I managed to get about 4 hours of sleep the night before setting off for the Routeburn Track Tramp - as you probably know, I find it difficult to function on anything less than 8 hours of sleep, so doing a tramp after just 4 hours of sleep? Well - it probably wasn't the best idea in the world!
I parked up in the DOC overnight parking and, bleary-eyed, met my shuttle bus driver who was taking me to 'The Divide' (the track start), informing him that I'd just be dozing in the back seat. We drove the long road up to Milford Sound, and yet again, I didn't find it to be an amazing road. But yet again, it was foggy, so views were in short supply. About half an hour out of Te Anau, I sat bolt upright. WILBERT! Noooo! I'd forgotten my walking stick!! Cr*p. There was no way we could go back to get it. I would just have to find another walking stick. But how could I find one as good as Wilbert? One that was wide enough at the top to allow for a good grip, yet light enough to allow me to actually use it. Wilbert is, you see, hollowed-out driftwood found on the Abel Tasman Tramp, and I love him. Uh-hum - I mean 'it'.
I got to The Divide at about 8.30am, and asked an asian girl who was there on a toilet stop to take a photo of me next to the sign. She obliged, and then asked 'ooooh - how long is the walk?' She looked at the sign detailing the short walks (see sign below) '3 hours?? Ooooh woooooow.' To which I replied 'no - ummm... it's actually 3 days'. She looked at me as if I was actually crazy, and said 'wooooow. I have to take picture of the sign', which she promptly did.
The gradient of the Routeburn
I'd heard that there was this thing called the Routeburn Challenge at the end of April, whereby the fittest of the fit compete to run the entire length of the Routeburn in a day. Crazy people! But as it was approaching the end of April, there were a few people on the track, training for it. So whilst I was there wearing my big wooly hat, lugging my huge turquoise backpack up hills, with the aid of a big crooked brown stick, they were running sprightily uphill in their spandex shorts with a tiny backpack holding just (I assume) water, a survival blanket and a whistle. Crazy people. The terrain was NOT running trainer friendly either, I can tell you. Huge rocks EVERYWHERE, and it only got worse the further you went on. You had to keep your attention on the path, or you were sure to twist your ankle. None of the 'wheelchair-friendly' (an exaggeration, but I'm sure you get the idea) paths of the Abel Tasman, I can assure you!
I got to the top of the path (after about an hour), and decided to go on an hour-long side-track which took me further uphill, up above the bushline to 'Key Summit'. It was worth the extra effort!
They also had a quirky 'alpine nature trail' up there on the plateau, so I walked around that too, which was quite nice! Back down on the track, it was a short 15 minute walk downhill to the first hut, where I stopped and had a spot of lunch: cheese, crackers and chutney, washed down with a nice cuppa tea. Yum yum!!
I then had 3 - 4 hours of steady uphill hiking through forest and past huge waterfalls, before decending down to my accommodation for that night, Mackenzie Hut. It was reasonably cloudy, but good tramping weather - not too hot, not too cold. And no rain! Hallelujah!
A tree had fallen across the path, so DOC had made a pathway through the tree :)
Earland Falls
A carpet of cloud :)
Mackenzie Hut (Altitude: 1036m)
Inside Mackenzie Hut
I met some lovely people at the hut, Philip from Oregon and Katie & Andy from Boston. And a group of rather rowdy Australians too who, like the rowdy kiwis I'd met on the Heaphy tramp, were carrying lots of gourmet food and drink, including fresh raw eggs, fresh veg, a box of wine and a bottle of whisky. Crazy but awesome!
It was a cold, cold night that night, and the next day had been forecast for snow. As I was to go up over the saddle that day, I really wasn't looking forward to snow. So when I awoke and it hadn't materialised, I was quite pleased (I wouldn't be skidding off the mountain, at least!). But there was a lot of fog, which was a real shame, as this was to be the most scenic day of the tramp, above the bushline.
I started off, said goodbye to everyone I'd met except Philip, as everyone apart from him was going in the opposite direction to me. I had about a 5 hr walk uphill, until I reached the highest point of the track, the Harris Saddle shelter, after which I would be heading downhill to the next hut.
The path up to the saddle started out through beautiful mossy 'fairy' forest, but then left the bushline, with the ascent being pretty sketchy in places - extremely steep drop-offs to the path's side were pretty common-place. It was fun though! I can't imagine what it must be like in strong wind and snow though... eeek! Thankfully I didn't have to worry about that - all I had was thick fog clouding any potential views...
The 'fairy forrest'
Coming out of the bushline... into cloud.
The sun was out there, somewhere...
The cloud did clear at one point, to reveal the lake next to the Mackenzie hut (from the previous night), and then the hut itself came into view.
As I walked up and up, it was starting to clear, and eventually I could see the lake below!
An amazing alpine plant
I walked around the other side of the mountain, to be greeted with yet more cloud.
It started to rain, but the clouds were clearing, so I was happy! :)
I stopped off at the Harris Saddle for a spot of lunch (cheese, crackers & chutney!).
Stopped at Harris Saddle for a spot of lunch
Cheese, crackers and chutney - yum :)
While I was in the shelter eating lunch, I started chatting to a couple, and the lady said that she recognised me. It transpired that the couple were Lorraine and Trevor, who had been friends with Kevin, who Chris, Matt, Kat and I had met on our Eastcape roadtrip in January. We had been absolutely amazed by Kevin's hospitality - he had found us on his land trying to find somewhere to sleep the night, and had offered for us to sleep in his shearers' quarters! And if that wasn't amazing enough, he then invited us all up to join him and his family in a gourmet dinner up at his house!! It was an absolutely amazing night, and we'd also shared it with Kevin's friends, Lorraine and Trevor - the couple whom I was now face to face with once more, but at the complete opposite end of the country, and in situations that couldn't be farther from one another!
Me, Lorraine & Trevor on the Routeburn Track
I chatted to Lorraine and Trevor about what tramps they would recommend that I do, and they mentioed the Kepler Track tramp. I'd heard about the Kepler, but had chosen to do the Routeburn instead... but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense to go and do the Kepler Track tramp. I was based in Te Anau, and still had a few days left before I had to be up in Wanaka. And I really wanted to do another tramp before I had to settle down for the winter - at which point the tracks start to became dangerous.
I said goodbye to Lorraine and Trevor and carried on along the track. The clouds had lifted whilst we were having lunch, and I was greeted by beautiful views of a lake along the gradual descent from the saddle.
Photo for Adam & Rach - thank you so so much for my water bladder - I really do love it!! :oD
Routeburn Falls
View from the Routeburn Falls Hut (Altitude: 1000m above sea level)
Best advert ever: 'Buy a possum, save a tree'!
It was a full moon that night...
Inside the Routeburn Falls Hut
I had a great night (if a bit cold!) at the Routeburn Falls hut - met some great people, played some cards, had the remains of my 'backcountry' dehydrated meal. Unfortunately I'd eaten all of the veggies in the packet meant for 2 people (which was going to use for 2 nights) by accident the night before, leaving me with just a very very very strong 'asian' flavoured rice dish for the next night. I now realise that they need to be shaken up before use to mix the ingredients!! Ah well... live and learn.
The next morning, I awoke to SNOW!!!
I put both photos up, because I wasn't sure which one I preferred! :)
Monty at the end of the Routeburn Track
I got picked up by a shuttle bus to take me back to Te Anau, via Glenorchy and Queenstown. One of the DOC rangers was also on board, and we all had a good chat with lots of banter on the drive. The scenery was beautiful, and when we go to Glenorchy, I went for a stroll to take some photos. The autumn colours were amazing. I fell in love with the place. Then the shuttle driver asked me out, and handed me his card. I politely declined, but had to snigger when I saw his surname - 'Cockburn'... I had to feel sorry for the guy!
The following few photos are all from Glenorchy.
We left Glenorchy, and headed to Queenstown, where I had to wait for 1.5 hours for my connecting shuttle bus to Te Anau. I went to try the infamous 'Fergburger' - I'd heard so much about them, and after 3 days tramping, I felt like I'd earned one! I had a 'Codfather - just a big fish burger really, but it was indeed very good - but it was about the size of my head! On the shuttle back to Te Anau, I was speaking to a lovely gay couple from Auckland, who were down in the area to do the Kepler Track. They said that it was meant to be beautiful weather for the next few days, so I was convinced... even though I'd only just come off a tramp that day, I was going to leave for another tramp one the very next day. Well... why the heck not, hey??
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