Wilkin Track (DOC) Click map to enlarge

Why Wilkin? Having spent a significant sum of money coming down to do the Milford Track, it was quite sensible to fit in another short tramp that we would otherwise never get a chance to do. The spectacular mountain scenery, alpine vegitation and river valleys filled with silver beech of the nearby Gillespie circuit are also present up the Wilkins, along with some magnificent lakes but with fewer trampers (we thought). It was quite easy to get a bus from Queenstown to Makaroa, then a jetboat across the Makaroa River followed by an exhilarating ride up the Wilkin almost to the Kerin Forks Hut.

We had reduced our size from the eight who did the Milford Track to a party of four:
Ian Bardsley (ex Hawera), John Barrell (New Plymouth), Alan Rogers and myself, Keith Blayney (both from Hawera).

On to the pictures and story.

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