Wow. The Routeburn Track was the highlight of the trip. It’s a 32 or 39 km trail (we’ve seen conflicting info on the length) through New Zealand’s Southern Alps. It’s typically done over 3 days and 2 nights (our approach), though some folks run it in a single day (the record is 2:48!). There are bunk houses with beds and mattress pads to stay in at night with separate communal cabins with water, gas stoves and tables. A bit of a step up for us “car campers”, but not as tough as pure backpacking which would include hauling a tent, pad, stove and much more water.
We started Day 1 with an 8am pickup in Queenstown and a 3 1/2 hour drive to the Divide. The Divide is the lowest crossing point of New Zealand’s Southern Alps and the West end of the Track. The driver on the way out was full of great information. For starters, this was the 14th straight day of rain on the track, and he told us to expect to see some unhappy folks at the Divide waiting to be picked up (you can walk the track in either direction). He seemed a bit concerned about us as he dropped us off. Have you done anything like this before? Do you have rain gear? As he left, he gave us four throat lozenges. How nice.
It was a steady rain for the whole drive down, and the sky got darker and darker as we approached the Divide. Good times! Upon arrival we noted that there indeed were 15 or 20 very wet and not so cheerful backpackers waiting to be picked up. We bundled up in our rain gear, loaded up the packs, and got ready to go.
With all the rain, there were creeks and waterfalls everywhere. The path itself served as a creek bed quite often. Waterfalls tumbled across.
After a wet first hour, we came to Lake Howden. The skies cleared for a bit. There’s a hut at the lake, so we unloaded and enjoyed some lunch.
Soon after Lake Howden, we came to the Key Summit side trail. It’s a one-hour return hike to a summit (of course), but we passed. We were barely below cloud level as it was, so no great views to be had.
Another hour in was Earland Falls, a 178 meter waterfall. The path crosses the falls just a few meters from the base of the falls. The waterfall seemed to flow straight out of the clouds — we couldn’t see anywhere near the top. And as we turned the corner and got close to the falls, the power was tremendous. The falls were at peak level after all the rain. We only got within 20 meters or so of the falls before turning back to take the flood detour around the falls. It was misty enough that visibility went to zero, and the wind was enough to make balance an issue. The detour was no picnic either as we scrambled up and down rock ledges and got completely soaked in the process.
Ten minutes further down the path provided a view of the falls. We waited 10 or 15 minutes for the clouds to lift enough for this view.
After a few more kms through forest, the path opens to The Orchard. The dense beech forest opens up for about 400 meters with trees that look like fruit trees.
After five hours on the trail, we arrived at Lake McKenzie Hut for the night. We changed into dry clothes and were glad to see the forecast for the next 3 days: fine and cold.
