Fiordland: Hiking season on New Zealand's Milford Track opens on Sunday

In southwestern New Zealand, a new season opens on Sunday, Nov. 1, on one of the world's best-known hiking trails. According to New Zealand's Department of Conservation (DOC), the Great Walk season on the Milford Track runs until April 30, 2027, and huts must be booked in advance during that period. The route is 53.5 kilometers long and designed as a four-day, three-night hike. It passes through glacial valleys and rainforest and past Sutherland Falls, which DOC says drop 580 meters in three tiers.

The region's best-known destination is Milford Sound, Piopiotahi in Māori. According to Tourism New Zealand, highlights include Mitre Peak, which rises about one kilometer, and Lady Bowen Falls. With about 180 rain days and around seven meters of rainfall a year, Milford Sound is one of the wettest places on Earth. After rain, hundreds of small waterfalls cascade down the cliffs. The drive from Queenstown takes about 3 hours and 50 minutes.

Fiordland National Park was established in 1952 and covers more than 1.2 million hectares. According to DOC, fourteen fiords stretch from Milford Sound in the north to Preservation Inlet in the south, some reaching up to 40 kilometers inland. Since 1990, the park has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Te Wahipounamu – South West New Zealand," together with the Mount Cook, Mount Aspiring and Westland national parks. UNESCO highlights the kea mountain parrot and the endangered takahē among its special features.