Queenstown

This was the initial staging point for our 3 day tramp on the Routeburn track.  We stayed at Coronation Lodge which is well situated on the perimeter of the downtown area (3 blocks) and 2 blocks from Queenstown Botanical Park. It’s ideal for joggers because the park also fronts the lake.

Kinloch Lodge

• Thursday we caught the Info and Track shuttle that heads north along the perimeter of the lake and then transferred to a boat-shuttle across the lake to the dock at Kinloch Lodge.

• We enjoyed the sunny afternoon by taking some short day hikes.

• There are a limited numbers of tables for a dinner at the Lodge so it’s best to pre-book a table at the time you make a room reservation.

• Friday morning the Kinloch Lodge owner drove us to the start of Routeburn Track (about 30 minutes and sent us off with two giant chocolate chip cookies. He also suggested that after we dropped our packs at the first hut (Routeburn Falls) we hike up to take pictures at the “saddle”. The reason was the sky was cloudless and he mentioned that may not hold the next day.

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Routeburn Track – Day One

• The first day of this track has two ascents. The first from the trailhead is about a 2.5 hour hike to the first hut located in a large meadowland – Routeburn Flats.

• The second ascent about 3 hours takes you to the Routeburn Falls and the location of first overnight stay. The Falls hut accommodates about 60 people divided into to two buildings.

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Figure 5 Start of the Routeburn Track	Figure 6 Looking Back at Meadowland
Figure 7 Routeburn Falls	Figure 8 Path to Harris Saddle

Routeburn Track – Day 2

• Day 2 starts out clear has we complete the climb to Harris Saddle

• From Harris Saddle we traverse the mountain for 2 hours and reach the overlook to the lake.

• What looks like a 30 minute hike down to the hut turns into a rather difficult ascent lasting closer to 2 hours. However the final 30 minutes is thru the “emerald green enchanted forest”.

Routeburn Track /Milford Sound – Day 3

• Sunday morning we broke camp early because the Ranger indicated that heavy rains were possible later in the day.

• We hiked 4.5 hours out of the Lake Mackenzie and thru the rainforest adjoining Lake Howden stopping briefly at Lake Howden hut to have lunch and dry out briefly before a final descent into the Divide.

• The Divide is a pickup point for hikers completing the Routeburn Track. Info and Track has an arrangement with Eco-Tours to pick up hikers for a tour of Milford Sound. Other tourists on the bus had boarded at Queenstown or at TeAnau. Needless to say when the bus pulls up and loads three bedraggled hikers (an Aussie was on the tramp was also taking the tour) the other tourists were a bit stunned. The driver actually knew were we had been the last three days and was eager to chat about the trail conditions and weather on the tramp.

• We reached Milford sound thru a spectacular drive thru shear granite cliffs with numerous waterfalls. We boarded one of the tourist boats where the scene continued on the water. Actually we were fortunate that it was raining that day because it doubles the number of waterfalls.

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Te Anau

• We joined our friends Barry and Judy Chapnick on Monday and drove to Te Anau.

• Tuesday we drove to Manapuri the launch area for the Doubtful Sound tour.

• Doubtful Sound is equally spectacular where the sheer cliffs are all green. As the guide said it rains 200 days of the year in this area and this day was no exception. Consequently the photo opportunities were rather limited.

Te Anau to Wanaka

• Our stay over in Wanaka was predicated on the possibility that Mt. Cook would be in view.

• The next morning it was a perfectly clear day. We packed a lunch and drove the back-roads for 2.5 to get to Mount Cook.

• Mt. Cook was the staging area for Sir Edmund Hillary’s assault on Mt. Everest. He used the mountain as a training ground. Although the mountain is only half the height of Everest it is technically very difficult to climb. One kiwi that I met indicated that no less than 13 mountaineers had died this last year attempting to climb Mt. Cook.

Wanaka to Franz Joseph Glacier

The Fox and Franz Joseph Glaciers are unique in there proximity to the Tasman which is only 12 miles away. In the surrounding village of Franz Joseph is characterized by a semi-tropical climate that where it never snows. Lake Matheson pictured below was formed from the receding glacier.

Fox Glacier

Golden Bay in Abel Tasman Park

We spent 3 days exploring the Abel Tasman Park/Golden Bay area. We kayaked in Golden Bay and hiked to the first hut on the Abel Tasman track near Separation Pt. This side of the park was isolated and had fewer tourists.

Queen Charlotte Track / Marlborough Sound

For our day hike we rode the water-taxi to Ship Cove for our drop off point. This particular track serves both hikers and mountain bikers. The trail traverses Marlborough Sound and can be hiked all the way back to Picton (our departure point).  We hiked to Furneaux Lodge Pub (which is known as the pub without a road) had our pints and returned to Picton by water-taxi.