{"id":642,"date":"2026-02-07T21:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-08T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sjs.sputs.com\/wordpress\/?p=642"},"modified":"2026-04-02T17:38:36","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T23:38:36","slug":"2026-day-16-milford-track-te-anau-to-glade-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/sjs.sputs.com\/wordpress\/2026\/02\/07\/2026-day-16-milford-track-te-anau-to-glade-house\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 Day 16 Milford Track: Te Anau to Glade House"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

February 7, 2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Some background: a couple of years ago, Graham Meech asked me if I would be interested in going on the Milford Track hike. I didn't know much about it, but I liked the area, so I said, \"sure!\" Initially we were talking about doing the hike as independent walkers. But then Graham told me this hike was so popular that some luck was involved: only a limited number of hikers were allowed on the track each day: reservations for a spot would open up around Memorial Day weekend and usually they all sold out in about 10 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That did not sound very appealing to me since I wanted to have trip plans and other reservations made well before Memorial Day. A random internet search for more information about Milford Track led me to a website for Ultimate Hikes. This company allowed sign-ups for small group tours well in advance of Memorial Day, and they would take care of all meals and provide accommodations inside lodges instead of huts along the track. There were plenty of openings since this was not a cheap option. I talked it over with Graham, and he agreed this would be a good option. And then Heinrich came on board as well. So we made our travel plans, picked out a set of 4 days that would work for us, and signed up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information, here are links to the Ultimate Hikes Milford Sound webpage<\/a> and to an Ultimate Hikes PDF map of the track.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

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Map: Day 16<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

It rained overnight, and we woke up to find mostly gray sky. At one point the clouds parted and we saw a nice rainbow outside of our cabin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Morning rainbow at the Te Anau Lakeview Holiday Park<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I made a quick breakfast of blueberries and an apple, finishing our remaining perishable food. We checked out of the cabin and paid $15 NZD to rent a storage locker for our valuables that we did not want to leave in the car unattended for 4 days during our Milford Track hike. We also paid for parking to leave our car in the back lot at the holiday park: $25 NZD for up to a week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We drove to the Ultimate Hikes meeting point at the Alpine Centre Cafe & Bar. We wanted to complete our early check-in before the rest of the group arrived from Queenstown. We found out that 5 people were getting on the bus at Te Anau (Graham, Heinrich, and myself plus 2 others) and 44 others would be arrving on the bus from Queenstown, giving a total of 49 hikers in our group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We drove back to the holiday park to store our luggage and our car, and then Graham met us there to drive us back over to the Alpine Centre where he had paid to park his car.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimate Hikes provided lunch for us at the cafe, and we got an early start eating before the rest of the group arrived from Queenstown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Moa bird figures at the Alpine Centre Cafe & Bar. Unfortunately the Moa is now extinct.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We boarded the bus with our group and drove to the Te Anau Downs boat dock, where we got on the boat to take us across Lake Te Anau to Glade Wharf, the start of the Milford Track. The weather was completely overcast and spitting drops of rain off and on, but that didn't stop us from climbing up to the top deck to get the best views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On the top deck of the boat for the best views<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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