Routeburn track is one of eleven Great Walk tramping tracks in New Zealand and one of three in Fiordland National Park. Having also done the Keplar Track, Milford Track, and Rakiura Track, I must say the Routeburn Track is the most rewarding.
At just 33 km, the Routeburn Track is second only to the Rakiura Track in being the shortest Great Walk. However, it packs a lot and boasts stunning views of the Routeburn Flats, Harris Saddle, Lake Mackenzie, Earland Falls, Lake Howden, Key Summit, etc. It is the Great Walk to do for those short of time.
The standard itinerary is to do the track in 3 days and 2 nights, allowing plenty of time to soak in the surrounding scenery and adding allowance for weather changes. However, many people do the track in 2 days and 1 night, or even as a day challenge.
There are, however, two catches to doing the Routeburn Track — (1) booking the huts/campsites, and (2) arranging the transport.
Booking huts/campsites
All huts and campsites on the Routeburn track must be booked in advance via the Department of Conservation (DOC) online booking site. The slots typically get taken up quickly, within hours or days from the registration open date! The good thing is people do cancel or modify the dates of their bookings, freeing up spaces on some dates. The trick is to visit the site often and hope that someone cancels on your intended dates! However, suppose you have fixed availability or will be travelling in a (large) group, it may be best to just camp in front of the laptop and hopefully secure your spots the moment registration opens.
I visited the DOC sites frequently and managed to book my spots about a month or two prior. I had to shift the dates of my off days to suit the tramping dates. As of the 2024/2025 season, campsites cost NZD$25 per night while the huts cost NZD$80 per night. There are 3 huts — at Routeburn Flats, Routeburn Falls, and Lake McKenzie, and 2 campsites — at Routeburn Flats, and Lake McKenzie along the route. Most trampers staying in huts will choose to stay in Lake McKenzie hut for a 2-day 1-night itinerary or Routeburn Falls hut and Lake McKenzie hut for a 3-day 2-night itinerary.
Arranging Transport
The Routeburn Track is a point-to-point track with one end at The Divide near Milford Sound and the other at Routeburn Shelter near Glenorchy. The track is walkable in either direction so you can start at either end. With the two ends being 324 km apart, or a 4.5-hour drive away, transportation is a key logistics to take care of before starting the track. There are a couple of ways around this.
- Transport providers, e.g. Info&Track
- Given the popularity of the Routeburn Track, transport providers such as Info&Track have regular shuttle services to/from the start & end points of the track and the nearby towns like Queenstown and Te Anau. A transport package for the 2024/2025 season costs NZD$153 for an adult. I find that the costs for track transport is generally pricey, but it is the most convenient and straightforward option.
- Key swap
- Trail runners often post key swap requests on Facebook groups with their intended date. This is where runners or trampers starting at different ends of the track swap keys on the track. When they get to the trail ends, they will drive the other party’s car to an agreed location like Queenstown and then swap their cars back. This is the most cost-effective option, but requires some luck, and trust in a stranger.
- Car transfer
- Service providers such as Trackhopper provide this option. Can potentially be the cheaper option if you are in a group and the costs can be shared. It also gives more flexibility in your trip planning since you don’t have to be restricted by the fixed shuttle timings. There is also a sense of comfort to chilling in your car after a long hike.
- Return via the same way back
- Others like hitchhiking, etc.
Once you’ve settled the above two main logistical hurdles, the one thing left is to enjoy the tramp! Well, I skipped the mundane parts, like packing. This is how I pack for my tramps, if you want some inspiration.
So now, to the exciting part! Routeburn lets go!
My Routeburn trip
Day 1 [17.9km, 6h20min]
Queenstown – Routeburn Shelter
I did the Routeburn track from the Routeburn Shelter to the Divide as a 3 days 2 nights trip camping overnight at the Routeburn Flats & Lake McKenzie campsites from 27-29 November 2024. This allowed me to have the “full experience” of the standard itinerary.
I took the 8 am Info&Track shuttle from Queenstown to Routeburn Shelter. The shuttle made a brief stop at Glenorchy for a coffee/toilet break before continuing to the Routeburn Shelter. We made it to the trail head at 9.40 am.
There are long-drop toilets at the carpark and along the route, though I must comment that the ones at the carpark aren’t the most appealing to use.
Routeburn Shelter – Routeburn Flats [1h 40min]
The track starts with a lovely swing bridge and a gentle walk through the bushes. Along the way, you get glimpses and pretty views of the Route Burn. I reached the turn off to the Routeburn Flats hut about 1 hour 40 minutes into the walk. I went ahead to the campsite and selected a nice spot for the night. There were already a couple of tents pitched at the campsite when I arrived. This was my first camping experience on a Great Walk and I was pretty satisfied with it – the views were great, sites were well-maintained, had two shelters with sinks to cater to the campers, and multiple benches around the tent sites.
Routeburn Flats – Routburn Falls – Lake Harris – Routeburn Flats
After pitching my tent and having a lunch break, I set off for Lake Harris with a light pack. I will be doing the same route again the next day, but the weather forecast was not inspiring so I figured I’d do it on my first day too. Whilst there were a lot of clouds obstructing the view at Lake Harris, it was still a nice preview of what is to come for Day 2. The scenary past Routeburn Falls was simply wild and majestic and it feels so surreal, especially in moments where yo
Day 2
Routeburn Flats – Routburn Falls – Harris Saddle – Lake McKenzie [14.5km, 5h20min]
Another overcast and cloudy day but its just such a stunning place that even an overcast day still left me in awe of nature’s beauty. The alpine plants are so lovely as well. But otherwise, it was a day battling strong wind and light rain and seeing whiteness with some obscured views.
I made it to the MacKenzie campsite at around 1.40 pm and it started pouring heavily soon after setting up camp (thank goodness). I cooked in the shelter and ended up just hiding in my tent until 7 pm – not much fun staring into the white walls of my tent but I did at least have my kobo e-reader though. Ventured out to the lake at around 9 pm. The weather has started to clear up and the mist over the lake just added to its mysteriousness.
Day 3 [18.4km 6h50min]
Lake McKenzie
I was glad I crawled out of my sleeping bag at 6 am (normally a very difficult task for me) to this wonderful view of the lake, catching the reflection before the wind came! By 7 am, the light and wind had changed the view drastically. Still nice, but no longer magical. I made a side trip to the Split Rock, which was pretty cool too.
Lake McKenzie – Viewpoint – Lake McKenzie [6.10km, 2h10min]
A fine day to end the track! I backtracked up to the viewpoint to see what was covered behind white clouds and what I had missed the day before. Stunning mountain and valley views and I was very glad to be able to see the sea too!
Lake McKenzie – Earland Falls – Lake Howden – The Divide Carpark [12.3km, 4h 40min]
I left the campsite at around noon and set off for the final leg of the journey. Showering in the mist of Earland falls on track was quite an experience, cooling for a warm day. I didn’t do the side trip to Key Summit as I had done it twice before, but will definitely recommend to anyone who hasn’t!
The Divide Carpark – Milford Sound
The last part of the tramp was easy for me as my ankles and legs were feeling the long day. I was trudging along with willpower and was absolutely glad to finally make it back to the car park.
I got a lift from a helpful colleague who was very kind to drive to The Divide after work to pick me up. We headed back to Milford Sound, where we were based.
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