My best friend (Rach) and I decided we wanted to do something for our 40th birthdays.  Yes you heard it, how can they be 40, they look so youthful?  Well believe it we are.

We decided we would do a hike or tramp as we call it in New Zealand.  We did our of the 9 great walks in New Zealand, the Routeburn.

It originally started in the early 1900’s as a tourist walk and has gone from strength to strength to where it is fully subscribed for the peak season of December to April.  There are 4 huts along the way and we stayed in three of them.  First hut was Falls Creek and that was near the highest point in the hike.

Our first night in the hut was a great one.  We met a couple of Singaporeans, an American/Canadian couple, an American, an Australian and a British lady. We cooked a gourmet dinner and even had wine (cask).  We were pretty much the envy of everyone as they all had the dehydrated meals.

The hut warden there, John was fantastic, he gets people to write on a large sheet with some type of greeting, this time is was about Christmas.  There was a competition for how many different languages your could recognise.  The prize was a block of chocolate so of course I was in with a grin.  We ended up winning with all the help coming from the American/Canadian couple.

We slept in two large rooms in bunks with a total of 48 people.  Next day we climbed to the top of the saddle, Harris saddle.

However the weather deteriorated therefore we didn’t go up Conical Hill which gives great views and you can see the West Coast.  It was a pity about the weather as we missed seeing the Hollyford Ranges and great views.  It was a long hard day as it ended with a downhill which was quite rocky.  We went through some amazing forest with moss.

We finally ended up at Mackenzie Lake Hut at around 4pm so it had been a big day.  We had another great night talking and laughing.  The hut warden here was like a stand up comic.  He had us laughing for 1 whole hour.  In this hut there was  mix of bunks and a bench of beds which we named the orgie pit. I think you get the picture of what they looked like.

The next day we started off in rain however it cleared up to a great day.  We had a few “creek” crossings which made it interesting.  The highlight of the day was the waterfall and we ended up at the base of it.

We arrived at the hut early, around 12:30pm and had lunch, then a group of us went up a side walk.  It was breathtaking.

We then settled in for dinner and we shared a lot of laughs.  When the warden came in for her hut briefing she said that we were the most joyous group that she had had all summer.  The evening was topped off by Rachel, the Canadian lady, sing opera.  It was one of the most beautiful things that I had ever heard and in one of the most beautiful settings.  It will stay with me for the rest of my life.

Opera in the hut

The next day was a little sad leaving our little newly formed group.  Thank you all for the great memories

Rach and I then set off for the Caples Track.  Story to be continued!