Beyond Middle Earth on New Zealand’s Routeburn Track

The Routeburn Track in New Zealand’s Southern Alps winds among chiseled peaks that served as a backdrop for Isengard in the “Lord of the Rings” film trilogy. Our day hike on a magnificent sliver of that track was our introduction to the nation’s Great Walks.

• Routeburn Shelter to Routeburn Falls: 12 miles, 2,100 feet of elevation gain

The New Zealand Department of Conservation maintains 10 Great Walks. The walks spotlight some of the country’s best scenery. They range in length from 20 to 90 miles and can take several days to complete. “Huts” placed at intervals along each route provide overnight shelter for backpackers.

That said, we don’t backpack. We enjoy a hot shower, yummy dinner and comfortable bed at the end of a long day of hiking. But the 12-mile day tramp from the Routeburn Shelter to Routeburn Falls and back provided a magnificent sampler of the wonders of the country’s aptly named Great Walks. Among the highlights:

• Multiple swinging bridges swaying above the rushing water of the Routeburn River and other rocky streams and tributaries. Observe all load limits.
• Miles of beautifully groomed trails carved from beech forests carpeted with ferns. Indigenous Māori people in search of greenstone (jade) blazed many of the tracks in the region.
• Amiable chats with 10 fellow travelers and our two guides – our besties for the next two weeks. Think wilderness speed dating.
• The magnificent peaks and valleys of Mount Aspiring National Park in New Zealand’s rugged Southern Alps. Ridgelines pushed skyward by still-active seismic activity look so crisp and new.
• The challenge of hiking on the left. In the United States, we hike on the right. Dan never did quite get the hang of leaning left, but the locals were friendly and forgiving.

It was all so beautiful that by the time we made the steep final ascent to the Routeburn Falls, the cascades were a bit of an anticlimax. But we had only to turn 180 degrees for a splendid view of the valley below as we enjoyed our lunch.  A visit to Milford Sound a week later would more than surpass our expectations for falling water.

Our In-room Pit Toilet

We spent two nights at an eco lodge in tiny Glenorchy, not far from the Routeburn Track. The accommodations and food were excellent. But upon arrival we were leery of the room’s composting pit toilet. And yet,  the thing worked as advertised. No smell, no unsightly mess visible below, and a cool breeze from the ventilation system across the bum.

Aerate, rotate and add wood chips regularly, and the compost can be used to amend the lodge grounds in about a year. Leachate – the liquid – is treated before processing using wetlands constructed onsite. Kinda cool.

We traveled to New Zealand’s South Island in March 2024 to do some hiking and sight-seeing. This post is the first of a series about that trip.