Youngs Around the World

On another beautiful day in Queenstown, we headed north along the lake towards Glenorchy to the trail head of the Routeburn Track. As one of New Zealand’s designated Great Walks, Routeburn is a well-trodden and much-photographed path and we were brimming with excitement. The trail begins at Glenorchy and ends near Milford Sound, winding through forest-covered mountains and sweeping river valleys along the way. There are four huts along the trail where hikers can book a bed for $40/person/night but, with only a day to devote to exploring the three-day track and getting a late start (because I am not a morning person), we ambitiously aimed for the second hut as our turnaround point – a ten-mile roundtrip trek.

The hike to the first hut at Routeburn Flats took a couple of hours over a well-graded and reasonably flat trail. We crossed shallow, rocky rivers over swinging bridges and paused to admire the greenish ethereal glow of the enchanted undergrowth; bright green and yellow mosses shrouding the tree trunks and reflecting what little sunlight filters in through the leafy canopy above. Despite our staggered stops to marvel at the grandeur, we managed to reach the first hut much more quickly than the estimated time on the signposts. I would like to attribute this to our superb physical fitness but it is more likely due to some combination of the following: our competitive nature, residual corporate mentality (efficiency!), lack of patience and abundant nervous energy. Even on this months-long dream vacation, we often find that it takes a concerted effort to stop and smell the roses.

The Flats Hut was an impressively built and maintained complex of basic cabins with modern restroom facilities and a lovely picnic area edging an expanse of golden valley with a lazy river ambling through its straw-colored grasses. We stopped to eat our sandwiches at a picnic table near the river, admiring the views of craggy snow-covered peaks and lush green forest.

After a leisurely pause, we were back on the trail, heading up steeper inclines and rocky terrain. This stretch was decidedly more challenging but the diversity of scenery and obstacles kept it interesting enough to distract from the physical exertion. As we climbed higher, the same golden flats where we’d taken our rest opened into a radiant field enveloping the shy, curling river and carrying it around the imposing mountain bends. The higher altitude also brought misty air and just enough rain to keep us cool.

We reached the Falls Hut at the top of a steep, uneven stretch of natural stairway created by rocks and the elaborate exposed root system of the surrounding trees. Impressed again by the second hut, we regretted that we hadn’t allocated more days of the itinerary to the full three-day endeavor. In the end, we tossed the idea into the ever-growing “We’ll have to come back here with the kids” category and moved on. As we walked around the hut complex, taking in the view from the cabin terrace and envying the hikers who were settling in for a relaxing evening, we noticed that the Routeburn Falls, a series of boulder-strewn waterfalls was just a short hike further up the mountain. We took a few weary steps up the rocky path and abruptly decided that we had already seen enough waterfalls for the week. Instead, we started back down the trail and maintained our usual racer’s pace all the way back to the car. With landscapes of the fairytale variety, deliciously fresh air, and mystical waterscapes, the Routeburn Track has been one of our favorite spots in New Zealand so far.

2 Comments »