawking around high overhead.  We stopped again on another day but were still unable to find any wrens. I took the photo below looking back down the Upper Hollyford Valley, David is in the first photo searching over that side, see if you find the little black dot (bottom centre). I reckon he looks like Sasquatch (Big Foot) in the second one.

Huge boulders, sheer rock faces- Homer Saddle.

After giving up on the wrens we decided to take a run through to Milford just because it was such a brilliant day and you never know when the weather might turn. We lined up in the queue at the entrance to the tunnel waiting for the lights to change. The Homer Tunnel is  945m above sea level & is 1270m long with a gradient of 1 in 10 as it drops towards Milford.

More mountains more vertical faces. The mountain on the left had a strange protrusion, it’s own nipple! The peak on the right was extremely sharp.

The next “must stop” was The Chasm, another very busy place with tour buses, big & small, motorhomes of many different sizes and rental cars galore parked in the large car park. A short loop walk through bush took us to a foot bridge that spans the Cleddau River as it’s forced into 22m deep narrow ravine, The Chasm, which has been carved out by the water flow over thousands of years. It wasn’t much fun sharing the bridge with a few dozen others and this was my least liked place in all of Milford. I did like the “chop sticks” in the third photo though, forced into one of the holes.

We set up our director chairs & got the picnic bag & thermos out and had our lunch beside the ute while in the carpark. This was much to the amusement of the people on the tour buses as they were herded back on-board. I think we had the last laugh.

Arriving in Milford we were greeted by a three car parks full of tourist vehicles but thankfully hardly any people; most would have been out on a Milford Sound Cruise. I had been following the creek numbers along the Milford Road in amongst all the named waterways since way back before Cascade Creek and it was surprising to see the final number, Creek #165, just before the cruise terminal. Who would have thought there were that many.

We walked to a viewing point and I got to see my first sight of Milford Sound and the very recognisable and iconic Mitre Peak. We’d missed the midday cruises (although we hadn't planned to take one this day) and didn’t want to wait for the late afternoon ones (we’d return in a few days) so we had a coffee in the one and only cafe, filled the ute with diesel from the one & only pump, went to the one & only toilet and headed back up the road.

The next stop not too far from Milford was at the Tutoko Bridge where there is a good view of Mt Tutoko the highest mountain in Fiordland.

Now we were able to view the scenery from a different angle  The views heading back up the road were just as spectacular. I can’t imagine what people would think of the road trip if the day was dull and overcast with low cloud. They’d be wondering what all the fuss was about. Now if it was raining, that’s a whole different story. As we were to find out later in the week.

Approaching the west side of the Homer Tunnel through the Cleddau Valley. The tunnel can be seen in the second photo, bottom centre.

It’s amazing to think that such a long tunnel has been drilled through the impressive Darran Mountain Range & part of the Main Divide, what an incredible achievement. Excavation started in 1935 and the tunnel pierced in 1940, WWII halted work for some time and an large avalanche damaged the eastern end in 1945 but the tunnel was finally opened in 1953. Milford Sound was opened up to the masses. I'm not sure whether that was such a good thing but I guess as one of our most popular tourist attractions it put New Zealand on the world map!

The Milford Road is absolutely stunning! I want to come back in winter.