After confirming our trip to New Zealand, at the top of our list was to experience one of its Great Walks in the Southern Alps – either the Milford, Kepler or Routeburn Track. All three are incredibly popular and even though we had been 6 months ahead, the huts for Milford were full and almost so for Kepler and Routeburn. We quickly decided on the Routeburn Track for its highly raved vistas of snow-capped peaks and alpine lakes – before booking the huts online.
The Routeburn Track – at 32km excluding side trips – is the shortest of the three, but still a challenging and at times steep backcountry hike that requires considerable fitness to keep going for 3 days. If you decide on taking up this challenge, the first thing would be to check out NZ’s Department of Conservation (DOC) booking page for availability of sites and book them asap, as they run out really early. Also the huts are serviced only during the Great Walks season (from late October to April) – if you’re not an experienced tramper it can be hazardous to attempt outside this period with avalanche, snow and ice risk.
The entire trail is one-way and can be done from either directions with the option of staying in huts or tents. We chose to start from The Divide and end at Routeburn Shelter, staying at Lake Mackenzie Hut (1st night) and Routeburn Falls Hut (2nd night). While tents are much cheaper than huts (NZD20 vs NZD65 per night), the latter saves you from carrying your own tent, sleeping mats and gas stove. Great Walk huts come with foam mattresses on bunk beds and gas stoves in the kitchens, although you’ll still need to bring your own sleeping bags and pots for cooking.
After booking your huts/campsites, the next thing to tackle is transport. Being a one-way track with a 4.5hour drive between its start and end point makes it a nightmare for logistics. Thankfully we discovered Easyhike online and engaged their relocation service, so that our car will be picked up at The Divide and waiting for us at the end of the trail at Routeburn Shelter carpark. It costed us NZD299 including a pair of Jucy cruise tickets to Milford Sound – definitely another must-do!! – a price well worth it for the freedom and hassle-free experience. Also, the alternative option of booking shuttle bus services from Queenstown to The Divide / Routeburn Shelter Parking to Queenstown would have costed almost as much for 2 pax.
There are a few stops to make in Queenstown before starting the hike. First, we had to physically collect our hut tickets at Queenstown’s DOC office 1-2 days prior. It was also a good opportunity to get some last-minute advice on the trail and grab a copy of the Routeburn Great Walk Track Guide. Then, we had to collect our lockbox from Easyhike’s office – the means of storing our car keys securely with a pin code so the driver can access our car for the relocation. With these logistics settled, we were off to a 3.5hour drive to Te Anau Downs for our night at Deer Flat Campsite.
The next morning, we continued driving to Milford Sound for our Jucy cruise – before parking our car at The Divide carpark – and off we went on our adventure!
Day 1
Mostly hiking in the bushline through beech forests. Highlights include the detour up Key Summit, walking under Earland Falls and arriving at our first night’s hut beside Lake Mackenzie.
Day 2
My absolute favourite day with a variety of breathtaking views, leaving Lake Mackenzie and climbing up to traverse along the exposed Hollyford face with open views of the alps.
Day 3
Back to the bushline, descending to Routeburn Flats and following the turquoise waters of Routeburn river cutting through steep gorges – before arriving at Route Shelter carpark where our car was waiting for us!