"It is now harder to book a walk on the Milford Track than it is to see Justin Bieber or Adele live in concert in Auckland," the Guardian wrote this week.
The article draws attention to the amount of litter alongside one of New Zealand's biggest tourist drawcards. The 54km hike is one of its Great Walks and gets more than 8000 visitors during summer.
Most of those 8000 visitors hike the track over four days, using the huts that they pre-booked.
According to the Guardian, contractors working on the track barely have time to finish cleaning up before the track is reopened.
It quotes a contractor who last year told RNZ: "You find poos and toilet paper just littered down the side of the tracks".
Last year, tickets for the Milford Track sold out within 90 minutes.
A Department of Conservation worker told the Guardian the track has "become a highway, a conveyor belt".
"People come here looking for meaning, searching for some sort of solace. But the bush doesn't just give that up. In the huts there's so much squabbling and showing off.
"To me, Milford isn't about tramping anymore - at least, not how Kiwis know it."
Related Stories
Comments
Presumably this article is about "Freedom Walkers" rather than the Great Walks guided walkers. If so the total numbers are closer to 14,000.
I worked on the track in the 60's during the time when the "Freedoms" started.
At that time we didnt have these troubles. Personally I think it is peoples attitudes have slipped and they simply dont give a ***** any more (pardon the pun).
I dont ever remember in 5 years seeing poo or paper anywhere. There is only about a 4 hour distance between any of the huts so if you go before you leave you shouldnt need to in between..
PS by Freedoms we meant non guided walkers who used the new Park Board huts. We were forbidden by our bosses, the THC from helping them in any way at all. We did but were under threat of sacking for doing it.
I hope they are vetted better than the two girls we had to help who after 2 days walking in thongs and only cheap ponchos, they had one tin of peaches between them and nothing else No pack, no spare clothes and were stuck in pouring rain on one side of a flooded creek. Sorry boss but we got them across and gave them some food and a bit of a talking to about what to wear in Fiordland.
Was there 2 years ago and it was already "trash-tramping". The place is special and beautiful but the audience... give me a break. Some people just too good at ruining everyone else's experience. If this season tickets were snapped in 90 minutes then it might be even worse by now. How about increasing the prices?
P.S. we're so lucky that there are still many undeveloped hard tramping routes in Fiordland unsuitable for noisy and filthy alco-trampers. Hopefully they will stay this way for a long time.