Adventure Magazine Issue 221

HOMEGROWN
FIORDLAND
Hiking
By Madeleine Peacock
Destination Fiordland
In the late 1800’s the route between Piopiotahi Milford Sound and the head
of Lake Te Anau was re-discovered by the two intrepid explorers Quintin
McKinnon and Donald Sutherland. The trail was subsequently developed
into what we now know as the Milford Track. It took only a matter of
years for this walk to be hailed internationally as “The Finest Walk in the
World”. Over 100 years on and the Milford Track still holds its own as an
internationally recognized hiking trail.
Of course, for hundreds of years before then the route was known to Maori
as a pathway for transporting takiwai, a unique form of pounamu greenstone
from Piopiotahi Milford Sound inland so it could be traded. Having walked
this track several times and having been exposed to the elements and
ailments you can experience I am in awe of the human spirit that took on the
exploration of places such as Fiordland.
Fiordland was designated as a National Park in 1952.
It covers about 12,000 square kilometres and is one
of the largest National Parks in the world – larger than
Yellowstone and Yosemite combined. Interestingly
the adventures that beckon many to these northern
hemisphere destinations can be found in Fiordland.
There is something for every level of adventurer from
those who aspire to scale big walls to those who
have never set foot in the wild. Fiordland is as safe,
accessible and comfortable as you want it to be.
Tramping
New Zealand has nine Great Walks, three of these
are found in Fiordland; the Routeburn Track, Kepler
Track and Milford Track. And in 2021 we will welcome
the Hump Ridge Track to our ‘fleet’ of Great Walks.
Great Walks are immensely popular with international
visitors as they provide a degree of reduced risk
associated with back country adventuring. But
with international visitors being scarce for the time
being there has never been a better time to head to
Fiordland and see why it is described as the “Walking
Capital of the World”.
Exciting the Milford Tunnel
Image by Adam Edgerton