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Dusky Sound Expedition
Grade: E +. Pack weights of up to 20kgs.
Meeting Point: Pinewood Lodge , 48 Hamilton Road, Queenstown
Price: NZ$1900
Length: 5 days
Group size: maximum 6
Walking the Dusky Sound track is an unforgettable journey across the mountains to the sea. Dusky Sound is technically a fjord, as it was carved out by ice, not water. But it is commonly referred to as a Sound. It is one of the more complex and largest Fjords on the Fiordland Coast.Over 40 kilometres in length and over 8 kilometres wide at its widest point. Captain Cook spent two months exploring here in the 1770’s, and saw it as a good harbour for ships entering the Pacific from Europe, even though it was very landlocked. The Dusky was frequently visited by sealing parties from the late 1770’s to the late 1820’s when the seal skin boom started to fade. One party of 244 Europeans was stranded in the Fjord for up to 2 years, between 1795 and 1797. Ironic to think that some of the earliest European settlements in New Zealand were in an area that today is regarded as one of the more isolated and inhospitable parts of the country. Today Dusky Sound is part of the South Westland World Heritage Park.
Pre day. 14 February 2009. Queenstown
Meet with the guide at our twin share accommodation for the night at Pinewood Lodge, (meeting time will be confirmed closer to departure date). The guide will check that you have appropriate clothing and equipment for the hike. There will be the opportunity for you to buy any last minute things today. Communal food and equipment will be distributed evenly amongst the group, and packs packed, ready for an early start tomorrow morning.
Day 1. 15 February 2009 Halfway Hut 4-6 hours hiking
Depart for Tuatapere/Lake Hauroko. Board water taxi to cross Lake Hauroko to start of Dusky track. At 462m this is the deepest lake in New Zealand and the boat journey provides a dramatic start to the hike. The first hour of hiking from Lake Hauroko is flat with attractive views of the burn. The track then climbs at a gentle grade to a gorge, before descending to a walkwire over the Hauroko River - prior to its confluence with the Gardner River. The track steepens then descends to the river with flat terrain to Halfway Hut (14 bunks).
Day 2. 16 February. Lake Roe Hut 3-5 hours hiking
The track follows an easy grade crossing the Hauroko River just before the top forks. We keep an eye out for kaka (a bush parrot) in this section. From the forks the track climbs steeply to above the bushline. We follow snow poles to Lake Roe Hut (12 bunks), sited at the northern end of Lake Laffy on Furkert Pass. Lake Roe, set among massive granite outcrops, is 20 minutes due east, above the hut. The plan will be to arrive here in the early afternoon, so there is time in the afternoon to explore this area more.Either exploring around the lake and granite outcrops or if weather permits a climb/scramble to the pass below Mt Tamatea. From here there are expansive views across the jagged peaks of Fiordland all the way out to sea at the entrance to Dusky Sound.
Day 3. 17 February. Loch Maree Hut 5-7 hours hiking
We spend the first part of the day hiking on the open tops of the Pleasant Range, the route skirts around several alpine lakes with superb views of the surrounding mountains and out to Dusky sound. After 2-3 hours above the bush-line the route makes a sharp descent into the Seaforth Valley. Dropping about 1000m in altitude over a relatively short distance, you will be relieved you are not doing this walk in the other direction! The change in vegetation is dramatic as we go from alpine tussock lands to lush rainforest at near sea level. We cross the Seaforth River just before the hut, or if river levels are too high we use a walkwire.
Day 4. 18 February. Supper Cove, Dusky Sound 6-8 hours hiking
The track climbs around Loch Maree and then descends to the Bishop Burn. After heavy rain low-lying parts of this section can become flooded, if so we will need to wait at the hut until the floodwaters recede. From the Bishop Burn to the Henry Burn the track is flat going and follows the original track cut by West Coast miners in 1903. This was part of an ambitious plan to build a road linking the Sound and Lake Manapouri, the track cutters only made it as far as Loch Maree before plans were abandoned. From the Henry Burn the track gets rougher as it sidles the slopes overlooking the cove. Supper Cove Hut sits on a small terrace just south of the Hilda Burn.
Day 5. 19 February. Queenstown
Supper Cove marks the end of our journey on foot. After a leisurely breakfast, we rendezvous with the helicopter that retraces our steps across the mountains on a thrilling 35-minute flight back to our vehicle at Tuatapere. We celebrate our return to civilisation with a hearty lunch at the local pub. In the afternoon we drive back to our accommodation at Pinewood Lodge in Queenstown.
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