Hiking the Routeburn Trail to Key Summit

19 March 2025

We had time for a 3 to 4 hour hike along the Milford Road after doing our Milford Sound cruise in the morning.

We chose to do the hike to Key Summit instead of a steep 3-hour walk to a stunning alpine lake called Lake Marian. The hike to Key Summit is supposed to be easier than Lake Marian, and it is also supposed to be one of the best short hikes in Fiordland National Park.

Sharing the first part of the trail with the Routeburn Track (one of the Great Walks), the track begins at The Divide, about 85km north of the Milford Highway from Te Anau.

 

Some information on the trail to Key Summit

• 6.8 km return

• Approximately 3 hours as estimated by the Department of Conservation.
• It shared the first part of the trail with the multi-day, 32 km Routeburn Track (one of the Great Walks of NZ) that links the Mount Aspiring National Park with Fiordland National Park.
• The trail to Key Summit begins at The Divide, 85 kilometres along the Milford Road from Te Anau.
• Elevation gain: 387 meters. Base elevation: 532 meters at The Divide.
  Summit elevation: 919 meters.

It was slightly after 2 PM when we arrived at the car park near the trailhead. Google Map Location here.

The Routeburn and Key Summit hikes are very popular and we had a hard time finding a parking spot at the car park near the Divide where the trail starts. We managed to find a space on our second “tour” round the car park.

Sign at the start of the Routeburn Track and Key Summit trail.

The first part of the walk was on a well maintained track, under a beautiful canopy of mossy trees with ferns and thick undergrowth on our right side and a steep drop-off on our left.

The Key Summit Track is very well-maintained and easy to follow.

We saw a lot of people with bigger backpacks who are either just starting out their 32-kilometre Routeburn walk, or just ending it. Of course, there are also family groups, like us, with small packs or even no packs that are aiming for Key Summit.

This is the easy-peasy part of the trail. The incline is uphill but gentle, and shaded by the lush foliage of the Fiordland forests. We passed a small waterfall with water trickling down on our right.

We could hear birds calling and saw a few of these little critters with blue and blacks feathers.

Can you spot the bird in the photo above?

Up and up we go, on a gentle zigzag trail.

As we climbed higher, the lush forest soon gave way to shrubs. 

Sneak preview of the mountain ranges.

 

After an hour on the Routeburn trail, we came to the turn-off to the Key Summit Track itself. This is the detour to the Key Summit that would take about 1 hour to and back.

Signage at the junction pointing to Key Summit. “Key Summit – 1 hr return time, including the alpine nature walk.”

We spotted two large backpacks left by the side of the trail. They were temporarily abandoned by hikers doing the Routeburn Track and wanted to go check out the Key Summit trail before continuing.

Taking the trail on the right, the track starts to break above the canopy of trees. We had the sun beating down on us. The good thing is that we could see the surrounding vistas and stunning panoramic views of Fiordland National Park much better.

Mountain ranges and Hollyford Valley on our left.

The last section of the trail zigzags its way up the mountain.   

The trail gets even steeper on this part. Although it is tiring, we knew we would be reaching the summit very soon, not like our hike up Roy’s Peak where the switchbacks seems endless.

Soon enough, we were at the summit and welcomed by the sight of a long drop toilet and the trail flattens. It was about 3.45 PM when we arrived at the summit. We had taken about 1 hour 25 minutes.

Key Summit got its name because it is the highest point where water the top could flow into three different valleys, with each valley river flowing to a different coast. At an altitude of 919 meters, we have almost 360-degrees perspective of the surrounding Humboldt and Darran Mountain Ranges.

We followed the clearly-marked alpine nature trail through a range of native vegetation. This is a loop trail that would take about 30 minutes. We took loads of photos of the stunning views.

Start of the Key Summit Nature Trail.

One of the highlights for me is the small mountain lakes or tarns at the summit. They made the photos looked much more interesting. Unfortunately, the wind was quite strong on a clear day and there were ripples on the water surface. Otherwise, it would be great to see the mountains reflected on these pools of water.

Although the sun is out, there was a chill factor from the wind. As always, we had our hiking jackets with us.

Putting on our hiking jackets to shield us from the chilly wind and hot sun.

There is a small boardwalk track at the summit so we do not trample on the fragile plants.

There is a detour or extension from the loop trail that leads to the true summit with views towards Lake Marion, an alpine lake hidden in a hanging valley above the Hollyford Valley.

Lake Marion Lookout point at Key Summit. 

Zoomed in view of Lake Marian.

We continued along the nature loop until we reached the start again and then returned back to the car park via the same route down.

It was about 5.40 PM when we arrived back at the car park. We were tired but glad that we had experienced of one of the best short hikes in Fiordland National Park.

Some tips on doing the Key Summit hike.

1. Apply sun-screen and bring sun protection like hats and sunglasses.

2. Although we were not bothered by sandflies, bring and apply sandfly repellent.

3. The weather is notorious for changing quickly, be prepared for rain and cold conditions, especially in the exposed sections near the summit.

4. Good footwear and hiking poles are recommended.

5. Bring plenty of water and snacks.

6. Bring your camera as the views are stunningly beautiful!

7.There are toilets with fresh water at the car park (start of trail) and also one without water at the summit.

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Morning Cruise on Milford Sound with Cruise Milford

19 March 2025

Milford Sound, also known by its Maori name Piopiotahi, is one of the few places that visitors to New Zealand must not miss. Located in the southwest of the south island, it is one of the most remote areas of the world. The sheer remoteness makes this place one of the most special attractions in the world and is often referred to as the 8th wonder of the world.

Milford Sound is actually a fiord, not a sound, and it is a long, narrow, deep inlet of the sea between high cliffs, formed over millions of years by the erosion of glaciers. Milford Sound is home to beautiful waterfalls, dramatic towering cliffs, and lots of unique flora and fauna. It is so awesome that I chose to revisit Milford Sound even though my family had done the Milford Sound cruise in 2004. 

Milford Sound is the only fiord in New Zealand that is accessible by road and the best way to see and experience the fiord itself is on a boat. Te Anau is the best place to stay for the night, and then head to Milford Sound early in the morning to catch the first cruise.

21 years had passed since I last visited and Milford Sound had not changed very much. Just like before, I chose to self-drive to Milford Sound from Te Anau and booked a boat cruise with one of the many cruise operators. There are some really amazing stops on the journey between Te Anau and Milford Sound.

You can read more about our fantastic road trip to and from Milford Sound in my blog post here.

Which boat cruise to take?

It is prudent to pre-book a boat cruise on Milford Sound and I was spoilt for choice. There are many tour and cruise operators offering cruises that typically lasts between 1.5 to 2 hours and covers all the major highlights.

Day cruises run at various times of the day. Morning cruises tend to have the calmest waters, fewer crowds and higher chances of spotting wildlife but the long drive to Milford Sound means a very early departure from Te Anau. Mid-day and afternoon cruises are often the only choice for people who joined day tours and arriving from Queenstown or even Te Anau.

In terms of boats and services, these can range small, boutique boats to large, multi-deck vessels with spacious seating, cafés offering buffet, and rooftop decks. Smaller boats provide a closer-to-nature, more intimate experience, perfect for those who want to feel immersed in the fiord’s tranquility.

As someone who dislikes crowds and loved nature and photography, I booked a 9.45 AM cruise with Cruise Milford who offers a smaller boat and guarantee an uncrowded and much more personal experience by limiting passenger numbers on board all cruise departures to 50% of the boat’s capacity.

 

Cruise Milford recommended allowing at least two hours travelling from Te Anau to Milford Sound. This meant that we had to leave Te Anau before 7 AM to allow us sufficient time (plus some buffer) to drive with minimal stops, park our car and get to the visitor terminal on time. 

We had a fantastic drive to Milford Sound in the early morning. We managed to park at the free parking available at Deepwater Basin Road which is about a 30 minutes walk away from the cruise terminal.

We arrived at the Milford Sound Visitor Terminal at 9.20 AM, just in time to collect our boarding passes from the Cruise Milford counter.    

Inside the Milford Sound Visitor Terminal. Toilets are readily available here.

Looking for our boat which was moored at Pier 4. 

All the boats were moored just outside the terminal.  While waiting to board, we had time to shoot some photos. It was good that we had applied sandfly repellent beforehand to ward away the flying pests that was swarming around the dock.

Some of the boats at the terminal.

Our small boat on the left as compared to the regular sized larger boats.

The cruise departed on time and there were no more sandflies once the boat got going. The cruise takes about 1 hour 45 minutes. They will cruise through and fiord and then head out to the edge of the Tasman Sea before returning.

Complimentary hot drinks, water and cookies were provided in the passenger lounge below deck but all the passengers went to the deck to enjoy the splendid views of the fiord. We were lucky to have excellent weather with clear blue sky.

No one stay below deck! Everyone is outside.

Enjoying a cup of hot coffee while admiring the sights. 

There are commentary throughout from the skipper explaining what we are seeing and also names of the numerous waterfalls. The skipper pointed out a mountain range that looked like a sleeping lion, complete with mane and tail on our right. Other than that, the scenery is so awesome that I did not really listen to what was said.

We were free to walk around the boat - upper deck, lower deck, the lounge area and also to the bow.

Incredible views of the cliff faces along the fjord.

Last bit of a glacier could be seen. This glacier would soon be gone as the world gets warmer.

Beautiful morning on Milford Sound with the sunrays hitting the morning mist.

I was glad we went on the early morning cruise as the scenery and photos with the morning mist and light were much better than if we had done the cruise later in the day.

There are numerous waterfalls that are visible. Some the larger ones are on our left side of the boat as we travelled out towards the Tasman Sea. The morning sun shining on the spray from the waterfalls formed bits of rainbow near the bottom.

 

We even spotted some dolphins near the mouth of the inlet with the Tasman Sea. We spent about 5 minutes observing them before they dived and disappeared.

A family of dolphins frolicking close to our boat.

The skipper warned us to be wary of some turbulence as the boat made a turn out in the Tasman Sea before returning to the fiord.

View of the shoreline while the boat was out in Tasman Sea. The low mist in the morning made a wonderful picture.

Enjoying the cool breeze and morning sun.

On the way back, the boat hugged close to the opposite side of the rocky cliffs.

Milford Sound is situated near the southern end of the Alpine Fault, a major fault line in New Zealand. A visible crack could be seen on the rock face. There is always a risk of an earthquake and the resulting tsunami but the probability of it happening during our 1.5 hours cruise is one in a million.

Alpine fault line crack in Milford Sound visibly extending all the way straight up the mountain-side.

Another waterfall.

We made a stop at Seal Rock. Seal Rock is the year-round hangout spot for local fur seals. Most of Milford Sound coastline is made up of sheer vertical cliffs with the exception of this large rock. The native New Zealand fur seals that live in Milford Sound can clamber upon this rock to sleep and do some sun tanning.

Three seals resting on Seal Rock.

Once pass Seal Rock, the boat went  to one of the most famous waterfalls in Milford Sound known as Stirling Falls.

Stirling Falls drops 146 metres from a valley between two imposing mountains.

Being on a smaller boat, we could go up close to the falls and feel the sound and spray from the cascade.

  

We went to the bow of the boat as the boat headed back to the start point.

Heading towards the Cruise Terminal as a plane flew overhead. 

View of Mitre Peak as the skipper moors the boat on the pier.

Our boat backed at the same pier.

It was amazing to do the relaxing and scenic boat cruise on Milford Sound again. It is definitely one of New Zealand's most spectacular natural attractions.

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