George sound route Fiordland

Ive heard people saying You can't move far in heavy rain because of flooding. Which is very frequent.

Hoping to go through there later this year. In via Henderson Burn, over the George Sound track, over to Caswell & out via Stillwater & Doon to Jn Burn. If the weather ever settles down.

You'd be expecting about $800 return for the boat charter - unless you can manage a backhaul with another party. Fiordland Outdoors Company (who bought out Vern's operation) is the only boat operator that does the combined Lake Te Anau, Lake Hankinson transfer. They have a boat on Hankinson and it's a short walk between the two lakes.

yeah He was talking about something like that...jeez 800 dollars for a boat charter it's bloody expensive!

Expensive! It comes down to how bad you want to do it. Some things cost more. We're by no means well to do but as getting outdoors is our main past time, we accept we may have to spend money on it. We got a helicopter ride into South Albert Burn saddle a few years back. We treated ourselves as part of celebrating my 50th and her 40th. It gave us a good start to several days in the area and added a novelty. With only $800 we would have had to bail out over Lake Wanaka. Getting out of the Kaipo valley once after flood like rain took two flights from a grass strip and cost each of us a couple of hundred dollars. It saved a couple of days retreat and maybe few days wait on the coast for a boat. Flying in and out of Fox and Franz Josef on many occasions, it doesn't come cheap but it's not wasting my money on bungy jumps, or shopping.

Hats why so few people go there. $$$$ It's a long boat trip. Takes a lot of the boat operators time. You wanted to go there. Well that's what it costs. Try kayaking or packrafting and see how long it takes you. The boat trip o the milford track is expensive enough shared amongst 50 people... some dreams are just going to blow your budget... go climb Everest. You wont get much change from 80k to climb it with a safe operator. And there no engines involve for most of it

Seems about on par with elsewhere. Our local Clutha River operators charge us about $5/km for charters (including the kms for the empty return trip). Same price fast trip in a jet boat or slow trip on pontoon thingy. Whats the saying about owning boats? "A hole in the water to pour money into"

I did the section from Henry Saddle down to L. Hankinson on a Fiordland traverse but it was long ago. Very grateful for the track and the L.Thompson Hut though.

George Sound route is a great trip. I didn't think it was quite as daunting as its reputation though we were there in a "drought". (It still rained at same stage during any 24 hour period.) I got Vern to take us over Te Anau and Hankinson. Believe it was approx $600 but that was 7 or 8 years ago. @Madpom You will have fun crossing to the Stillwater. I think you will enjoy it.