The Dusky Track — An Epic

A Maverick Traveller: The Podcasts of Mary Jane Walker

The Dusky Track, in the far southwest of NZ’s South Island, is about the same length as the popular Heaphy Track, but much gnarlier!

You can do the Dusky Track in either direction. I did it from south to north. In that direction, you get to the Dusky Track by way of a ferry on Lake Hauroko,one of the southernmost big lakes in New Zealand and at 462 m (1,516 feet) max,the deepest. Before boarding the ferry or after you step off at the Lake Hauroko road-end, which can be reached from Southland townships such as Tūātapere. you can also do the ‘short but stiff’ Lake Hauroko Lookout Track,which is one of my faves, and the Lake Hauroko Loop Bush Walk. In the other direction, the Lake Hauroko stage would be at the end.

Trailing 84 km through the Fiordland National Park, the Dusky Track is a challenging tramp taking eight to ten days to complete and is rated by DOC as suitable only for experienced groups of trampers.‍

Featured image credit: The Dusky Track, marked out in black, runs northwardfrom Lake Hauroko (bottom) to the Wilmot Pass Road from the West Arm of LakeManapōuri (top right). This map includes an optional midway detour to SupperCove. The noticeable, apparently grey line to the east of the Dusky Track isthe course of the power lines from the Lake Manapōuri power station over thetop of the Borland Road and a section of the Wilmot Pass Road. Background map LINZ via NZ Topo Map, 2021. CC BY-SA 4.0.

Original Blog Post: a-maverick.com/blog/dusky-track