‘Great Walking’ the Routeburn Track

Ranger Chris Hankin writes about his adventure along the Routeburn Track with the Air New Zealand Great Walkers.

In early March I had the privilege of joining the Air New Zealand Great Walkers for their tramp over the Routeburn Track. This was to be their fourth Great Walk, hot on the heels of completing the Milford Track just two days before.

A bit of a wet one

I was impressed by the group’s persistence and enthusiasm, and the second day of our walk was especially memorable. We camped the night before at Lake McKenzie and awoke to a perfect blue sky day. As we walked across the spectacular ‘Hollyford Face’ we had uninterrupted views of the snow-capped Darran Mountains right out to Martins Bay on the coast. Ahead of us was ‘Conical Hill’, which at 1,515 metres offered us more amazing views of the surrounding peaks and coast. After this highlight we slowly made our way down past Lake Harris to Routeburn Falls where we were treated to a night with Ultimate Hikes at Routeburn Falls Lodge.

Richard, Steph and Toshi

We enjoyed meeting the guided trampers and hearing about their trip over both the Greenstone and Routeburn tracks. We all reflected on the day behind us, of the plants, birds, streams, lakes, mountains, glaciers and sky we had all been treated to.

The experience reminded me of the first time I enjoyed the Routeburn Track, and my other early tramping experiences on Great Walks such as the Kepler.

Toshi at Erland Falls

Now I am working for DOC I see the tracks in a slightly different light, and I appreciate the efforts that keep everything running smoothly. However when you hit these tracks for the very first time you don’t quite realise what goes on ‘behind the scenes’. You just find yourself walking in an amazing environment that is unique in the world.

Conical Hill

I found that as our Routeburn walk progressed the less I needed to say, the Great Walkers were simply taking it all in. After the walk there was really very little that needed to be said. As one of the walkers later said to me, to experience these places first hand redefines the meaning of ‘special’. I am sure most people completing a Great Walk for the first time, wherever it is, come away feeling much the same.

Chris and the Great Walker team.