Trip Index
- Planning and preparing for our epic vacation to New Zealand and the Maldives
- Flying to New Zealand via Honolulu, visiting Auckland and Devonport
- Waitomo Caves and Tongariro Alpine Crossing
- Taupo, Waikite Thermal Pools, to Christchurch
- Mt. Cook National Park
- AJ Hackett Kawarau Bungy Jump, K-Jet boating, hanging out in Queenstown
- Day 1 of Routeburn Track 3-day luxury guided walk
- Day 2 of Routeburn Track 3-day luxury guided walk
- Day 3 of Routeburn Track 3-day luxury guided walk
- Arrowtown, Wanaka, Mount Roy Track
- Franz Josef Glacier
- Tranz Alpine train Greymouth to Christchurch, then to Singapore
- From Singapore to Conrad Maldives Rangali Island
- Day 1 and 2 at the Conrad Maldives: beach villa, overwater spa, Atoll Market, snorkeling
- Day 3 at the Conrad Maldives: water villa, diving with manta rays, meeting new friends
- Day 4 and 5 at the Conrad Maldives: Vilu, Sunset Grill, reef diving
- Day 6 and 7 at the Conrad Maldives: whale sharks, Ithaa, snorkeling
- Returning from the Maldives via Singapore
- 10 hour layover in Seoul and landing safely in SFO
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(Credits: pictures in the Routeburn entries may include ones taken by Peter, Nate and Jen...thanks for sharing!)
On Wednesday, Kaleb and I left the Blue Peaks Lodge at 6am (dropped the room keys through the reception office's mail slot) and carried our backpacks downtown to the
Ultimate Hikes Centre to start our Routeburn Track adventure. One coffee shop nearby was open for early-birds, but the town was pretty dead in the early morning. Inside the Centre, everyone pinned name tags to themselves, then boarded a bus that would take us for two hours to the town of
Te Anau for introductions and breakfast, then another hour or so to the Divide where we would start our hike. There were only fifteen hikers and three guides. Groups could be as large as 40 people, so it was great to have a small number.
The bus ride was quiet since it was so early. I was half-asleep but was alert enough to snap some nice views of the sunrise over the hills.
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| sun coming out |
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| there's rain out there... |
Everyone got off the bus, then did a round of introductions. Nine of our group were from Australia; three couples traveling together (Fran/Ian/Anne/Rob/Melissa/Martin), another couple (Ann/Peter), and solo traveler Andrew. The remaining six consisted of John and Margaret from England, celebrating a milestone birthday (John didn't say but I would guess 70), Nate and Jen from Indiana, celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary, and us. Our guides were Logan, Renee, and Michael. Then it was off to breakfast at a cafe. There were lots of fresh sandwiches and yummy pastries accompanied by much-needed coffee and tea.
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| the baked goods and breads were so good |
We got back on the bus and headed towards the Divide. The weather was getting worse as we got closer. By the time we made it to the
Divide shelter, it started drizzling. Everyone had to don their rain gear. It was expected to be wet weather the entire day. Bag lunches were passed out, then we set off.
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| gearing up in the shelter |
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| last restroom run for a few hours |
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| starting at the Divide |
Throughout the entire 3-day hike, we learned from each of the guides about flora and fauna of the area.
The guides had a system where they took turns being at the front or back of the group; there was always someone to lead faster hikers so no one got lost, and someone to accompany the last of the group as there wasn't a time limit. The guide in the middle
moved around as needed. All guides had walkie-talkies to communicate back and forth. In the beginning, Kaleb and I were at the front (mostly fueled by the desire to reach the lodge on this rainy day), but on subsequent days, we tended to hang near the back to enjoy the surroundings on our own time.
The hike from the Divide to our lunch spot at Lake Howden was through lush rainforest, so the fact that it was raining didn't take much away from the experience. Pictures of the forest ended up being more eerie with gray skies and misty drizzle. However, we did not have the pleasure of seeing mountain views from
Key Summit. It was a detour off the main trail (one hour return), but we were able to leave our packs (one of the guides stood watch) and hike to Key Summit without burden.
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| and off we go! |
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| fun to find food to eat along the way |
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| more edible berries...I ate these throughout the hike |
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| easy path through the forest |
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| Logan trying to describe Key Summit in the fog |
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| New Zealand edelweiss |
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| boardwalks along the trail |
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After we finished the Key Summit detour, it wasn't too long before we reached Lake Howden Hut for some lunch. Everyone using the hut had to leave their backpacks, jackets and boots outside.
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| Lake Howden in the rain |
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| approaching Howden Hut, open to the public |
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| hot water and drink mixes, only for Ultimate hikers |
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| sandwich, fruit and muffin |
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| Kaleb chowing down |
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The remaining few hours of the hike to get to
Lake Mackenzie Lodge was pretty miserable. The sky continued to shower on and off, the air was cold, the trail started ascending, and parts of it were inundated with mud. We passed by
Earland Falls, a 570-foot waterfall.
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| the rain let up sometimes |
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| trekking through mud |
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9-second video of Earland Falls: (click
here if you cannot see the preview below)
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| Earland Falls |
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| almost there... |
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When we reached the lodge, it was an oasis. There were refreshments waiting for us. Some of us arrived a bit earlier than the others so we were encouraged to walk a few minutes down to Lake Mackenzie to check it out.
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| we made it! |
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| drinks and snacks waiting for us |
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| Lake Mackenzie |
Eventually the rest of the group arrived at the lake. We made our way back to the lodge where we received keys to our rooms. It turned out everyone reserved a private room except Nate and Jen, who opted for the shared bunks. They were the only ones so they essentially had their own room except that the bathrooms were separate.
Kaleb and I couldn't wait to change into dry clothing! It was definitely worth it to have a hot shower with freshly laundered fluffy
towels. I couldn't help but take long sniffs of my fragrant towel because it was a nice luxury in the middle of nowhere.
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| we got room #1 (we booked real early) |
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| the most comfortable bed after a long hike |
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| corner room with extra windows |
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| nice large bathroom |
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| natural toiletries |
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| more toiletries |
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There was a drying room (felt like a sauna inside) to dry our clothes, a wash basin to scrub the mud off, and even an old-fashioned clothes wringer.
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| drying room |
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| wash clothes here |
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After showering and taking care of our wet clothes, we went into the lodge and found all sorts of snacks, libations and entertainment. This was definitely
glamping! Supplies were helicoptered into this remote lodge.
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| welcome! |
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| nice sitting area |
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| hors d'oeurvres |
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| fancy a game? |
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| nice warm fire |
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| coffea, tea and cookies |
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| there's even a bar |
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| prices weren't terrible considering the location |
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| yummy three course menu |
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| smoked salmon rillette |
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| tarragon-roasted chicken breast |
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| venison sausage |
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| the best pavlova I've ever had |
After dinner, there was even more dessert available.
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| brownies and whipped cream |
Some of our group lingered in the lounge to finish their wine and spirits, but as the generator was turning off at 10pm, stopping hot water from being circulated, we headed back to our room. Our clothes in the drying room were completely dry!
When the generator shut down, the back-up lighting in our room was still pretty bright, about the illumination of a dim fluorescent bulb. (controlled by a switch that didn't seem to do anything during the day...) We went to sleep not long afterwards.
What a day...the rainy hike made me appreciate a nice hot shower, having food and drink at the ready, clean comfortable private lodging, and even a drying room!
Tomorrow, we continue our journey on the Routeburn Track...hope the rain lets up! Stay tuned...
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Will be interested to read about the rest of your walk; I'm currently trying to plan out our four weeks on South Island, and aside from some day walks on our own, am interested in at least one longer hike ... guided if necessary. How was the terrain on Day 1 ... looks like it might have been pretty flat from the pictures.
ReplyDeleteHi Erin, Day 1 was pretty flat with some gentle uphill. Day 2 was more technical. I've just posted it so you can see. You can do this track unguided as there are public huts available for booking. However, it was nice to have the guided walk as the guides are friendly and knowledgeable, plus you don't have to carry much with you as most everything is included. If you are faster or slower than the rest of the group, there is no problem because of the system the guides have to keep track of everyone, so no one feels held back or left behind.
DeleteThanks, Kat. Appreciate the information.
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