OUT OF SEASON - MAY 2026 - Car Relocation - Milford Track Te Anau Downs to Milford Sound

CAR RELOCATION – THE FLEXIBLE, CONVENIENT TRACK TRANSPORT

Car relocation service for the Milford Track. From Te Anau Downs to Deepwater Basin.

Independence offers so much convenience. Your time is valuable and the best way to make the most of it when you’re on holiday is to travel at your own pace and on your own schedule. Our car relocation is a simple and efficient way for you to do just that.

Choosing car relocation means you can take your time on the track, there’s no meeting time or backtracking required. It’s safe, secure and we take care of the insurance arrangements with your rental car company. For groups, it’s also more cost-effective and efficient than the bus, plus you get the added bonus of a fresh pair of clothes (and snacks) waiting for you at the end of your walk!

HOW IT WORKS: 

• Collect a key lockbox and fix it to your car when you park, lock your car, put the keys in the lockbox and make sure to close/lock the lockbox.
• We relocate your car while you walk.
• Your car will be available by 1pm, at the latest, on the last day of your hike, and parked at the Free Car Park on Deepwater Basin Road.
• Drive away when you finish and return the lockbox on the way.

PLEASE CONTACT FIORDLAND OUTDOORS FOR YOUR WATER TAXI NEEDS

Important information from Fiordland Outdoors regarding the water taxi in the off-season, PLEASE READ:

●      We require a minimum of 6 passengers to depart from Te Anau Downs to Glade Wharf and 6 to operate our boat pick up at Sandfly Point, Milford Sound.  

●      You can choose to book to hike the track over 2 or 3 nights and must come off the track on the date you have pre-booked.

●       You must carry a personal locator beacon within your group which you can hire from one of the locations here or locally here.

●       We reserve the right to cancel your booking with no refund if you do not have a locator beacon in your group, appropriate clothing, footwear, and DOC hut tickets ($25 p/night available from any DOC visitor
centre) or a DOC Back Country Hut Pass.

●       Access to the track is always weather and avalanche risk dependent.  We will contact you as soon as possible if the weather forecast is unsafe for us to depart. In this case, we will reschedule or proceed with refunds. The water taxi component is refunded in full, the car relocation is refunded at 75%.

Decision Making/Departures

No departure to the Milford Track out of season is guaranteed and we cannot provide any guidance or guarantee that we will or will not depart until the day of departure.  You must ensure you have flexibility in your itinerary and be prepared to have your plans cancelled as late as the morning of your departure.  Ultimately the decision to depart is ours to make. 

How to make your decision:

• We will send you an update provided to us by the Department of Conservation on likely weather and track conditions.


• We recommend you visit the Department of Conservation website for more information about hiking the Milford
  Track outside the Great Walk season.  It contains information about the facilities during these months and typical winter/spring conditions and flooding risk.


• We recommend you visit the NZ Avalanche Advisory to assess the current risk of avalanche (predominately an October concern) and Met Service to assess weather and flooding risk.


• Our team are not able to advise you on whether you should/shouldn’t go and if you are unsure or feel you may not be experienced enough in winter conditions, we recommend you do not depart.

Minimum numbers

We understand people prefer to plan with some certainty.  In our experience of many years providing Winter Milford Track transport, there is very strong demand for departures for the 2 weeks either side the Great Walks season, particularly for the first few days in May and Labour weekend when the huts are sometimes overfull (there being no booking system for bunks and first in, first served outside the Great Walks season).  Outside the first 2 weeks generally, demand is greater for Friday and Saturday departures and in good weather windows.  Finally, our company generally transports most hikers out of season, so you have a good
chance with us.  In saying this, having the ability to be flexible due to meeting minimum numbers or weather conditions is essential when planning to hike the Milford Track in winter.  Hope this helps and just know that we do our best to keep you updated with current weather forecasts, track conditions and minimum numbers in plenty of time.

Removal of Bridges

The bridges which are in avalanche paths on the track are removed at the end of the Great Walks Season.  They are generally removed Kings Birthday Weekend (first weekend in June) and replaced over Labour Weekend (third weekend in October).  Here
is a link to a map which shows the bridges removed.  The red lines indicate about where the bridges are.  All the streams have water in them at a normal level so yes, you will get wet feet crossing them.  Some of them are knee deep at a low level.  Here is a valuable guide about river crossings.

Water taxi departure times:

• 8.30am water taxi Te Anau Downs to Glade Wharf, start of the Milford Track


• 1pm-3pm Water Taxi Sandfly Point (end of the Milford Track) across to Milford Sound (boat goes back and forth as required)


• $154 p/adult + $105 p/child