The Routeburn and Caples Tracks

The next town in our venture south was Wanaka, a picturesque town situated on (naturally) Lake Wanaka. We relaxed for a few days and let the rain pass while making arrangements to hike the Routeburn and Caples Track.
The Routeburn is one of the most famous of New Zealands Great Walks. It is 40km long one-way trail that takes 3 days. We decided to intersect it with the Caples Track at the western trail head to double back and make it a loop (so that we could get back towards the car).
Knock on wood, but...the weather cleared up the day we started the track and was virtually perfect for the 5 days of this trek.

The first days hike is through native ferned forest, along a pristine river surrounded by mountains and up through the Routeburn Flats Valley then up, UP to the Routeburn Falls Hut. It is a 40 bed hut perched on the mountainside overlooking the valley, with two waterfalls behind it. I ate dinner (pasta, of course) then strolled behind the hut to a solitary rocky outcropping...with the falls in back of me, the entire valley stretched out in front and watched the sun go down as the stars came out, until it became too windy and cold.

Most folks roust about quite early in the morning on these hikes. One reason is that most folks go to bed early because, let's face it, there is not much to do in a rustic hut after the sun sets. Still, the 6AM sound of rustling backpacks, zip-lock baggies, stuffing sleeping bags, pots/pans, buckles, snaps, zips...enough! You might as well get up! Then, the mass gathering in the kitchen area to cook up some gruel or smear a bagel with peanut butter and Nutella, and cuddle up to a hot cup of tea. But here's the quizzical part to me: everyone packs up and departs from the hut immediately after. The ever-impressive DOC (dept of conservation), in an effort to maximize the enjoyment of the outdoor experience, spaces the huts between 5-8 hours hiking per day, so that you can leisurely make your way to the next hut, leaving time to (literally) smell the flowers, or "gawk n' awe" at the waterfalls/mountains/valleys/wildlife/scenery in general, take a few photos, find a perfect vista to sit down and enjoy a munchable snacky...and still make it to the next hut before sunset (and sunset isn't until 8:30 ish this time of year). Because, as mentioned earlier, there isn't much to do once you get to a hut. My discussions with several hut wardens revealed how they question the same thing. "People start showing up at the hut around noon (as if they won the race), then sit around the hut for 8 hours playing cards and waiting to cook dinner and go to bed!" My trail mode has remained consistent: I am generally the last to leave the hut (enjoying the sunrise and a cup o tea), thus giving me the feeling that I have the trail to myself (no one to bump into ahead and no one to see over my shoulder). My pace is slow and steady, my eyes are ever wandering side to side and in back to soak in the constantly changing views and sounds and smells around every nook and cranny. I would find it difficult to ingest what my senses were surrounded by if I past by any faster. After all, it's the journey, not the destination, right? I even made up a little poem about this while on the Milford Track. Kinda simple and silly (and subject to further editing), but...I call it Slowin' n Growin'

The older I get, the slower I walk.
The slower I walk, the more I see.
The more I see, the more I learn.
The more I learn, the more I grow.
(...and realize just how little I truly know)

Blah, blah...Anyway, I massively digress. So, I leave the hut and begin another perfect day of tramping up into the Hollyford mountains, through a cirqued valley of waterfalls and spring wildflowers, then surprised by the large alpine Lake Harris filled with snowmelt, then over a rocky-lipped pass and gently down to a small emergency shelter that was built on the other side. Some people from our group were resting there. Mac and I found a spot on the sunny, wind-less side and reclined on our packs as we grabbed the food bag to extract some muchies (cheese, meatstick, crackers, chocolate and an apple). A girl came along looking for a spot out of the wind and we invited her to join us. She had that intriguing French accent (rooowwl) and we made introductions and small talk. After chatting for awhile (your gonna love this)...she looked at us and asked "Zo, yoo are fazzer and zun?" haha we rolled with laughter. MacKenzie started calling "Hey dad" or "Old man". Yea, I know, teehee...no comments please. After our snack, we actually took a short nap and relaxed in the sun for over 2 hours. Hey, no hurry to get to the next hut, right? Oh, wait, actually we camped this night (it is much cheaper to tent than stay in the huts). The campsites were a few hundred meters from the hut in a nice field near the lake. The tenting crew tend to be a more rustic breed than the hut-only types. We all cooked noodles outside and bundled up because it gets COLD out there once the sun goes down. For the first time, my new little tent house me, 6'4" MacKenzie and both our packs. Tight but cozy.

The next morning, a helicopter landed at the hut. It was going to set dynamite charges to some snow and ice that built up on the mountainside above the trail that we hiked the previous day. It posed a small chance of avalanche. We watched as it took off, flew up the mountainside, hovered over the snow mass and BOOM! snow and ice went flying! They did it 3 times until most of the loose snow was clear. It was kinda exciting to see.

Without too many details, the next 3 days of the tramping were equally stupendous. Weather was good. Scenery spectacular. Challenging hiking up and down, but plenty of time each day to finish. Day three was a lengthy 9+ hour tramp. On day 4 and 5, we left the populated (40 people per day maximum) Routeburn track for the Caples return loop. The track was virtually deserted and it was much more un-maintained and muddy. The huts are smaller and less equipped, but sealed and a solid roof nonetheless. The sandflies can get pretty bad. Nasty little biting critters!

Ont he last day we underestimated the time to finish the track and had to literally run to the trail head to catch the shuttle that would take us back to our car. A quick 15 minute shuttle bus to an aqua taxi that took us across the lake in 20 bumpy minutes. Just as we got to the car, took off our boots and grabbed a box of Gingersnaps (yum) from the trunk...it started to rain. Perfect timing again! A twisted 30 minute drive brought us to Queenstown for long hot shower, huge gluttonous pizza, cold beer and soft bed. Those simple things are never taken for granted on the road...and they are always relished after a sweaty, exhausting, but incredibly rewarding sojourn into nature.

Speaking of which, the next day was Thanksgiving. A deserved day of rest as I prepared for New Zealand's most famous Great Walk, The Milford Track, in two days hence. I bought a bottle of local NZ red wine and had curried lamb with rice at a small Nepalese restaurant. With each bite, I thought of all the people I love and the things that I have to be thankful for...and realized what we all know, and try not to forget...that everyday is Thanksgiving Day!
**but, I admittedly missed the whole turkey, stuffing, mashed potato, gravy, gravy, gravy, corn, pie(s), Detroit football game thing**

Next post: The Milford Track!


P.S. Watched the movie "Crash" that night at the hostel. It is a good movie. Nominated for 6 Academy Awards and won 3 including best picture.
Another great movie I watched was "An Inconvenient Truth". It should be mandatory viewing. Then ignorance (ie. lack of knowledge about) would not be an excuse.