Background
Between Tuesday, February 14th and Thursday, February 16th, I hiked the Routeburn Track on New Zealand's South Island. It's located in Fiordland National Park. The hike, with added side trips to the top of a hill, river and rock was about 33 miles.
Itinerary
- Tuesday, February 14th, 2023
- 10:34AM - I parked my van in the Man Street Car Park and began paying for parking. It's expensive and it only allows vehicles up to a certain height. This was the only practical option because it is very difficult to find free street parking at the last minute. I didn't want my van exposed on the street for days either. Originally, I was going to take a bus at 8:15AM but due to lack of clarity on parking I had to reschedule.
- 11:15AM - I was on the bus I took through Info & Track. They dropped me off at the Routeburn Car Park.
- 1:16PM - I began hiking from the trailhead at the Routeburn Car Park.
- 2:19PM - I stopped at a small swimming pool along the river. It was ice cold but was deep enough to jump off a large rock.
- 3:24PM - I was at the Routeburn Flats Campsite
- Wednesday, February 15th, 2023
- Around 9AM - I started hiking from the Routeburn Flats Campsite
- 10:53AM - I was at Routeburn Falls
- 11:43AM - I was near Lake Harris
- 1:13PM - I made it to the top of Conical Hill, leaving my bag at the hut below.
- 3:00PM - I took a dip in a small waterfall on the trail.
- After 4:30PM - I arrived at the Lake Mackenzie Campsite.
- Thursday, February 16th, 2023
- Around 8AM - I took a side trip to the Split Rock
- 8:19AM - I arrived at Split Rock
- 11:36AM - I arrived at Erland Falls
- 3:15PM - I was picked up from from The Divide Car Park.
- Around 7:30PM - I was back in Queenstown. From there I stayed at the Jucy Hostel to shower and explore the town at night.
Routeburn Track Details
The weather was sunny and as a result, I swam in rivers, lakes and waterfalls. Quickly afterwards, I was able to dry off in the sun.
It's important to know how and where to park before taking the bus. Queenstown is a small town and despite parking being free in some places locals might recommend, it's often full.
On the first night I stayed at the Routeburn Flats Campsite in my own tent. On the second night, I stayed at the Lake Mackenzie Campsite again in my own tent. At Lake Mackenzie, the area was booked to capacity and I was asked to share some of my tent area with someone else. Luckily, the space I had to setup my tent was big enough and it wasn't a problem.
Overall, this was a scenic Great Walk with mountain views and waterfalls. Ice cold rivers which were excellent to cool off in during the sun made this unique.
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