November 4th and 5th – The Routeburn Track

It was a late night on the third, but those of us remaining in Queenstown that morning struggled out of bed for checkout at 10AM and met for breakfast before heading our separate ways.

I had come to New Zealand hoping to get the opportunity to do some hiking in the mountains. I had done some research and heard from some people that New Zealand had some of the best hiking trails in the world. However, by the time I arrived in Queenstown I had pretty much resigned myself to the fact that it probably wasn’t going to happen on this trip. I didn’t want to go alone and there were time pressures, in fact I had already confirmed myself on the bus headed further south. But as fate would have it, I happened into a conversation with two of the guys I bungied with and they were also planning a hike and agreed to work it in around my tight schedule.

We made the broad stroke arrangements the day before, but following breakfast we locked down the details, rented the gear we needed and hit the supermarket in time for our mid-day shuttle to the starting point.

It was to be a two night hike over an alpine pass and I arranged for pick-up from the bus company on the other side. I was very uncertain the difficulty level of the hike. I was prepared for anything mentally, but I wasn’t sure how I would hold up physically. If I was going to make it as far as I needed to go on the second day to meet my transport on the morning of the 6th I was looking at a really long second day. We met another couple doing the same track on the shuttle and joined forces; the five of us set-off in good spirits.

The first hour and half or so was great. We were strolling through the woods. There was a light rain falling, but we were sheltered by trees and we were shedding layers of clothing rapidly. The weather report for the coming days was pretty terrible, but that wasn’t going to slow us down. We arrived after a couple of hours at the first hut on the trail. We would be staying the night at the second hut, but we stopped for a bite to eat and a cup of tea. We set off again, this time uphill about 90 minutes to the hut. Maybe I ate too much while during the stop or maybe I’ve eaten too much over the last 25 years, but either way I struggled up the hill and rolled in to the hut feeling worked over a few minutes after the rest. This was a sign of the challenges we’d face the next day, but it really wasn’t so bad and we settled in for the evening.

There were a few other really nice people staying at the hut and we passed the time playing cards and having friendly conversation. I particularly enjoyed speaking with a nice couple from the UK, both retired principals, who now recruit teachers from overseas to come work in the UK. They had interesting viewpoints on teaching and world education.

By the time we headed to bed, the temperature outside had already dropped considerably and we bundled up for a cold night. It wasn’t so bad, but I could have been warmer; the sleeping bag i brought was intended for springish weather not really cold weather. While a cool rain lulled us to sleep, we awoke to something totally different; several inches of snow covering the ground. Needless to say, not what we were expecting from a spring pushing summer hike. We got up early because I had a lot of ground to cover. The plan as it stood then was for us to hike together to the first hut where my two friends would stay the night and I would continue on a couple of hours to another hut because I was taking different transport out early the next morning and needed to make it further along.

We had hot tea and granola for breakfast and were delayed because the Department of Conservation needed to check the summit snowfall before they would give us permission to leave. After about an hour of waiting, we were cleared the go and the local park range type joined us for the first leg to the top of the alpine pass. They put me in the front of the group, probably a smart move because i may have fell behind had I not been forced by the verbal and nonverbal pressure of the group pushing along behind me. The 1 and half hour or so climb to the summit was beautiful and trying. Had a been in better condition I might have enjoyed the scenery a bit more, but instead i felt a bit like a hobbit on the way to Mordor. The view from the top, however, was magnificent.

The next three hours of so of walking to the hut where most of the group was supposed to stay was enjoyable, but by the time we arrived I was certainly feeling a bit achy. Fortunately for me, however, as we arrived on the hut the group decided they would head on along with me the next 3 hours or so to the hut I was to stay at. I appreciated the company, as without them the leg would have been much more difficult.

I finally arrived at the hut just a few short minutes behind the rest of the group. My feet and back in particular were aching and putting on fresh socks and tennis shoes was welcome to say the least. It was just the 5 of us staying there together so we had a good time together having the run of the place. We played cards, ate food and kept the heating stove hot. When it was time to sleep we made a group decision not to retire to the unheated bunk rooms, but instead pulled the mattresses out into the common area near the stove. It was a great plan until about 3 when the fire went out, then i was freezing. I attempted to stoke the fire to no avail and added more layers. I struggled through a few more our of sleep and then woke again just before sunrise. I decided against trying to sleep more and headed out by the lake for an amazingly serene sunrise. It was beautiful, but I was still tired, i added the last layer available to me and managed another hour or so of sleep. When 9 o´clock rolled around I was about ready to head off to meet the transport an hour down the path. I said goodbye to the rest of the group, thanked them for the company and the good laughs and headed off.