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Four tracks across New Zealand: a still from my film

South Island, New Zealand · November 2023

Four tracks across New Zealand

249.1 KM · 7,150 M

Rees-Dart, Kepler, Routeburn and Milford: 11 days on four South Island tracks.

Watch the film 45:23 · 354K views

At a glance

Where
South Island, New Zealand
Distance
249.1 km (154.8 miles)
Days
three weeks
Climbing
About 23,400 ft (7,150 m) up and 24,000 ft (7,300 m) down
Season
November 10 to 28, 2023: early spring, the start of the Great Walks season
Difficulty
Easy to moderate on the Great Walks (I called the Routeburn pretty easy and the Milford easy); the Rees-Dart is rougher, with a snowy pass
When I went
November 2023
Relief map of the New Zealand route: 11 days drawn in red with numbered day starts, labelled Muddy Creek, Sandfly Point, Rees-Dart Track, Kepler Track and Milford Track.
1234567891011Highest 5,020 ft (1,529 m)

Elevation, start to finish: highest 5,020 ft (1,529 m), lowest 30 ft (9 m).

My GPS recording on a relief map. The numbers are where each day starts. The GPX files come with the guide.

Everything I made about it

The films

Photos

  • Coming down from Rees Saddle toward the Dart Valley, Day 1.
    Coming down from Rees Saddle toward the Dart Valley, Day 1.
  • Luxmore Hut at the end of Day 4.
    Luxmore Hut at the end of Day 4.
  • Lake Wilson on the evening of Day 7. Day 8 starts here.
    Lake Wilson on the evening of Day 7. Day 8 starts here.
  • Milford Sound on the evening of Day 11.
    Milford Sound on the evening of Day 11.
My tent at Lake Wilson, above the Routeburn Track, on Day 7.
My tent at Lake Wilson, above the Routeburn Track, on Day 7.

The guide · 81-page PDF + GPX files · 2026-27 season edition

Do it yourself

Rees-Dart, Kepler, Routeburn and Milford: 11 days on four South Island tracks.

  • All 11 days
  • My GPX files
  • Booking the huts
  • Guided or independent
  • Shuttles, buses and boats

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Look inside the guide

Free sample

Try Day 7 free

The whole Day 7, Routeburn Shelter to Lake Wilson page from the guide as a PDF, plus my hut-to-hut packing list: the 35 things I carry, with a note on each. Both come by email. You'll also get my emails about new guides and trips, a few a year.

Gear on this trip

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What I carried in 2023

Filming kit

Music in this films

All music

What I'd take now

My current kit

Everything I use, in Tools

The Americas and New Zealand bundle

This guide is in The Americas and New Zealand Hiking Guide Pack: 36 guides for $39. Or all 62 guides for $59.

Short answers

How many days do you need for the Routeburn, Kepler, Milford and Rees-Dart?
I walked 11 days over 19 days in November 2023: three on the Rees-Dart, three on the Kepler, two on the Routeburn and three on the Milford. Plan three weeks in New Zealand if you want all four.
When is the best time to hike the Great Walks?
The Great Walks season runs from late October or November 1 to April 30. For 2026-27 that's October 27 on the Kepler and November 1 on the Routeburn and Milford. Outside the season the tracks become alpine winter routes.
How do you book Great Walk huts?
Book on the DOC website the day bookings open in May, at 9:30 a.m. New Zealand time. For 2026-27, huts cost international adults NZD 132 a night on the Kepler and Routeburn and NZD 152 on the Milford. I couldn't get Milford huts, so I joined a guided walk.
Can you camp on the Milford, Routeburn and Kepler?
There's no camping on the Milford. The Routeburn and Kepler have booked campsites, and the park bylaws ban camping within 500 m of the track elsewhere. I wild camped at Lake Wilson, about 2 km from the Routeburn Track.
How do you get to the tracks?
I based myself in Queenstown for the Rees-Dart and Routeburn and Te Anau for the Kepler and Milford. Info & Track and Tracknet run shuttles to the trailheads, and the Milford needs boats at both ends because there's no road to either end.

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