A Weekend on the Routeburn

Article added : 04:07 Sun 5th Feb 2006

Its 6pm and I find myself rushing to make it to the clubs & soc's building on time. Alex (the trip leader) said don't worry if your late, but I hate being the one holding everyone else up. After a quick gear check I make it to the pick up point to find that Alex hasn't even shown up. Its 7.15pm now and Alex finally decides to grace us with his presence and the Rhodes van. The plan was to have half of the 31 people leave from the Divide (Te Anau side) and the other from Glenorchy. Being keen to do the longest day first I volunteered to drive Magnus's car up to the track start Glenorchy side.

7.30pm and we're finally on the road. Accompanying me are 4 lovely ladies, Lorelei from Boston, Beth and Dolcea from London and Esther from New Zealand. A 2hr drive to Alexandra and it was dinner time. Alex's van was already there ordering at the pie cart, so we wandered over where I noticed that there were no males about.

"Alex where are all the guys?" "I don't know it just worked out that way."

Not that I was complaining of course it just reminded me of a Steve France trip where the ratio had to be at least 3:1 girls to guys.

Back on the road again and its off to Queenstown for a quick petrol and a "nap in a can" (Energy drink for those who don't know what that means). As we left Queenstown it started to pour down. Lightening flashes that we had been seeing in the distance all night were now on top of us, and we entered Glenorchy huge lightening flashes lit up the countryside, enough to make out all the colours of day.

Finally we make it to the Routeburn shelter. Alex proceeded to get the van stuck on the bank in front of the shelter where it would eventually spend the night as more attempts to shift it only made the problem worse. Bedtime now (1am) Everyone is spread over the concrete floor except for me as sleeping on the table looked more comfortable. It's still raining heavily and the lightening is so bright you can see it through closed eyes. The thunder shakes the table I am sleeping on.

Day Two - Saturday 11th of May 2003

Its only 6.30 and Alex's alarm is going off even though it's still pitch black outside. Everyone slowly emerges from their sleeping bags to a wet wintry morning. Breakfast consisted of Muesli, Cocoa pops, and a hot cuppa before an effort to pack up and leave is made. Alex is able to get the van off the bank with little effort, and it's off into the rain a little after 8am.

The first part of the Routeburn track went relatively fast with everyone getting to know each other. The rain, which had been easing back, was not bothering anyone now. A quick slog uphill from Routeburn flats to falls hut marked the end of a 1/3 of the day.

Its now 10.30am and time for some morning tea and another hot cuppa. Dolcea and Beth arrived slightly after everyone else and were completely soaked thru, so Alex the handy man created rubbish bag. While at Falls hut a tramper going the other way informed us their was no coal at our destination (McKenzie hut), so after some discussion it as decided to carry as much as possible with us. 5 extra kg's of coal is not light.

11.45am and the first of us were quickly away over Harris Saddle heading for our lunch stop at the Emergency shelter. Fond memories were brought back whe the shelter was finally sighted. Last Feb (2002) I found myself, and 27 others, sleeping practically on top of each other due to bad weather. (This shelter is tiny for those of you who have not been there before).

Lunchtime (1.30pm). Vogels, Pesto, Hummis, ham, cheese, crackers, honey and Nutella.

NB. Nutella, cheese and crackers together is delicious

Surprisingly enough everyone is still in good spirits even though we have now been walking in rain and wind for 4 or so hours. Comments such as "this is the best food ever" could be heard in between mouth fulls as the majority of girls munched down all the food till nothing but crumbs were left.

Knowing that the next part of our walk was the last I was keen to leave as soon as possible. (Unfortunately we did not get the wonderful views of the Mountain ranges that I saw while up here a few months earlier)

1.45pm and I'm now very cold. The weather has turned nasty again and everyone is past the point of chatting. With heads down we raced to the warmth of the next hut.

About an hour after lunch McKenzie hut could be seen at the bottom of the valley. By this time everyone was spread out along the track. Esther, Michelle, Lorelei, and myself had broken away from the group and were first to attack the hour long decent. In the end Esther burned everyone off and arrived a good 5 to 10 min ahead of us.

Trip time 7hrs 30min (inc stops)

I had said the previous night that a swim in lake McKenzie was the first thing I was going to do and the weather would not stop me. Lorelei thought this was a great idea even though it was still raining and cold. So with a sprint to the lakes edge, top off, and into the cold water we go. Little did I realise Lorelei had the same plan. I turned around to see Lorelei frolicking topless in the lake. (The Routeburn definitely has great scenery)

Around the fire now. Everyone from both groups has arrived. I've claimed a place to sleep.12 mattresses for 31 people should be a cosy night. Dinnertime rolled around quickly after everyone had warmed up, either by the fire or with a drop of alcohol. Apricot rice, stir-fry vegetables and smoked chicken went down like a 5 star meal.

As the night wore on a dodgy massage train was created, basically consisting of Alex and a bunch of girls. Karla's moaning was the highlight. A game of 'circle of death' also emerged in the far corner of the hut.

"Alex do you have a condom?"

Finally the masses vacated slightly intoxicated to the 12-mattress bed where things finally quietened down about 10pm

Again it was noticed that Alex was the pimp daddy of the trip. He had somehow squizzed himself in between Carla, Karen, and Jenny. I wonder if that had to do with feeding them up on red wine during the night Alex?Day Three - Sunday 12th of May 2003

During the night Becca who was next to me had vacated her sleeping spot for the warmth of the fire downstairs. Little did I know that this would have no affect on my personal space. I woke up to Lorelei's face and Shell (the only other male in our group) cuddled up on the other side.

An early nights sleep saw me waking at 8am to a gorgeous sunny day. The other group were already up and just about to tackle their long day. I found Becca downstairs trying to light the fire. The fact that there was no dry wood or paper around did not stop her, so for the next half an hour the both of us blew on the embers from the night before. Finally with a nice fire going and Becca really wanting breakfast I decided it would be fun to wake everyone else up. (Its now 9.30am) It amazes me at how quickly people get up when you jump all over them.

Knowing that a short days tramping was ahead no one was in a rush to do anything. After breakfast was out of the road (porridge today) it was decided that we would leave our gear at the hut and go for a walk around the lake to Split Rock and come back for lunch before leaving. Split rock was about 20 min walk from the hut towards Emily Peak. The crack was big enough to squeeze through to the other side. Group photo time at the head of the lake and it was off again back to the hut around the other side with a little bush bashing added in.

Madeline had accidentally sprained her ankle just before lunch but with the help of our group physiotherapist Karen, some tape and Alex's walking stick she was as good as new. The afternoon saw us leave McKenzie hut at about 2pm after another feed of Nutella and cheese. Most of the afternoon was spent admiring the views taking pictures and chatting to those I was walking with. A brief stop at Earland falls would have to be the highlight of the day before arriving at Howden (4.30pm).

By now the sun was starting to go down and it was getting a bit colder so myself and Jenny decided to continue on to the vans. Jenny was showing signs of very sore blisters, but we managed to keep a good pace. Some of the group went up to Key Summit for a quick look. 5.30pm and we are at the vans. Clean clothes make you feel so much better.

Trip time 4hrs 30min (inc stops)

Along the way from the hut we managed to pick up a random hiker who was looking for a ride back to Te Anau and majority rules said that we should go for a quick drive up to the Homer tunnel before heading back for dinner.

Just out of Te Anau Downs, myself (driving) and Jenny (shotgun) got a huge fright as a wild pig ran out in front of the van. We only just missed it by swerving to the other side of the road.

Dinner was at the local pub. Alex and Myself shared a bowl of wedges and Camembert cheese wedges cooked with a coconut crust. As we were eating dinner Adrian called to let us know he was out of Doubtful Sounds and was ready to be picked up.

It was agreed that I would drive his van then change and co-drive with Alex for the homeward trip. All was going well on the way home. Myself, Jenny and Alex were up front, when Alex called driver change (in Milton) stopped the van in the middle of the street and went to do a lap of the van before changing positions. This sounds simple enough, however neither of us could open our doors and when I finally managed to unlock mine I fell our the door and onto the wet asphalt below. With a sore leg, but mostly a bruised ego as the whole van had woken up to witness my dismount I managed to put myself in the drivers seat and drive the rest of the way to Dunedin.

All round the Routeburn was a great trip. Native bush, to alpine scrub with spectacular views.

Thanks for organising the trip Alex.

About the Author

Jared Mitchell was an avid and active member of the outc during 2002,2003. View his latest adventures around the world at http://www.kiwiot.com