Tihaka Beach Track

Yesterday, the Tavern in Colac Buy was pretty busy. Today, there is a surf competition in Colac Bay. As soon as we left Colac Bay, we continued our Te Araroa adventure along the Beach. There, we crossed the ‘festival’ area. We were greeted by a woman who just returned from the sea. It took a while before we realized that this woman was actually the bar girl from the Tavern. We passed a hot dog stand, but even for us, 9.30am is a little too early for a hot dog.
We left the crowd behind and continued along the beach. After a few kilometer, the beach ended. That is where the Tihaka Beach Track started. We followed a narrow path and climbed to the top of a cliff. On the other side, we descended back to the beach. This would be the standard for the next 6 kilometer: up and over a cliff and back to the beach. In between, we had to negotiate mud, high grass and especially marker pole that have been bleached by the sun. It was hard to actually spot the next marker pole.

When we left de beach behind, the track climbed to 171 meter. There, we had an amazing view. We could clearly see the track we had just walked. But more importantly, Bluff looked to be so close! From the look-out, it was a short descend to Riverton. Although early, we called it a day.

Oreti Beach

The Te Araroa started with 4 days of beach walking. Now we almost done hiking the Te Araroa, we have another full day of beach walking ahead. From Riverton to Invercargill, we have to walk about 22 kilometer mostly on the beach. Unfortunately, high tide was a 8am, meaning there would be literally no beach left to walk. Therefore, we enjoyed a second breakfast at The Crib Café in Riverton. With our stomachs full of fresh food, we finally left Riverton around 9am. We soon arrived at the beach, and there was just enough sand to walk. As we continued our way south, there was more and more beach to walk on. In comparison to 90 Mile Beach in the north, Oreti beach was pretty busy. Around noon, we saw many people riding their bike or walking their dog on the beach.

We left the beach behind and continued along the road for another 9 kilometer towards Invercargill. We took an ice-cream break at the Four Square we passed before continuing to Invercargill. We pitched our tent at the beautiful campsite in the center of the city…

Bluff

We woke up by rain falling on our tent. Not really how we planned to start our final day on the Te Araroa. We took our time packing everything, and by the time we were ready, it was dry again. We left Invercargill via the same road as we came yesterday. After a kilometer or so, we turned left and followed the Estuary Walkway. A new track that is still under construction. The first half of the tracks runs through nature and an industrial zone. We were warmly greeted by cyclists who cheered us on. But we are not there yet! After 10 kilometer, the Estuary Walkway ended and we arrived on State Highway 1. They are still working on an extension of the Estuary Walkway. For now, there is no other way south than to walk along State Highway 1. Not something we had been looking forward to as State Highway 1 is pretty busy. Too busy, if you ask us. We therefore decided to hitch to Bluff. Within 30 seconds, an old lady stopped her car for us. She could bring us to her home, which was 10 kilometer south along State Highway 1. That sounded great, so we quickly got in. While driving us south, she told about her work. ‘Oh, and that is my house,’ she said. She decided to bring us all the way to Bluff. Wow! She dropped us off at the welcome sign to Bluff. We took the obligatory photos and continued with the last kilometers of our walk.

We followed State Highway 1 to the center of Bluff. From there, we followed a road leading to Bluff Hill. From the top of Bluff Hill, we had an amazing view. Too bad that the wind was blowing so strong today. We descended from Bluff Hill via the Topuni Track. A very easy walk down. In about 15 minutes, we arrived at Stirling Point, the official terminal destination of the Te Araroa. We made it! About 3.000 kilometer since we started our hike at Cape Reinga. What an adventure!

We celebrated our finish with a piece of pie at the Oyster Cove Restaurant & Bar. There, we also revieced a plaqua from the Invercargill City Council. After signing the Te Araroa book, we walked back to the center of Bluff to catch a bus to Invercargill, where we have booked a night in a fancy hotel. We have deserved that, we think!

After the Woodlaw Forest, we continued on gravel roads to make the connection to the Island Bush Track. Where the track started on a nice gravel road, is suddenly disappeared in the dense forest without any markers. Great! The final kilometers of the day, we walked on an iron road again. A lot of big trucks drove by. Because the rain was still pouring down on us, it wasn’t particularly fun to walk on the side of the road. We were more than glad when we arrived at Meriview Hut. A hut built by a local farmer. When we arrived, we met two other hikers whom had taken a zero-day because of the shitty weather. Why didn’t we do that…

Mud!

We have heard wild stories about the Longwood Forest. Some hikers even claim Longwood Forest is worse than Herekino Forest (that is quite a statement!). We started our day with not too much expectations. The first 7.5 kilometer, however, were easy going: on a gravel road that climbed up a hill. After almost 1.5 hour, the road ended and we continued on a track through dense bush onto Bald Hill. The forest we were hiking in was just a forest like any other: mud, tree roots and a lot of ups and downs. But nothing really terrible. We continued for about 1.5 hour before we arrived at an open area. In the distance, we could already see the communication tower at the top of Bald Hill. Half an hour later, we arrived at the top (805 meter). Right at that time, it started to rain. Well, snow actually. Wet snow.

There was not much space to shelter from the snow and as soon as it stopped snowing, we quickly continued. By that time, we had gotten pretty cold and decided to run down the beautiful gravel road that led us off Bald Hill. We covered 4 kilometer in under half-an-hour. Wow! We arrived at the old quarry and decided we could do with a quick lunch. But as soon as we got our food out of our bags, it started to rain again. No! We packed and decided lunch could wait. We followed the track into the bush. We passed sections of deep mud. First we tried to avoid the deepest sections, but we soon found out that there was no escape from the mud. We found a large tree that provided a little shelter from the rain where we quickly ate our lunch. Shortly after, we left the forest behind and arrived on a large open clearing. We followed the wet track to the top at 764 meter. From there, the route turned left and descended to Martin’s Hut. We expected an awful descend, but is was actually rather ok. You just had to look carefully where to place your feet. We arrived at Martin’s Hut at 4:15pm. A lovely old cabin, and for the Te Araroa SOBO’s, also the last hut on the trail.

Unexpected visitors

Around 11pm that night, we woke up by two German lads arriving at the hut. We heard them chatting outside, but soon they were shining with their flashlights through the windows of the hut. They tried to open the door, which was blocked by a stone that prevented the door from falling open. Isha, whom we shared the hut with, opened the door for them. They asked if there was a spare bunk available. As there was only one available, they decided to share the bunk. They then told they started their hike at 11am this morning. They had set-off for a popular two hour circular track. Somewhere, however, they must have taken a wrong turn and couldn’t find their way out of the forest. By pure luck, they stumbled upon Martin’s Hut. They didn’t have any gear nor food. Isha therefore quickly prepared a hot meal for them: couscous with salmon. But seeing their reactions, they didn’t really enjoy the food.
After a long night, we gave them our spare breakfast consisting of OSM and muesli bars. But also this didn’t really satisfy them. We asked them several times if they were sure to walk out of the forest with us or if they wanted us to notify the authorities. They were fine they said (they probably didn’t understand the situation they were in!). Eventually, we left Martin’s Hut at 8:20am. Isha stayed in the hut a little longer to document this story in the intentions book but would catch up with us later.

We followed a good track and quickly arrived at a gravel road. We followed this road until the Te Araroa Trail turned right onto Ports Water Race Track. Some had said that this would be a nice 4x4 track. Well, if this is a nice 4x4 track, then the gravel road we were walking on earlier today can be considered a highway made out of silk. We have also heard people saying that Ports Water Race Track is worse than Herekino, this might be more true. We followed the winding track through the forest and negotiated a lot of mud, roots, fallen trees, streams and ditches. Not really the ideal terrain to make a good pace, especially not if you are escorting two German lads. Remarkably, both Germans were able to keep up with us. We took a short break and gave the to German boys some of our snacks. They did seem to like our trailmix. During our break, Isha caught up with us. And with the five of us, we walked to the Mathieson Exit.

Officially, the Te Araroa Trail continued on Ports Water Race Track. However, by taking the Mathieson Exit, we know we will be out of the forest in minutes. Hopefully we can arrange a ride for two German boys back to their car.
Just minutes after turning left and leaving the trail behind, we exited the forest and arrived in a large paddock. We followed a farm track until we had to stop because a huge group of cows crossed the track ahead. Once all the cows had passed, we continued and arrived at the road towards Colac Bay. We literally jumped in front of the first car that approached us. Unfortunately, however, this farmer couldn’t help us. As this turned to be the only car we would see for some time, we continued walking. On this harder surface, the to Germans had more difficulty following our pace. Soon, we arrived at the junction towards Colac Bay. Turning left, we would be in Colac Bay. The two German boys had to turn right and walk another 3 kilometer to their car. We insisted them to come with us to Colac Bay and find someone that could bring them to their car. They refused and turned right. At this time, there wasn’t much more we could do. We turned left and started walking towards Colac Bay. It didn’t take long before we arrived in Colac Bay. While we were eating an ice cream at the Tavern / camping, the two Germans arrived. Even the bar tender asked if they were alright. Poor guys. They ordered the largest burger on the menu and enjoyed proper food. However, they still didn’t seem to understand the situation they were in. At least they have a good story now to tell their family.

We took a short break and continued south. We walked into the forest and the track quickly turned into a muddy forest track. Tree roots everywhere, fallen trees and mud and other obstacles to make it fun. We are back in the New Zealand bush! After about an hour on a narrow track, we stumbled upon two hunters. They had been hunting the evening before and were now on their way back with backpacks full of meat. We talked with them for about 20 minutes. We were offered a complete shoulder of a deer. But having nowhere to leave it, we declined this generous offer.

According to the hunters, the track south would become better soon. We don’t know where they walked, because the track didn’t improve at all. There were maybe less fallen trees, but there was way more mud. Suddenly, Marjon slipped and dived head down to the ground. Because we were on a descend, she slid down a bunch of tree roots and ended up on her stomach two meter further. Not sure if she was okay, Jasper jumped down and dropped his pack. We don’t know how, but Marjon only had a few bruises on her legs, but no other injuries. Marjon took her backpack off in order to stand up again. After a second check, she was still fine and we continued our way.
Four-and-a-half kilometer further, we left the bush behind and this is where the real fun started. We followed the trail through short sections of bush, tussock and bogs. Especially on this last terrain, you didn’t know if you were stepping on grass or in a deep pool of mud. Every step was a surprise where your feet would land. More than once, we both stepped into a deep pool of stinky mud. After a few slow going kilometers, we arrived at the Aparima Hut. To our surprise, there was nobody else. However, shortly after we arrived, a solo female lady arrived. She, however, preferred to sleep in the old hunters cabin and left the hut to us.

The final climb

It was almost 8am when we left Aparima Hut. Near the hut, we noticed a DOC sign, saying it would be 8 hours to the next hut. Five minutes later, when we crossed a suspension bridge, we noticed another sign. This sign told us it was 6 hours to the next hut. These two hours went really quick!
We followed the trail back into the bush. According to the trail notes, the trail is poorly marked. However, we found a well-marked trail. Almost every tree had a marker. However, even without any markers, the trail would still be easy to follow. After 4,5 hours of easy hiking, we arrived at the Lower Wairaki Hit.

Just when we arrived, it started to rain. We therefore took shelter in the hut. We had good hope that the rain was just temporarily and therefore took a long lunch break. We were right and after an hour, the rain did stop. We continued in a damp forest and steadily made our way to the final climb above 1.000 meter. The further we climbed, the steeper the track became. Because of the high humidity, sweat was dripping down our bodies. Suddenly, we stepped out of the bush and arrived at the open top at 1.024 meter. The wind was fiercely strong and tried to push us off the mountain. We took shelter behind a few large boulders. We had good hope to see the Bluff from this point. However, because of the low clouds, we couldn’t see the coast nor Bluff.
We had cellphone reception from the top and therefore phoned a farmer that has accommodation to ask for availability of tomorrow night. When that was done, we headed down. The descend was at some places a little tricky because of all the wet footing, but we made it to Telford Campsite in 3,5 hours (including our long break at the top). We quickly found out that all the horror stories of Telford Campsite were true: there are literally billions of sandflies waiting for tired hikers to show up. While we were attacked by sandflies, we quickly set-up our tent. Once in the tent, we spend about an hour trying to kill all sandflies in our tent. We didn’t got out of our tent until it was dark. But even then, the sandflies kept attacking.

Mt Linton Station

Mt Linton Station is the largest farm in New Zealand. The full 28 kilometers that we will be walking today, will be on the ground of Mt Linton Station. We have heard many horror stories of Mt Linton Station: the route is difficult to find and when you take a wrong turn, the farmer will escort you off his property. This ‘attitude’ is because other hikers have ruined it for us: they left gates open so that stock can wander away and camped on land of Mt Linton Station while it is clearly noted in the trail notes that this is not allowed.

To beat the sandflies, we packed our tent while it was still dark. In the first light of the day, we started hiking. Within five minutes, a loud scream was heard over Mt Linton Station. This time, it wasn’t Marjon who fell, nor was it Jasper who stepped into a bog. It was way worse. While stepping over a stile, the right shoulder strap of Jasper his backpack had broken. Not an ideal timing, because we were literally in the middle of nowhere. With the help of a biner, we were able to make a quick fix. We hope we can still make it to Bluff.

Once on Mt Linton Station, we crossed the river and followed a 4x4 track up a mountain. On the other side, we descended and climbed and descended for the remainder of the day. Almost entirely on 4x4 tracks. The track was well-marked. At some points, you had to look for the next marker, but is was never difficult to navigate. Only once did we take a wrong turn, but when we back traced our steps, we had clearly missed a marked. That was our mistake and not because of a poor marked track. We therefore do not understand why there are so many horror stories of Mt Linton Station. We certainly enjoyed walking there. At 3pm, we left Mt Linton Station and continued to a nearby private cabin that we had booked.

At 10:30am, we left the carpark and continued our southbound Te Araroa hike. We took our time and enjoyed being back on the trail. Jasper stopped at every waterfall to take heaps of photos. In the end, it took us about 3 hours to get to the Greenstone Hut. It was still early, but we want to give Marjon her leg as much rest as possible. Although we wanted to continue, we decided to stay in the hut. The hut was already filled-up when we arrived (we claimed the last to beds). In the afternoon, we talked to a Canadian couple whom were also staying in the hut. They are hiking in New Zealand and on one of their first hikes, she had broken her arm. Just like us, they were glad to be back hiking.

Back on the Te Araroa

This was one of the first times that everybody was up and running before it was light. Most people told us that they wanted to get to McKellar Hut. We think everybody was up so early because they just want to claim a bed at McKellar Hut. We, however, didn’t had anything to worry. We were the only Te Araroa hikers in the Greenstone Hut last night. Today, we will therefore leave the busy tracks around Queenstown behind.

From leaving the Greenstone Hut, the track started to climb. Where the Greenstone and Routeburn Tracks were well maintained, we were now walking through deep mud again. Welcome back on the Te Araroa! After 2,5 hours, we left the forest behind and entered a wide valley. We followed a narrow track through high grass / tussock. At some points, it was rather difficult to follow the track, or we just lost sight of the marker poles and had to find our own way through the grass. Three-and-a-half hour after leaving the Greenstone Hut, we arrived at the Taipo Hut. Although it was early (11am), we took a long lunch break inside the hut.

After our lunch, we continued south towards Boundary Hut. Twelve kilometer through the same valley. Beautiful! Just before Boundary Hut, a large herd of cows was standing on the track. However, the valley was wide enough to circle around the cows. Three hours after leaving Taipo Hut, we arrived at Boundary Hut. Well alsmost. There was only a river we had yet to cross. We followed the track for another half an hour along the river and finally arrived at the suspension bridge that brought us to Boundary Hut. Boundary Hut is a small hut (4x 1,5 person beds) where we decided to stay for the night. For the first time on the Te Araroa, we had the hut for ourselves!

Sandflies

A lot of rain was predicted for Thursday. We were therefore prepared for the worst. However, when we left Boundary Hut, it was still dry. From Boundary Hut, we followed the 4x4 track in southerly direction. With a strong wind blowing from the north, we were able to make good ground. Because we just had to follow the 4x4 road, we had plenty of time to look around. And damn, what a pretty scenery. One of the best valleys we have seen so far!

One hour and twenty minutes after leaving Boundary Hut, we arrived at Careys Hut. We took a short break before continuing south along the shore of North Mavora Lake. We still followed the 4x4 track, meaning the kilometers flew past. Two hours later, we arrived at the DOC Campsite. Although early, we stopped for a lunchbreak. Primarily because we couldn’t resists the beautifully places picknick tables. However, as soon as we sad down, we were attacked by the ever annoying sandflies. We had to put on all our rain gear to protect ourselves from the sandflies.
After our lunch, we continued towards South Mavora Lake. We crossed a suspension bridge to follow the track on the other lake shore. Although this was a tramping track, it was still well maintained. After an hour and ten minutes, we arrived at the next suspension bridge. While enjoying an apple, we discussed what to do. Officially, the Te Araroa continued on the true right side of the river. However, with the current water level, we knew it would be hard to cross the river by foot. Another option is to cross the river and follow the road. We decided to continue on the true right side of the river until the last suspension bridge and then walk to the road. We therefore continued along the Mararoa River. After 5 kilometer, we passed a small stream where we saw a great spot to set up our camp for the night. By that time, we had covered 26 kilometer. Marjon her leg was still feeling good.

Te Anau

The rain that was forecasted for Thursday, finally arrived in the evening. Just after we went to bed, it started pouring. We could hear the small stream close to our tent getting stronger and stronger by the hour. It was not really a surprise when the water level in the small stream was much higher the following morning. We knew it would definitely not be possible to cross the Mararoa River after this amount of rain. After we packed everything, we followed the track on the true right side of the river. After 2,5 kilometer, we arrived at the last suspension bridge over the Mararoa River. Without further discussion, we crossed the bridge and continued south on the road. Because this was a pretty boring road, we decided to try and get a ride. The first car that approached us did stop, but had no free space for us. The following to cars (campervans) didn’t even slow down. We continued for 3,5 hours on this road and didn’t see another car. We shortly stopped on the side of the road for our lunch before continuing south. We almost reached the State Highway when saw another car coming our way. This time, the car did stop and the German guy offered to bring us to Te Anau. It only took about 15 or so minutes before we arrived in Te Anau. We were dropped at the supermarket. First thing we did was to check for accommodation. But unfortunately, everything was fully booked. Luckily, the campsite still had space for us.

Sunday morning at 9am, we got on the Go Orange bus to Milford Sound. A large bus for just a handful of people. There was plenty of space to make it comfortable for everybody. The first part of the road was very pretty, according to the driver. He, therefore, advised to take a nap now it was still possible. We left Queenstown and shortly after, we drove along the winding road next to Lake Wakatipu. Beautiful, but not really a road where you can do a nap. After about two hours, we arrived in Te Anau, where we stopped for a 30 minute break.

Once we got back in the bus, the driver told us that the road from Te Anau to Milford is very scenic. It was constructed in the 1930s and winds its way through the Southern Alps and over the Divide (the divide between the eastern and western side of the Alps). Along the way, the bus made a few scenic stops. Our first stop was at Eglinton Flats. The valley was carved out by glaciers thousands of years ago. Today, steep rocky mountains covered in native beech forest line the valley. While we are still taking photos, the bus driver starts the engine of the bus, for us a sign to get back on board. Next stop: Mirror Lake. Just as the name says so, the reflection of the mountains in the water is stunning. A funny detail is the D.O.C. sign of Mirror Lake: which is placed upside down so you can only read the sign in the reflection of the water. A little further down the road, we made another stop: Knob Flats (mainly a toilet break) and Monkey Creek. We saw many people fill up their water bottles here. Apparently, the water of Monkey Creek gives you eternal life. Hmm…
Back in the bus, we continued and drove through the Homer Tunnel. A 1.200 meter long tunnel that passes an active fault line. The last stop we made was at The Chasm. A short boardwalk provided dramatic views of powerful waterfalls and water-sculpted shapes in the rocks. However, it was way too busy here to see the rocks. We quickly fled back to the bus.

Five hours after leaving Queenstown, we arrived in Milford Sound. The driver gave us the boarding ticket for the boat that was already waiting for us. Just minutes after we got onto the boat, it left the harbor. Similar to the bus, we had plenty of space on board. We choose to sit on the upper deck. Marjon could sit with her leg high and still enjoy the scenery. The captain told us what we saw: rocks, wildlife or just funny stories about the region. We sailed one hour along the magnificent cliffs towards the Tasman Sea and one hour back. The weather was perfect and provided a dramatic look of Milford Sound. One of the highlights was the 155 meter high Stirling Falls. The captain navigated the boat close to the waterfall. Everybody standing at the foredeck got soaking wet, but how cool was that.

The cruise through Milford Sound took exactly two hours. Our bus was already waiting for us. On our way back to Queenstown, we made no more stops. Well, we did make a short stop in Te Anau. Around 8.45pm, we arrived in Queenstown. Almost 12 hours after we left Queenstown this morning. Meaning we spend most of the day in the bus. But was it worth it? Yes, definitely. Milford Sound is beautiful. But to call it the 8th World Wonder as some people do, no, we have seen other places in New Zealand that are just as beautiful if not even better.

Oh dear...

Because of Marjon her leg, we decided not to continue and take at least one day of rest. While we enjoying our day in and around the Greenstone Hut, hikers started to arrive. Everybody wanted to look at Marjon her leg. Again, nobody was able to diagnose the cause. Until a man arrived that introduced himself as a local GP with a degree in sports medicine. He carefully examined Marjon her leg and was quite worried about the look of the leg. He even just a piece of rope to measure both legs. Without proper medical equipment, he couldn’t give a clear diagnosis. However, he thought it was either a tendinitis or deep vein thrombosis, which can be life threatening. He advised to seek medical treatment as soon as possible. Because there was nothing else he could do, he left and continued his hike out.

The rest of the day, we enjoyed the beautiful weather and gave Marjon her leg as much rest as possible. We were surprised to see Ben, Ben and Natalie arriving at the hut. We chatted about the Te Araroa and shared stories about our experiences so far. It was great to meet the three of them again. Unfortunately, however, this also meant we had been overtaken on the Te Araroa by the slowest people on the Te Araroa, as Ben and Natalie like to call themselves.

In the afternoon, four men from Israel arrived at the hut and immediately asked who ‘Marjon from the Netherlands’ was. They had met a GP on their way to the hut and he asked them to forward a message: If Marjon her leg would not show any signs of improvement by tomorrow morning, we should call a helicopter. A helicopter we asked?

To helicopter, or not to helicopter? That is the question

Because Marjon her leg was still painful the next morning, we didn’t want to walk 12 kilometer to the parking lot of the Greenstone Track. However, neither of us wanted to call a helicopter. Because there is not telephone reception at Greenstone Hut, this would mean we have to use our PLB. Besides the local authorities, also our family back home would receive this distress call. Knowing what this would do to them, we decided to only use the PLB in case of a real emergency, and as we have plenty of food and a roof to sleep under, the whole situation we were in didn’t feel as a real emergency, despite what the GP had told us. We therefore decided to stay another day at the hut.

Light at the end of the tunnel

Friday morning, Marjon her leg was not as red as it had been before. Marjon carefully considered the options, but finally decided she can walk the 12km to the end of the Greenstone Track. We therefore packed everything and left the hut. It felt strange to be walking into the wrong direction. And even though we walked very slowly, we still managed to cover the 12km in 3 hours. While we enjoyed our lunch, a Czech couple arrived. We asked if we could get a ride. They could bring us to Kinloch, they said. However, during the ride, they mentioned they had to go to Glenorchy anyway, so they eventually dropped us in Glenorchy. While Marjon tried to hitch, Jasper called a shuttle company and arranged for a direct shuttle from Glenorchy to Queenstown that would leave in 15 minutes from Glenorchy. We walked as fast as we could to the rendezvous point, where the shuttle was already waiting for us. Forty minutes later, we were dropped in Queenstown.

We walked straight to the medical center. While Marjon completed all the paperwork, Jasper called our insurance company. They immediately said to cover all expenses. However, the lady at the desk didn’t want to hear any of this. She just mentioned that if we wanted to see a doctor today, we should pay the fees now or it would take another day. This felt like blackmailing, but we paid and made sure to get a receipt to get the money back from our insurance company.
After half an hour, Marjon was seen by a nurse. Her blood pressure, heart rate and saturation were measured. As all these measures were fine, the nurse concluded that Marjon had to see a doctor (really?). After another half an hour, Marjon was finally seen by a GP. She examined the leg and diagnosed it as a tendinitis. She understood that we were walking the Te Araroa. She therefore prescribed enough medication to continue walking to Bluff.

From the Routeburn Shelter, the track gently winds alongside the crystal-clear Route Burn river. After crossing several (suspension) bridges, we arrived at the Routeburn Flats about one-and-a-half hour after leaving the Routeburn Shelter. From the open grassed flats, we got a good view of the surrounding mountains. With the early fog above the grass, it was a picture perfect scenery.

Up until the Routeburn Flats, the track was very easy (very easy tramping). However, leaving the Routeburn Flats behind, the track started to climb. For untrained people, probably quite steeply. While the sweat was dripping from our nose, we arrived at the Routeburn Falls. When the track made one more turn, we saw a huge building. On the right side of the track, we noticed the DOC hut. On the left of the track, we saw a private lodge. And it was massive. We quickly continued and took a break on a rock just below the Routeburn Falls.
After our break, we climbed a few steps and arrived in an open valley. We followed the track (which sometimes consisted of a board walk) through wetlands and tussock-covered flats towards the highest point on the track at Harris Saddle (1.255 meter). Until here, the weather had been perfect. However, Harris Saddle was covered in clouds once we arrived. We had no views at all.
Near Harris Saddle, we took our lunch break in the emergency shelter. However, when this shelter was taken over by a large group of tourists, we quickly fled outside. Because of the clouds, there was still no visibility. Just before arriving at Lake McKenzie, the clouds cleared and we could enjoy the spectacular scenery we were walking in.
After a short break at McKenzie Hut, we continued south. According to the elevation profile, the track should go down from here. However, it actually was one large roller coaster from here: very short sections that went up and down. Although we walked in the forest, we had splendid views towards the east. What a beatiful scenery. However, the biggest eye-catcher of the day was probably the 174 meter tall waterfall we passed. Just meters from the waterfall, we got soaked within seconds, but it was worth it.

We continued through the forest and shortly after, we arrived at Lake Howden Hut. From here it is not much further to the terminus of the Routeburn Track at The Divide. However, we turned left at Lake Howden Hut, leaving the Routeburn Track behind. We followed the track towards the Green Stone Saddle. We had planned to camp near the saddle, however, as it was still early, we decided to continue to McKellar Hut (along the Greenstone Track).

Officially, it is recommended to hike the Routeburn Track in 2 – 4 days. Accommodation is available at the Routeburn Flats Hut/Campsite, Routeburn Falls Hut, Lake McKenzie Hut/Campsite, Lake Howden Hut/Campsite. All accommodation along the Routeburn Track has to be booked in advance. Freedom camping is not allowed and not recommended (unless you want to be fined). For those that can spend a little more, next to the Routeburn Falls and Lake McKenzie Hut are private lodges. Some say that a guided tour with a stay in these lodges will cost you about NZ$ 1.500,-. This included food, a bed and shower. So you only have to bring your own clothes.
However, you can also hike the Routeburn Track without spending a night in one of the accommodations. From the Routeburn Shelter to Lake Howden Hut is about 30 kilometer, which we thought was not too hard to cover in one day. But we have to say that we are experienced and fit hikers that had – by that time – already hiked about 2.700 kilometer of the Te Araroa Trail.

With our stomachs well filled, we continued on Monday with the Te Araroa. From Wanaka, the Te Araroa follows the southern shore of Lake Wanaka. Just outside of Wanaka, we past ‘That Wanaka Tree’, a well photographed tree that stands in the lake. The 15 kilometer long bike and walking track provided beautiful vistas of Lake Wanaka. In Glendhu Bay, we turned left and left Lake Wanaka Behind. We followed Motatapu Road for about 2,5 kilometer to the start of the Motatapo Alpine Track. We took a long lunch break in the shade of a tall tree before continuing south on the Motatapu Alpine Track. The climb to Fern Burn Hut started very easy as the track crossed farm land. After half an hour, we entered the Stack Conservation Area. The track narrowed and started to climb. We passed the tree line and arrived at the Fern Burn Hut (741 meter, whereas Wanaka is located at 248 meter). Although it was just 3pm, we decided to stay at Fern Burn Hut.

Another rollercoaster

During the night, the possums had their own Olympic Games. They were running like crazy on the roof of the hut. What a noise.
According to the information in the hut, we had a long day ahead. Therefore, the alarm went off early the next morning. We left the hut in the first light of the day. From leaving the hut, the track climbed steadily to Jack Hall’s Saddle (1.275 meter). From the saddle, we descended back to 889 meter. We thought we would arrive at the next hut, but it appeared we first had to climb over another hill. We climbed back to 980 meter and descended to 848 meter. Just after three hours since we left Fern Burn Hut, we arrived at Highland Creek Hut.

We took a short break and continued around 10:30am. The rest of the day saw a similar pattern as this morning: steep ascends to around 1.200 meter and steep descends to around 800 meter. Once we were done with the final descend, our knees were shaking from all the pounding. Shortly after, we arrived at Roses Hut (724 meter). Based on the number of people that had filled in the intention book, we had good hope that we would have another quite night. However, more and more people arrived and before we realized, the hut was completely full.

Big Hill

With a dead bird in the water tank and mice running around the hut at night, we didn’t get a lot of sleep during the night.
From Roses Hut, the track climbed to Roses Saddle. We followed a good but steep track to 1.270 meter. This time, the descend was not very steep. We followed the ridge line towards the Arrow River (at 746 meter). From there, we had the option to enter the Arrow River and follow the river or to follow the track along the river. Other hikers had warned that the track along the river was not in a very good shape. We therefore waded through the river. For four kilometers, we literally walked through the Arrow River. At some locations, we were able to take a short cut on land, but most of the time we just waded through the water. After a few slow going kilometers, we arrived in Macetown, an old gold mining town. Once, 200 people lived in Macetown. Nowadays, only two restored buildings remind on better times. We stopped for lunch at the former bakery. However, because of the enormous amount sandflies, we quickly fled into the bakery, where we had a little bit of protection from the sandflies.

From Macetown, we continued towards Big Hill. The climb towards Big Hill was easy going. After about an hour, we arrived at the top from where we could already see Arrowtown in the distance. However, it took quite a long time before we actually arrived in Arrowtown. The descend from Big Hill was very easy and therefore took ages. When we finally arrived in Arrowtown, we walked over to the Holiday Park, where we pitched our tent.

Queenstown

When we started the Te Araroa, we set certain milestones: first reaching Auckland, than Wellington. Now, we were almost at another milestone: Queenstown. Reaching Queenstown, we leave the high mountains behind and enter a new part of the Te Araroa trail. However, we are still in Arrowtown and have yet to walk another 30 kilometer before we are in Queenstown.
From Arrowtown, we followed the Queenstown Trail: a bike and walking trail to Queenstown. We passed a large golf course, walked along the shore of Lake Hayes (that is too polluted to swim), crossed a beautiful industrial area in Frankton and walked along the shore of Lake Wakatipu (one of the largest lakes in New Zealand). Because we continuously walked in a light drizzle, the views were not very spectacular. We just continued walking and after shewing away 30 kilometers of mostly tarmac, we finally arrived in Queenstown. There were lots of tourists walking around in Queenstown. We made our way through the busy center and walked straight over to the Holiday Park. After dinner, we went to Patagonia for an ice cream. Just this ice cream should be a reason to visit Queenstown. It was good!

Martha Saddle

We woke up by rain falling on our tent. Luckily, when we started packing, it stopped raining. From our campsite near the Ahuriri River, the Te Araroa trail ascended a cliff. We gave it a try, but soon realized that the lose stone was to dangerous for us. Instead, we walked about 100 meter to the right, where we found a 4x4 track in a dry river bed that was way better to climb. With a short detour, we arrived back on the Te Araroa trail and followed the marker poles to the start of the Breast Hill Track. We followed an easy tramping track over farmland and onto an old 4wd road. We passed Tin Hut (a private hut) and from there, the 4wd road started to climb. We reached Martha Saddle (1.680 meter). We decided to stop for a short lunch break just below the saddle, where we had a little bit of shelter from the cold wind. However, while we were enjoying our lunch, it started to rain. We therefore quickly continued walking and descended Martha Saddle via an old 4wd road. We walked fast and soon we arrived at the Timaru River. We crossed the Timaru River a few times before arriving at the Top Timaru Hut.

Snow!

When we were in Arthur’s Pass a few weeks ago, Cyclone Fehi passed the South Island. This time, Cyclone Gita was forecasted to hit the South Island. A lot of rainfall was predicted for the South Island. We therefore wanted to have a proper shelter, in case we got stuck for a few days. The Top Timaru Hut was such a shelter. However, when we woke up on Tuesday morning, it was raining but the river was still fine. Knowing we had to cross the river multiple times, we were eager to continue and make as much progress as possible. Not knowing where we would end up, we decided to stay in the Top Timaru Hut.
Later that day, three hikers arrived at the Top Timaru Hut and we knew we had made the right decision to stay. They were cold and all there gear was wet. When they showed us a picture of Martha Saddle, all we could see was a landscape covered in snow. Nothing that came close to what we saw yesterday. When we woke up Wednesday morning, the Top Timaru Hut was also covered in a thin layer of snow. Although it stopped raining in the morning, the Timaru River had risen quite a bit. We knew that continuing would not make sense today. Especially because we could hear rock rolling in the river.

Walking in snow

The Timaru River was still high on Thursday. However, we didn’t hear any rolling rocks anymore and had the feeling it was doable to cross the river. We left the Top Timaru Hut under a clear blue sky. The trail followed the Timaru River for a while. Where the rivers streams through a narrow gorge, the trail climbs over a hill. These climbs were steep in some places. After a few hours of going up and down, we had to cross the Timaru River a few times. We couldn’t see the bottom of the river and were therefore very careful by every crossing. Once, we had to take three attempts to find the right place to cross the river. Six hours later, we finally left the river behind.

From where we turned left, the Te Araroa trail climbed another mountain. And with climbing, we mean climbing. In 2,5 kilometer the track climbed from 600 to 1.100 meter. After one-and-a-half hour, we arrived at Stodys Hut. We had been warned by various people about this hut (lots of mice), and therefore didn’t want to stay here. After a short break, we continued and followed a fine 4wd road to the top of Breast Hill. The further we climbed, the more snow we saw. In the end, we were walking in about 10 centimeters of snow. The view from Breast Hill (1.578 meter) was breathtaking. We could stay here for hours. However, it was getting late, and we still had to descend a snow covered path.

Where the climb to Breast Hill, was very easy, the descend was awful! We couldn’t see the track, because it was completely covered in a thick layer of snow. With every step we made, we risked stepping onto a tussock, on the track or in a hole. We both fell a few times, luckily without resulting in injuries. We arrived just after 8pm at the Pakituhi Hut. Unfortunately, the hut was already full. We therefore set up our tent. Because we are still at 1.300 meter, the temperature dropped quickly in this snow covered landscape, making us flee to our sleeping bags.

What a descend!

With our sleeping bags closed, we had quite a comfortable night. However, we waited with packing, until the sun provided a little bit of warmth. When everything was packed, we continued our descend from Breast Hill. We descended from 1.330 meter to Lake Hawea at 366 meter. Almost 1.000 vertical meters in a little less then 4 kilometer. Not just down, but along a ridge that went up and down. The track was steep, but not very difficult. Every 10 minutes or so, we stopped to enjoy the views.

When we reached Lake Hawea, we followed a nice track around the lake shore into Hawea. We ordered a burger at the local supermarket/take-away/restaurant. When we were done, we continued another 12 kilometer to Albert Town. We followed a gravel road (cycling path) along the Hawea River. Just before we reached Albert Town, we crossed a suspension bridge and arrived at a campsite where we stayed for the night.

Wanaka

From our campsite, it was another kilometer to Albert Town. From Albert Town, we followed the Te Araroa trail along the Clutha River. After a few kilometers, we arrived at Lake Wanaka. One of the largest lakes in the area. We followed Lake Wanaka via a shared cycling and walking track. Before we realized, we arrived in Wanaka. We heard from other hikers, that the food in Wanaka is amazing. We therefore went to Charlie Brown and ordered two Crêpes. Subsequently, we went to the Holiday Park, where we set up our camp for the night. Well, for two nights. We have to do some shopping in Wanaka before we can continue…