Monday 23rd March: Cloudy and cool in ????? 9°C to 18°C
Routeburn Shelter to Routeburn Falls Hut: Bus 8am to 10am. Walk 8.8k: 4hrs + 3.2k: 1hr30
Mini bus on way to Glenorchy
We're up at 6am, long before the alarm goes off. A quick shower - it will be our last for a few days, then breakfast downstairs - Ian has meusli, I have a cup of tea. We stash our small Air New Zealand backpack holding our Chinese laundry bag in the shipping container on the YHA driveway. We'll pick it up on our return in 3 days time. Then over the road to catch the Info and Track bus which we had arranged to pick us up opposite the YHA. 5 other people are waiting and at 8.05am the mini bus with trailer arrives to take us to Glenorchy,at the end of the lake. The ride along the lakes edge is beautiful with blue skies. A 15minute wait at Glenorchy to re-distribute passengers to buses going in different directions - Routeburn, Greenstones etc. Then another 45 minute ride to the Routeburn Shelter where we start our walk.
At the Routeburn Shelter
Start of the Routeburn Track
Crystal clear stony Route Burn
Could be at Binna Burra
Checking Map at Routeburn Flats
Coffee at Routeburn Flats Huts
Snow Capped Montains in distance
Routeburn Falls Hut at 1,000m
Mountain above Falls Hut with Flats below
Routeburn Flats with Falls Huts in foreground
There's lots of cars and buses unloading mountain bikes - what a great activity based tourist industry NZ has. A quick repack of our Macpacs and we're off on the Routeburn Track - 8.8k to go and it's only 10am. There's the odd sandfly so we lather up with Bushman's DEET. The winding track through the rainforest mostly follows the Route Burn (Scottish for River). It's crystal clear with a stony bed.
A steady climb along a well graded track takes us to a grassy swamp by 11.45am - time to sit and rest. It's brilliant sunshine and warm, with snow capped mountains in the background. No sandflies. In another 15 minutes we reach the Routeburn Flats Hut. We could have stayed here but most walkers suggested the Falls Hut further up is prettier. The Flats hut is deserted, but we have access to the gas burners to make a cup of coffee - we could have easily brought our Jet Boil but I was afraid there'd be no room in our already loaded packs and I wasn't sure if DOC would allow open fires on the track - we found out later yes they do. Next time we'll bring it. There's 6 other people outside lolling in the sun.
On again, but now it's a steeper uphill climb and in 1hr, we reach the Routeburn Falls Hut at about 1.30pm. The Routeburn Falls Lodge for guided walkers is a large establishment to our left, and our small hut is to the right where we head to the dorms. They’re very dark and we need a torch even on a sunny day. We claim our beds, then sit in the dining room to have a belated lunch - dried ham, tomato, cheese and mayonnaise. Time to boil some dried soup for later - it will take 2hrs to cook, and simultaneously we boil another pot for our “kitchen sink” to have a hot water splash and dash in the toilets before the second load of people arrive -those who caught the 2pm bus from Queenstown.
Then back to the dining room for our cup of tea and a chat, while waiting for our pea and ham soup to cook. John, the ranger, walks in and tells us there's a spectacular view about a 1hr 30min return trip up behind the huts, and since it's the best fine day he's seen for a while, he highly recommends it. After changing back into out walking shoes and donning warm puffer jackets, we lead a group of people up the mountain. And it was a spectacular view looking down on the Routeburn Valley to the flat lands. A bit further on, we can peer down on the Routeburn Falls huts way below.
Back down to the hut. It's cold now. The Falls hut is at 1,000 metres and we sit by the coke fire in the dining room. It's after 6pm and time to have dinner. Everything is thrown in the one pot - butter, green spinach leaves, bacon, tomato, dried onion and half of yesterdays steak. Add half a packet of dried potatoes to the soup mix and that's dinner. with a small cup of Pinot Noir carried in our water bottles.
At 7.30pm the warden gives us a 1hr lecture on the do's and dont’s - don't leave stuff outside like boots or the Kea's will shred them to pieces. He also asks everyone their nationality and we're amazed to find that 85% of people are international back packers, late twenties to early thirties. Then there's us. It's 8.30 and we're off to bed in a dark cold room - no lights. I soon have to get up to put on my puffer jacket which was to be used as a pillow as it's so cold. At least with all the young ones, there's no snorers