The Routeburn Great Walk

This was the last of the 4 walks I did - just over 30 miles in 3 days. The walk starts from just past the north end of Lake Wakatipu - its the one that Queenstown is on and ends at the Divide - on the road between Milford Sound and Te Anau.

  The night before the walk - view over Queenstown of the lake.

 

 

  Left photo - just focussing on the Remarkables mountains. Right photo - view from the roadside on the bus up to the start of thr Routeburn.

 

 

  Left photo - small waterfall. Right photo - view from close to the Routeburn Flats campsite looking towards the Northern Branch.

 

 Left photo - snow topped mountain alongside the Northern Branch. Right photo - stitched view from the campsite.

 

 

  Two of many photos I took of a falcon as I walked along the Northern Branch.

 

 

  And 3 more. Waited for 10 minutes for it to fly off - and eventually got these photos - the right hand two are the full-size and zoomed versions of the same picture.

 

 

  Left photo = view back along the Northern Branch to the campsite. Right photo - another waterfall!

 

 

  Last two views from the Northern Branch. This was a return trip with no definite end point. I called it quits when I smacked my knee jumping from the rock in the left hand photo to the rock I took the photo from!

 

 

  More common birdlife taken from the campsite - left is the Paradise Shelduck and right is a chaffinch(?)

 

 

  View towards the Northern Branch from above the Routeburn Flats campsite - now on the 2nd day of the walk.

 

 
Left photo - looking back again - this time from the Routeburn Falls huts (in the foreground). These were amazing - built on the hillside by building them on stilts with these views - wish I'd stayed there to be honest! Right photo is of the Routeburn Falls (1/6 second exposure, hand-held!).

 

 

  Left photo - looking down on the Harris Shelter at the high point (1277m) of the walk. 3 days later the Routeburn was shut because the snowline was at 800m - so must have been quite exciting up here! Right photo - another waterfall (tripod this time).

 

 

  Two more photos on the way down to the Mackenzie campsite - right photo shows the campsite middle-right at the end of Lake Mackenzie.

 

 

  The final morning. 3 more of waterfalls - the right hand two are of the 80m Earland Falls. The left hand one is my favourite (2.5seconds exposure time).

 

 

  Views along and across the Hollyford Valley.