I greeted this day with mixed feelings. I’d been having the time of my life, immersed in the this beautiful landscape and was feeling so energised and at peace – I really didn’t want it to end. But I was also looking forward to having a shower, a meal that did not require the addition of water (preferably a pizza) and a beer. In that order.

Just as we took a boat to the start of the track, a boat picks us up at the end. So that we can time our arrival at the end without fear of missing our boat and having to stay on until the next (or missing the last boat), there is a list of timing point given to us at the final hut on our last night. Given the end point of the track is very aptly named Sandfly Point, we don’t really want to be hanging for long waiting for a boat, so these timings were quite handy.

I was booked on the last boat, so wasn’t in any hurry to leave in the morning. But by 8am, everyone else had left so I figured I should start making a move. We’d had rain all night and several downpours that morning, so the waterfall above the hut was three times the size of the night before. By the time I left though the rain was pretty much gone. There was a small amount off and on through the morning, but most of the day we could enjoy the benefits of having had the rain (in the waterfalls, rivers and streams we passed) without having to walk in it.

Like all the other days, I spent most of the day walking and not seeing any one else. It was like I was completely on my own in this beautiful place. All the better to soak up the peace and beauty before it would be over.

I left too early to catch the 4.30 boat that I was booked on, but we were told that we could catch whichever one we were there for, so I figured I’d probably catch the 3.30 one.

But looking at those timing points, it soon started to look like I’d make the 2.30 boat.

A shame really as I would’ve been happy to spend more time on the track. But it seems I just couldn’t walk slow enough.

By the time I got to Giant’s Gate falls I had caught up with the last of our group (that is, those of us who all started on the track on the same day). Looks like I was going to make the first boat after all. I stopped for some lunch before starting off on the last 1.5h stretch. Past the falls,

to Lake Ada,

with a small stop to visit some birds that came out on the track to say hello,

to Sandfly Point.

And still somehow managed to get here 20min before the first boat was due. We all got here for the first boat. The boat captain’s face when we told him he had all the independent walkers was funny. Must have been a record. The boat was so full that many of us were sitting or standing outside. Not a hardship though, even when it started to rain. As we got a great view of the sound on the way into the boat terminal.

Too soon this final part of the trek was over and we were all arriving at the boat terminal. Several of us were staying on at Milford Sound that night but most were not. This was the end of our adventure both together and alone. A good time and good friends made.

Rest of the day’s pics on Flickr.

This post has been reconstructed from the web archives of my old blog. It was originally posted on 22nd Jan 2014, and I walked the Milford Track in December 2013