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The view from the Routeburn Track over a broad river flat ringed by forested mountains and snowy peaks

Sample journey · 11–12 days

Fiordland on foot: the Milford and Routeburn tracks

Two of New Zealand's celebrated Great Walks in one journey, from Te Anau to Glenorchy

Photo: Riley Woolf / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

Other New Zealand journeys travel by car and stop at lookouts. This one leaves the car in Queenstown. The Milford Track climbs through the forests of the Clinton valley, over the Mackinnon Pass and past the Sutherland Falls to Milford Sound, and after a rest day in Te Anau the Routeburn Track starts halfway along the Milford Road and crosses the Harris Saddle down to Glenorchy. In between lies Fiordland itself: rainforest where the moss soaks up sound, granite walls streaming with hundreds of waterfalls after rain, and mountain huts where boots dry by the fire at night.

The journey is for people who love walking and want to do it several days in a row: five to eight hours on the trail each day, carrying a pack. There are two ways to walk: independently, staying in simple Department of Conservation huts and carrying your own food and sleeping bag, or guided, staying in track lodges with a hot dinner and a lighter pack. Either way, places must be booked very early, and the arrangements would be shaped around your experience and preferences.

The route

The journey

  1. Queenstown
  2. Te Anau
  3. Milford Track (4 days)
  4. Milford Sound
  5. Te Anau
  6. Routeburn Track (3 days)
  7. Glenorchy
  8. Queenstown
  1. Golden sunrise through the clouds above Lake Te Anau, seen from the Kepler Track

    01Days 1–3 · Queenstown & Te Anau

    Getting ready by the lake

    Two nights in Queenstown: time to recover from the long flight, warm up your legs on a short walk above Lake Wakatipu and check your kit one last time: a waterproof jacket, warm layers and well worn-in boots. On day three it's about two hours to Te Anau, a quiet town on the South Island's largest lake. In the evening, a light dinner, a weigh-in for your pack and an early night; the next morning a boat heads up the lake to the start of the track.

  2. A deep glacial valley between steep granite walls, seen from the Milford Track

    02Days 4–6 · The Milford Track: the Clinton valley & Mackinnon Pass

    Up to the pass above the clouds

    The first day is short: a boat to Glade Wharf and an hour or so of easy walking beside the clear Clinton River to the first night's stop. On the second day the track climbs gently up the valley between ever higher granite walls, past wetlands and old avalanche paths, around six hours at an easy pace. Day three is the high point of the whole journey: a zigzag climb to the Mackinnon Pass (around 1,150 m), where, if the cloud allows, both valleys lie below you, followed by a long, steep descent. In the afternoon, a side trail to the Sutherland Falls, among the tallest in the country, dropping in three tiers from a mountain lake.

  3. Sunlight falling on the steep walls of Milford Sound, with a waterfall and dark water below

    03Days 7–8 · Milford Sound & Te Anau

    All the way to the fiord

    The last day on the Milford Track is the longest, around 18 km beside the Arthur River past the Mackay Falls to Sandfly Point, where a small boat crosses the fiord. Reaching Milford Sound on foot feels entirely different from arriving by coach: Mitre Peak above the water seems like a reward. If time allows, a cruise along the fiord to the Tasman Sea, then the road back to Te Anau. Day eight is for rest: laundry, a long breakfast, a short walk by the lake or an evening boat to the glow-worm caves.

  4. An alpine valley of tarns and tussock on the Routeburn Track, with a mountain range beyond

    04Days 9–11 · The Routeburn Track

    Over the Harris Saddle

    In the morning a bus drops you at The Divide on the Milford Road, where the Routeburn Track heads east. On the first day, a side climb to Key Summit with views of the Darran Mountains, then forest and a waterfall to Lake Mackenzie, where you sleep beside a green alpine lake. Day two is the highest: along the Hollyford Face with views down the valley and, on a clear day, the distant sea, to the Harris Saddle (around 1,255 m) and down to the Routeburn Falls. On the third morning the track descends past the Routeburn Flats into beech forest and a river gorge to the end of the trail. On a clear night at the huts there are so many stars that the Southern Cross is hard to pick out.

  5. A person sitting on a bench by the Glenorchy lagoon, with mountains reflected in the water

    05Days 11–12 · Glenorchy & Queenstown

    A hot shower and a quiet lake

    From the end of the track it's half an hour to Glenorchy, a small town at the head of Lake Wakatipu. The last night is here or in Queenstown: a hot shower, dinner with a glass of Central Otago Pinot Noir and a walk on the boardwalk around the Glenorchy lagoon, where the mountains are mirrored in still water. The next day, about 45 minutes on the scenic lakeside road to Queenstown and the flight home, or a few more days in Central Otago to recover.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    The Mackinnon Pass

    A zigzag climb to the pass and, when the cloud lifts, two valleys at your feet.

  2. 02

    The Sutherland Falls

    One of the country's tallest waterfalls, reached only on foot or from the air.

  3. 03

    Into Milford Sound on foot

    Four days' walking that ends with a boat across the fiord beneath Mitre Peak.

  4. 04

    The Harris Saddle

    An alpine ridge above the Hollyford valley and a night beside a mountain lake.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • Guided, with track lodges

    Both tracks can be walked with a guide, staying in lodges with beds, showers and prepared meals. The pack is lighter and the logistics aren't your concern; these places also book up very early.

  • Just one track

    If seven days of walking feels like too much, choose one track and fill the rest with gentler things: a night aboard on Doubtful Sound, wineries or Wānaka.

  • With the Kepler Track

    For experienced walkers the Kepler Track, starting right in Te Anau, can be a third. It's a demanding ridge walk, adding four or five days to the journey.

  • With the North Island

    Before or after the walks, a week on the North Island: the Bay of Islands, Rotorua and Tongariro. It's a different, more cultural side of the journey and a good balance for tired legs.

Practical considerations

  • The Great Walks season usually runs from late October to late April. Huts and lodges are booked in advance, and the most popular dates sell out very soon after bookings open, so it's worth starting to plan at least a year ahead.
  • This is a physically demanding journey: five to eight hours of walking a day over steep, rocky ground, often in rain. It calls for good fitness, worn-in hiking boots and experience of walking several days in a row.
  • Fiordland is one of the wettest places on earth. After heavy rain, sections of track can flood, and in spring and autumn there is avalanche risk in higher places; rangers may then close a track temporarily or change the plan.
  • The trailheads are far apart, so boats, buses and transfers are arranged in advance, and the car is best left in Queenstown.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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