Menu
Experiences

Routeburn Track – Queenstown, New Zealand

So let me preface this review by saying I am not a hiker, I don’t generally do hikes, not since my youth when every year my parents would take us to the Lake District in Cumbria in the UK for an annual summer holiday.

Being forced to walk up mountains, swim in freezing lakes and carry a pack on my back for my holidays when my friends were in Spain never left me with any desire to go hiking as an adult. But with my son reaching 14 this year and rapidly losing interest in spending any time with me when one of the Dads from school suggests we take 5 dads and 5 of our boys on one last hoorah across the mountains of New Zealand just south of Queenstown (somewhere I have loved visiting before) I jumped at the chance.

We were booked in for the Easter weekend, it was a three days and two nights hike through Ultimate Hikes which is the only operator to do overnight hikes. You get to stay in Private Lodges with showers, a 3-course meal and some famous NZ Pinot if you want, which sounded good to me.

The weather could be anything from heavy rain and freezing to blazing sunshine, you carried all your clothes and water but everything else was provided and you typically had 3 guides to take you through varied terrain over 32K’s and climbing up and down the mountains to a top height of 1600m, the difficulty level was considered ‘moderate’.

Having arrived at Queenstown the day before we left we had our briefing in Queenstown which was very straightforward and took the boys out to dinner before heading to bed for a 6am start. The weather looked epic so we were filled with hope. The other amazing benefit was no phone signal at all during the whole trip, and this soon disappeared as we boarded the bus to take us to Te Anau where we would start our walk through the divide.

This was about a 2-hour bus ride. On arrival it was time to check your gear, pick up a packed lunch they had provided and start up the initial steep part of the track. We were travelling with about 20 others outside of our group. 

The weather looked slightly wet, but it was day one, who cares, the initial climb was steep, not hard up through Silver Beech forest before you got to Key Summit. It was here that we learned each day there is an extra hike you can do which might be more challenging, but would also take you to some epic views and add to the experience, here they let you drop your pack and head up to the Summit.

Until now we had been in the tree line so had not really appreciated the views, once we got up here, well wow! I have to say it took my breath away, the young boys had forged ahead early but we caught them up here and even they seemed impressed (not an easy thing to do to teenagers). 360 degrees, it didn’t even look real, the sky had turned blue, and the sun was out, it was a good omen.

After some photos, the boys headed off without us and we headed back to our pack to meet way back down at Lake Howden for lunch. I will not list all the food but I have to say here and now, the food on the trip was so good, fresh produce, lots of it, and the dinners in the lodge even better, not once was I hungry or not excited to see what they would give us next. 

After lunch it was the afternoon session to meet at Mackenzie Lodge a few hours later which would be our first overnight stop, the initial part was pretty hard going, it was steep and you walked through massive roots and trees like you were taking part in a Lord of the Rings movie, it blows your mind walking through places like this that you simply have only ever seen in movies.

About halfway through the afternoon, you come up to this epic waterfall called Earland Falls (74m high), where you can stop for a drink, but the spray from the falls was so wet we pushed on, also no sign of the boys. They were well ahead of us again. The descent from here was slippery, still felt like a movie scene but soon (not quite soon enough) you reach Mackenzie Lodge, and you are ready for a shower and you are ready for some food.

There is a lake at the lodge, the boys decide to get in, this lasts about 11 seconds before they realise how cold it is, and then back for another shower. The lodges are next level, so much better than I could have imagined, we found the boys, all got ready for dinner and then headed in for a massive feed, followed by a few wines and then bed, wet clothes in the drying room and everyone was shattered, everyone asleep by 10pm as the generators are turned off and the lodge blacks out. The boys had loved it, they admitted it was 100 times better than they had thought, they had not missed their phones and they were cooked, day 1 was a resounding success.

Something I had not mentioned is the guides are amazing, their knowledge, their patience, always one at the front, one in the middle and one at the back to ensure safety. The group often spreads out as much as 2-3 hours through the day with the varying pace of different groups. They make this trip very very special.

Day 2 starts at about 7am, you need to get up, shower, and make your own packed lunch from all the items in the kitchen, which is ridiculous b the way, I felt like I had walked into an episode of Masterchef with all the choices and then sit down for a continental or hot breakfast. Everyone is out front at 9am to start day 2, some more sore than others, a quick group photo by the lake and then off we go. The boys are in the groove and have made it their mission to make sure they are at the front of the group at all times, we decide to leave them to it.

The ascent is a lot of zig-zags and super steep in places, also not a massive track right on the side of the mountain, after about an hour of good going you reach a mini peak and the view of the Darran Mountains across the Hollyford Valley, and to the distant Tasman Sea at Martin’s Bay is epic.

You then traverse the Hollyford Face for about 4.5km, about 2 hours for this part, a totally different terrain to the day before, and relatively easy although long, the views the whole way take your breath away before you reach the Harris Shelter for lunch. Here is another optional hike, although this is the hardest climb you will do the entire time if you decide to take it on.

The boys are ready to go as we are too, this is a very steep scramble up and down, it takes an extra 2.5 hours and you are on your toes and fingertips climbing at the top, trying to avoid the snow, yes there was still snow here dotted around making it a little more exciting, to say the least, but the view at the top was the highlight for me the whole trip. It was not easy, but getting up to the top and having a snowball fight when you were in a t-shirt 40 mins before is well worth it. The weather was yet again perfect so you could see out to Martins Bay on the West Coast. 

From here at the highest point, the section of track is narrow with some drop-offs, and you descend into the Routeburn Valley skirting the Routeburn Falls, now again a totally different feel, wide open plains with no trees just grass, this part of the track is graded with boardwalks, there have also been many incredible ropes bridges along the way that really add to the drama, but all are incredibly well maintained and you never feel unsafe.

As you reach the Falls you find Routeburn Falls Lodge, a very welcome sight, an incredible lodge, again showers, food, and wine. Again this time we all headed into the falls which were simply freezing but such an experience to stand under them, albeit for not very long. Same routine for the evening and I feel so relaxed, so taken away from the stress of real life it is very empowering. 

Day 3 is much easier they tell us, the track descends a steep rocky section with some big steps down, you need to cross some small bridges and an open section formed by a tree avalanche in 1994 that gives amazing views of Routeburn Flats below.

Once through this section, the rest is a breeze, you reach the Flats and again an extra option is open to you which we all do, we go down to the river, skim some stones and then head into the Red Beech forest yet again showing us totally different terrain. You head through the forest, massive trees, and again the sun in the sky is blue, shortly afterwards you cross a large suspension bridge and arrive at the Routeburn Shelter and the end of the Routeburn Track. 

WOW, what a trip, the bus is there to take us the 45-minute trip back with a short stop off at the pub in Glenorchy before heading back to Queenstown. We hit the phone reception again and the whole bus erupts with beeping and notifications and everyone’s head goes down to their phones, but having not looked at the phone for 3 days has been incredible.

We fly out the next day so we head to our hotel before all going to the Botswana Butchery for dinner. What a trip, the time with the boys was super special. The Ultimate Hikes company is incredible, the guides were epic, I do not think I could have had a better time. If you have even remotely thought about doing something like this I highly recommend it, there are people of all ages from a young 8 years old up to a few in their 70’s (who were some of the fittest I might add).

About Author

Hey there! I'm Hao, the Editor-in-Chief at Balance the Grind. We’re on a mission to showcase healthy work-life balance through interesting stories from people all over the world, in different careers and lifestyles.