Some pics from the Routeburn track, 2 nights in huts, 3 days hiking. Night before at a place called Kinloch, on a lake. YHA and nice place to get ready for the hike. Had to catch a helicopter for the middle bit of the hike over the pass, 5 minutes on a helicopter. But meant I didn’t have to turn around and did most of the hike. All up about 40 people did the helicopter jump, 5 people per trip. But a long day 2 for me. Didn’t get to the hut till 7pm, but had it all to myself. The others stopped at the earlier hut, MacKenzie hut. Must admit was getting a little tired towards the end.
The final day was a relatively easy hour’s walk mostly down to the carpark at ‘The Divide’.
- Kinloch lodge/YHA
- View from Kinloch lodge/YHA
- Start of the Routeburn Track (RT)
- The start
- On the RT
- Routeburn Flats hut, morning tea break.
- View from Routeburn Falls hut across the alpine valley
- Ditto
- Up out of the alpine valley
- Waterfall, lots of them.
- View back down to the Alpine Valley/Routeburn Flats hut.
- Mt Cook Buttercup
- Made it to Routeburn Falls hut, 1st night. View from the balcony
- Routeburn Falls hut
- View inside the hut, sleeps 54
- Waiting on morning of day 2 to start. Have to do a helicopter shuttle over Harris pass, 5 minutes flight time. We are waiting for the OK from the ranger to start the 1 hour walk up to the meeting place for the helicopter.
- The closed section
- Waiting to catch the helicopter
- Catching the helicopter, 5 at a time.
- Snow dog, got off the helicopter with its handler. Maybe used to find avalanche victims?
- Views
- A snowy bit
- Down the other side.
- Views
- Views
- Along the track, heading to Lake Mackenzie hut
- Views
- Waterfall
- Lake Mackenzie Hut, beautiful views. Most people stayed here. I had another 3 hours to go.
- View across Lake Mackenzie
- Earland Falls, 174m.
- Earland Falls, 174m.
- Down through the birch forest.
- Birch forest, very Tolkenesque.
- Finally made it to Lake Howden hut, 7pm
- Lake Howden hut, was glad to see it, and had it all to myself.
- Lake Howden
- The end (in my case)
- The Routeburn track
- The end, the Divide carpark
- Me, at the end.