HIGHS AND LOWS The adrenaline triangle
New Zealand’s South Island is, quite rightly, regarded as one of the world’s premier adventure playgrounds. The rugged mountains and rivers contained within this wild isle’s southwest corner, bordered by Mt Cook National Park, Mount Aspiring NP and Fiordland NP, would have to be the crown atop this jewel. The sheer amount of hiking opportunities in this part of the world is nearly overwhelming while being incredibly exciting. The same goes for mountaineering, ice climbing, mountain biking and paddling. You just need to figure out how much time you can spare.
MUCH MORE THAN GREAT
This part of the South Island contains what we rate as three of the best – and most accessible – of NZ’s nine Great Walks. The Routeburn Track, the Kepler Track and what is often touted as ‘the greatest walk in the world’ – the Milford Track – are all located within this southwestern corner of the island. In terms of multi-day hikes, it’s hard to beat any of these three; the differences in terrain, even though they are relatively close geographically, also means you can’t do just one and think the other two are “just the same”. Each of these adventures has their own unique character.
Milford Track
The four-day, 54-kilometre Milford Track, is one of the most strictly controlled of the Great Walks. In peak season, the NZ Department of Conservation allows only 40 independent and 40 guided walkers to start the Milford each day, in one direction: from Glade Wharf (at the head ofis a microcosm of Fiordland; one of the world’s last unspoilt wilderness areas. (Hut tickets for the DOC huts book out incredibly quickly each year, see for all info on the booking system.)
