Routeburn - Caples (April 17, 18, 19)

After going to the first hut on the Kepler (Luxmore Hut)... we met up with Kevin and Laura in Te Anu and headed up to Queenstown. Stayed at the holiday park, where crazy people tend to hang out... and hopped on the Routeburn Track the next day.


The Routeburn, after the Milford Track is a very popular track. So we made reservations for this hike 2 or 3 weeks prior. Kim crossing the first of many bridges on the Routeburn.


A very well maintained track, with some of the nicest huts you'll find anywhere. There are also private huts for hiker$ on a guided tour... they were building a private hut next to the Routeburn Falls hut we stayed at...


Could have done without these buzzing by every 15 min. or so...


The private hut under construction. The walk from the Routeburn Shelter Trailhead to the Routeburn Falls Hut took approx. 2 hours through a dense birch forest... you know you are close when you start hearing metallica on the boombox... and the helicoptors fly closer... not the kind of trail you hop on if you want to get away from it all...


A very nice hut, with seperate bunkrooms, kitchen with gas stove... and if you can decipher 25 of these languages the hut master gave you a chocolate bar... we only got 17 :(


The next day, we got a bit of a clearing, and was probably the most scenic day so far in NZ for me.


Up to Conical Hill?... an amazing 360 view awaited


... don't know what Kevin and Laura are doing...


Group shot at the top... we got pretty lucky, as we could see the clouds moving in, and in 30 min, this peak was covered in fog, as it had been for the last few days. We hiked past Mc...something hut, on to Howden Hut, which was a long day. Most folks hike out to the Divide completing the Routeburn Track, but since the shuttle back to Glenorchy is a pain, and spendy, we hopped on the Caples Track, taking us closer to our shevanagan.


The Caples Track was full of mushrooms.


Including this purple one...


A fern color palette.


More botany...


The Caples track was a lot more rugged compared to the Routeburn... here is Kim crossing some of the small streams on the Caples.


The Caples track... a little different from the Routeburn...


Laura fell victim to the Roots of Death... but with a little duct tape, she hobbled on. The day before, a hiker twisted her ankle and got a helicopter ride out... we think Laura just wanted a helicoptor ride...


We were welcomed at the Upper Caples hut by two hunters... who didn't get any deer. This was another long day of hiking... and with the help from some wine in a bag, we got some good rest. We were hoping to meet some folks on the track that left a car at the Caples Track trailhead... but we didn't, so I woke up early on day 3 to go on a long run.

Morning fog... slowly lifting.


After running 2 hours past mid caples hut to the trailhead, I figured I would be able to hitch a ride on the dirt road... no luck... 2 additional hours later not a single car had passed me... after I ran to the turn off to the Routeburn shelter 4 or 5 cars passed, but were full of hikers. So after running 40+ km... I finally got a ride... for about 100 yards... then had to run a few more km to the car. I devoured a few spoonfuls of Nutella... mmm... and drove back to the trailhead (30 km, with 4 stream crossings)... and still managed to beat Kim, Kev, and Laura.

I was sore the next day... but I still managed to hike up a hill over and over, and have enough coordination to impress the paragliding instructor enough to convince him that I could take off of Coronet Peak the day after...