Day Walks in Fiordlands?

hi gardensuz, i did the routeburn day walk and hiked all the way to the falls and back. It was bloody cold, but very do-able. We stayed in the Kinloch Lodge at Glenorchy (40k's from Queenstown, a great place to stay) and the hostel owner offers a lot of info on day walks and hikes in the area.

Greets, Gerrit

I live near Te Anau and regularly do a day walk on the Kepler track to the Luxmure hut and back. A much shorter walk (about 10km return) would be from the start of the track to Brod Bay and back. Any of the multi-day walks in the area offer shorter day walk sections. Just start walking the track and turn around when you feel like it!

I return day walk near Milford which I thoroughly recommend is the Lake Marion walk. It takes about three hours return and is not part of a longer multi-day hike. Lake Marion is a crater lake near Milford and is a beautifully peaceful place with great views of the surrounding mountains. It is sign-posted off the main road from Te Anau to Milford. But really - there are day walks everywhere in Fiordland and once you get there and start driving around you will have no problem finding them.

Thank you all for your input!

How much difference is there between the three tracks in terms of terrain? Do you folks have a favorite among the three? I'm also going to be walking through Abel Tasman, and also doing the Tongariro Crossing 1 day walk.

It would seem to me if I wanted to do day walks in Kepler then I would stay in Te Anau, but if I wanted to do day walks in Milford or Routeburn, then Queenstown would be the better place to stay?

The Routeburn track crosses a mountain range which the road does not, and as such, the two ends of the Routeburn are 7 hours or so apart by car. The Queenstown end (actually closer to Kinloch and Glenorchy) enters the Routeburn and North Routeburn Valleys themselves, while the Milford Road end of the track sidles high above the Hollyford Valley.

Day walks can be done from either end of the Routeburn. From the Glenorchy end, you can explore the valleys, walk up to Routeburn Falls, or even continue to the Saddle for panoramic views. From the Milford Road end, you can walk to the top of The Key for near 360 degree views of Fiordland, as well as follow the Routeburn as it sidles under waterfalls and past viewpoints.

The Lake Marian track listed above is one of my favourite walks in the world - fantastic forest and incredible scenery once you get up to the lake. Highly recommended. It's accessed from the beginning of the Hollyford Road, maybe 20 minutes outside of Milford Sound.

My favourite "unknown" walk is the Circle Track on Lake Manapouri. After a short row across the Waiau river, you come to a very diverse track through the rainforest which has great views of Lake Manapouri and the wilderness of its surrounding valleys. Also has a nice section along the beach.

Here is a PDF of the Fiordland Day Walks pamphlet printed by the Department of Conservation:

http://www.doc.govt.nz/upload/documents/parks-and-recreation/tracks-and-walks/southland/fiordland-day-walks.pdf

Again, so helpful. Thank you! I have also been looking at the DOC pamphlets and they are incredibly helpful.

I'm a real amateur and don't have much trekking experience, but my boyfriend is in much better shape and is more experienced with these kinds of things. I'm stuck between really wanting to get into the thick of everything, but also being a little afraid of things like slips and scrambles and fast water (grew up in a city and live in another!) I do adore nature though. Any advice on which walks to avoid for the fraidy cat in me?! A happy middle?