I'm glade I took poles. They saved my knees on the long down bit.

Oh..and maybe some stuff for chafing down there in the in-between areas......

Does Milford to Takapuna count? 😆 

Did it in November 2022, wonderful experience! 
I chose to buy cheaper food (e.g. Watties' Plant Protein soup packs), and not the dehydrated food options, which mean I was carrying a bit more weight, but this didn't bother me. 
Took sachets of oats for quick porridges for breakfast, cooked in water. 
I separated out each day's snacks into ziplock bags. And each day, just had one bag at the top of my backpack for ease-of-access during the walk. 
Add an additional day of food just in case. 
A big yes to having at least one pole, for the downhill trek on Day 3 especially.
Took some hiker's wool also, for around my toes. 
All-round balm for chafing etc. 
Take your togs or quick-dry clothes & a towel - it's really lovely dipping into the cold river after the day's walk! Each hut is within short walking distance to the water.
Are you going with friends etc.? Just take 2 pots between you all, and take turns to use. 
Sandfly Point at the end is named so.....take some repellant! 

Enjoy it! Share some photos afterwards :) 

caffynz:

 

Did it in November 2022, wonderful experience! 

 

Yes I did it about a year ago. I'm assuming you are staying in the DOC huts and not the private ones.

Here's my tips (in no particular order): 

 

1. If you have a few of you, drive yourself to the start and get your car relocated. Probably not cost effective if you're travelling solo, but it's nice to have flexibility on the last day and not be rushing for the bus. 
2. Stay in Te Anau the night before. (again this might be contigent on having your own transport)
3. If you are concerned about fitness level, just make sure you give yourself enough time. So don't leave the huts too late in the mornings (aim for 8ish). 
4. If the weather is good, take the detour to Sutherland falls. We were lucky and were able to have a swim in the pool at the bottom. It does make for a long day as the walk to the falls adds another 1.5 hours all up, but you can rest a bit in the shelter by the private lodge.
5. Each hut has a swimming hole 10ish minutes away. It's nice to wash off the sunscreen and sweat at the end of each day.
6. The water in the huts is drinkable.
7. The first hut (Clinton) is an easy 1.5 hours from where you get dropped off. So you can carry nice (heavy) food for that first day.
8. Most people are bringing dehydrated meals for dinners. I recommend the Real Meals ones, supplemented with a bit of instant mash potato. Some people bring less, some bring more (e.g. bottle of wine)
9. Bring earplugs for the bunks ;)
10. Dumpling hut (the last night) has a great selection of board games

Done it twice - once ritzy huts, once DoC.
Both superb.

Do take a pole - you'll bless it.
Do enjoy the dunny on the saddle - world's best ;-)

Do expend the effort to go into the Sutherland falls.
Just stash your pack at the turn-off.
After 3 days with a pack, just camera & towel will feel like a holiday.
Take togs to wear when you scramble in behind the falling water.
It will look completely insane... but you can do it.
There is a rocky shelf behind and it was extreme-pulse-rate scary, but not un-safe - both times.
An experience that will stay with you for life ;-)

Haven't done it, but have heard you need a good raincoat, pack cover, and pack liner. 

Finished the walk and had an amazing time! 

Would recommend it to anyone regardless of fitness. 

Just absolutely stunning.

At the end: (Shoes off, jandles on)

Stunning indeed. 

That first photo (just past McKinnon Pass, right?) - when we were walking towards it, it was just a blanket of cloud so thought nothing was there ahead, then the wind picked up and we were gobsmacked to find a big peak suddenly appear! 

caffynz:

 

Stunning indeed. 

That first photo (just past McKinnon Pass, right?) - when we were walking towards it, it was just a blanket of cloud so thought nothing was there ahead, then the wind picked up and we were gobsmacked to find a big peak suddenly appear! 

 

Thank you for sharing your photos.

I just did this last week also, finishing on Saturday.  Too late for advice to OP and there are some good points above. A few from me for future walkers:

  Take an extra day of food. They do sometimes close sections of the track and you may be held up. The Real Meal ones are very light and good eating.

Take nuclear-strength spray-on insect repellent. I’m not normally bothered too much by mossies etc but the sandflies here are vicious and will bite through your socks etc.

The descent from the pass is long and very rough going. It will take its toll especially if you have dodgy knees or ankles. Be careful - the hut ranger told us they average one casevac per week with lower leg or ankles fractures

Get the late boat in to start and the late bus back at the end. The first day walk is very short, but the last day can be very long especially if you’re carrying injury or soreness from the descent

We used track net, who were really helpful, and stayed in Te Anau the night before and after. I prefer Te A to the bustle of QT and there are some good places to eat

shk292:

 

I just did this last week also, finishing on Saturday.  Too late for advice to OP and there are some good points above. A few from me for future walkers:

 

  Take an extra day of food. They do sometimes close sections of the track and you may be held up. The Real Meal ones are very light and good eating.

 

Take nuclear-strength spray-on insect repellent. I’m not normally bothered too much by mossies etc but the sandflies here are vicious and will bite through your socks etc.

 

The descent from the pass is long and very rough going. It will take its toll especially if you have dodgy knees or ankles. Be careful - the hut ranger told us they average one casevac per week with lower leg or ankles fractures

 

Get the late boat in to start and the late bus back at the end. The first day walk is very short, but the last day can be very long especially if you’re carrying injury or soreness from the descent

 

We used track net, who were really helpful, and stayed in Te Anau the night before and after. I prefer Te A to the bustle of QT and there are some good places to eat

 

Share some of your favourite photos! 

With the descend, I would highly recommend poles. I had two! 

I've done it twice.  Once in Doc huts.  Once in the fancy lodges with Ultimate Hikes. The fancy lodges is a much nicer way to tramp, no heavy pack, showers, drying rooms, proper food and proper beds. But .... sorry about your wallet, and the guides assume you can't be trusted to safely navigate from one hut to another on a well-marked track. Probably true in many cases, but it's a little overbearing if you're an experienced tramper.

The track is quite lumpy and from Pompolona Lodge/Mintaro Hut to the Quinton lodge/Dumpling Hut.  Good boots are essential IMO for ankle support and protection, especially if you're staying doc huts and carrying a proper pack. At a bare minimum you'll want trail shoes with soles you won't feel rocks through.  I've found poles really useful both times.

Expect to get your feet wet approaching MacKinnon pass and descending from it.  If it rains heavily, the track becomes a small stream.  You need footwear and socks that won't chafe in wet conditions.  I have Salomon synthetic boots and they were fantastic.  There are many small stream crossings if it's wet and poles are useful for these.

The walking is easy until you get close to MacKinnon pass. Going up MacKinnon pass is relatively comfortable compared to the main climb on a lot of the other great walks.  It's only a 400m or 500m ascent and reasonably gradual.  Going down the Fiordland side is more difficult if your knees don't like downhill (poles help here too).  After you're down to Pompolona/Dumpling it's a long but easy walk to Milford, with a few 'speed bump' hills.

Hidden Lake is well worth the side quest.

There are lots of rainbow trout to observe in the Clinton River.

Keep an eye out for blue ducks too. 

The Wekas are even bolder than normal, they seemed very interested in any bare toes. 

The sandflies are bad ... tether any small children, lest they be carried off.

Edit: When I say raining properly ... this is coming down the pass. On day one/two it was fine, calm and hot.  You need to pack layers.  I'd only bother with two sets of clothes.  One in a dry bag for the hut.  The other for the track.  And take rain gear ... obviously.

I flew over Milford Track once, as part of a scenic flight from Milford Sound to Queenstown. 

Sutherland Falls are spectacular from the air.

The track itself looks like it would be amazing, but I'd definitely be doing the posh version with someone taking my bags and decent huts/meals.