A Milford Sound marathon swim was almost over before it started, after experienced triathlete and endurance swimmer Rob Hutchings was initially dragged in the wrong direction and towards the Tasman Sea.

Entering the water at Milford Sound's Dale Point at 8.45am on Easter Sunday (17 April), Hutchings spent the first hour battling an unexpected outgoing current, despite the incoming tide.

Hutchings said he had only swum about 200m after the first hour, a distance he usually covers in minutes.

Endurance swimmer Rob Hutchings, the night before his Milford Sound swim. Photo: Southland App

However, quick thinking by his support crew finally got Hutchings back on course and six hours and 17km later, all had safely made it to the Milford Sound foreshore.

The 47-year-old Christchurch chiropractor, who has regularly completed in 20km open water swims, said Milford Sound had been something he had wanted to do for a while.

I was just looking forward to being in the beautiful environment, he said.

Photo: Google Maps

No stranger to long distance swimming, Hutchings gained a passion for the sport back in his home town of Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Canada, at the age of 13.

Hutchings said triathlons were popular there and the town had twice hosted the Canadian nationals.

At 17, Hutching's coach had identified his strength in open water swimming and encouraged him to try competitive marathon swimming, a passion he has pursued ever since.

Thirty years later Hutchings found himself in New Zealand, with now a growing interest in non-competitive endurance events.

"One of the things I like about being non-competitive is that in these expeditions, that are self organised, if we get dolphins that come around I'm going to stop and like play with the dolphins. Or if there's a waterfall that we get close to, it's no problem to just stop and say wow, this is amazing."

"In a competitive marathon swim, you're not going to do that," he said.

Hutchings said his first introduction to real adventure, wild marathon swimming was in Te Anau in February 2019 when he joined the Fiordland Endurance and Adventure Racing Society members on their upper Waiau River swim.

Endurance swimmer Rob Hutchings accompanied by his support crew, including wife Tansy, finally makes good headway into Milford Sound. Photo: Supplied

"I really just want to get out into the mountains and these beautiful lakes and rivers and stuff. I don't need to be competitive to push the limits," he said.

Hutchings is always looking for new adventures and isn't discouraged if it hasn't been done before.

He swam the 338km Clutha River over four-and-a-half days in February 2020, after earlier being told it was impossible and only an idiot would do it, he said.

Hutchings' biggest multiday solo triathlon so far has been a 42km swim down the lower Buller River, followed by cycling the Pararoa Track near Greymouth and a run over Avalanche Peak at Arthur's Pass.

Hutchings is also happy for fellow athletes to join him on his back country triathlons, however he admits not many want to take on his swim legs.

 "Most of the time, I can't get people to do the crazy swims that I do," he said.

Hutchings was to have run the Milford Track after his Milford Sound swim, but decided two weeks ago to flag it, after experiencing "absolute fatigue from doing too much work". He is however still planning to do a couple of sections of the Around the Mountains cycle trail, and in between times will try out the Lake 2 Lake cycle trail while in Fiordland.

 Rob Hutchings at the completion of his Milford Sound marathon swim. Photo: Supplied

His next adventure may include swimming Foveaux Strait and adding Stewart Island's Rakiura Track as a run leg, he said.

Re-swimming the upper Waiau River, along with sections of the Clutha River, as part of another multisport event, and cycling the Milford Road and hiking the full Kepler Track were also on his list.

"New Zealand alone meets all my marathon swimming and mountain desires," he said.

"The way I'm looking at it, people come from all over the world to see this beautiful country. So until I've uncovered every possible rock. I'm not gonna give any other country my travel money until we've covered a few more adventures. And there's lots of them."

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