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| Hiking | 9.25 Miles |
2,170 AEG |
| | Hiking | 9.25 Miles | 5 Hrs 12 Mns | | 1.93 mph |
| 2,170 ft AEG | 24 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | This was a longer hybrid loop that integrated the Sentinel Rock, River and (former) Glacial Viewpoints, Douglas Walk, and the challenging Robert's Point Track in the Southern Alps. Sentinel Rock was a better, elevated overview of the valley than the lower, more crowded tourist trail, but since the Franz Josef Glacier has receded so much, there aren't views of it from either of these tracks anymore. Because of this, we decided to do the Robert's Point route, hoping to get a glacier view. After crossing the first swing bridge (Douglas) over the Waiho River, the trail becomes more obscure, as in steep, muddy and rocky with numerous creek crossings, exposed Schist slickrock, and several enlivening swing bridges and hanging cliff stairs. We eventually ascended into the cloud deck near Hende's Hut, where most views were obstructed by fog. Misty and rainy almost the whole day (it is the West Coast), but still an awesome and proper hike, much different than the desert landscape that we're accustomed to. An added bonus of the low visibility was the absence of noisy tour helicopters that frequently flyover this area. Later in the afternoon, the fog lifted near the coast, so we ended the day on the sunny beach at Ōkārito. 
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