Routeburn Track

in the Fiordland National park

With soaring mountain peaks, huge valleys, waterfalls and jewel-like lakes this track links the Mount Aspiring National Park with Fiordland National Park.

32kms - 3 days

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A magnificent alpine adventure

	The Routeburn Track passes through two national parks and is part of a World Heritage Area.
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The 32 kilometres long track usually takes three days to complete but extreme athletes regularly run the track in a single day. Every May there is a mountain run along the track - completion times range from three to nine hours.

The Routeburn Track is part of Te Wahipounamu South West New Zealand World Heritage Area. This treasured part of New Zealand has been shaped by successive glaciations into fiords, rocky coasts, towering cliffs, lakes and waterfalls. Two-thirds of the protected area is covered with southern beech and podocarps, some of which are over 800 years old. The kea - the only alpine parrot in the world - lives here, as does the rare, flightless takahe.

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	Routeburn Falls, RoutebBeautiful waterfalls are a feature of the Routeburn Track, which leads hikers through the Mount Aspiring National Park.urn Track
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Lovely Lake Harris

The long climb to the Harris Saddle, the highest point of the track, is worth every step. Beautiful Lake Harris greets you with waters that will be either deep blue or slate gray, depending on the weather. The saddle has many other pretty little tarns hidden in its folds.

From the Harris shelter, you are surrounded by mountains - the Darren Range, Mount Madeline (2537m) and Mount Tutoko (2746m), just to mention a few. There is a well-trodden path from the shelter heading up Conical Hill (1515m), where there is a 360° panoramic view.

Water, water everywhere

Moss-draped forest, energetic streams and busy waterfalls point to the fact that it rains a lot in this corner of the world. However that should not be seen as a deterrent - the Routeburn is magical in any weather. A rainy day is a bonus, making waterfalls even more breathtaking.

Swing bridges provide an entertaining trip over numerous rivers and creeks. Particularly memorable is Israeli Creek, which was named after an Israeli couple who got lost coming over a nearby untracked pass and spent some time trapped on a ledge above the creek.

Key Summit

At the southern end of the track, Key Summit provides panoramic views over the Humboldt and Darran Mountains. During the last ice age, which ended about 14,000 years ago, a huge glacier flowed down the Hollyford Valley and overtopped Key Summit by 500 metres, with ice branches splitting off into the Eglinton and Greenstone Valleys. There is a self-guided alpine nature walk at Key Summit, which is a 20 minute detour off the main trail.

Large and beautifully coloured, the native wood pigeon is often seen on forest walks.
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Birds of the Routeburn

Birdlife is prolific through forested sections of the Routeburn Track. Native tomtits, robins, fantails, wood pigeons and bellbirds are commonly seen. But of all the birds that live on or around the track, there is one that every walker hopes to see - the kea. Officially the world’s only alpine parrot, the kea is a beautiful olive-green bird with red underwear. They are comical to watch and are famous for stealing things like sandals, hats, cameras and anything else they can get their beaks on.

Shorter or longer

This is not a track for the winter months - 32 avalanche paths have been identified between Routeburn Falls Hut and the Earland Falls - however you can walk for a day at any time of the year. The section of track from the road end at Routeburn Shelter to the Routeburn Falls Hut is clear all year. Likewise the section between The Divide and Earland Falls makes an excellent one day walk.

For a longer walking adventure, the Routeburn Track can be linked with the Greenstone or Caples Tracks.

The greenstone trail

Long before Europeans arrived in New Zealand, people of the Tai Poutini iwi regularly walked the Routeburn Valley to access a pounamu (jade) source at the head of Lake Whakatipu. Pounamu was highly valued as a material for tools, weapons and ornaments.

The first Europeans to see the area were pioneers David McKellar and George Gunn, who on 9 June 1861 climbed to the top of Key Summit. Tourism began in the 1880s - visitors were taken into Routeburn Flats by horse, and then guided on foot to the Harris Saddle.