30.11.2019 Routeburn second half from 'Routeburn Shelter'

After this second half of the Routeburn Track (almost 21 km), we can only recommend if you only have time to hike half of the Routeburn, walk from the Routeburn Shelter! (Contribution to the first half from 'The Divide' below)

We had clear skies and sunshine, but were protected from the sun about 80 percent of the time. This half of the track up to the Routeburn Falls Hut had a lot to offer. The first 7.5 km led us through the forest, but to our left was always a bright blue clear river with several rock formations and waterfalls. We had to cross some bridges and had wonderful views.
At the first hut 'Routeburn Flats' where you can either camp or sleep in the house, the name really said it all. 'Flats' a huge flat meadow with a river lies behind the hut and is framed by mountains, beautiful for taking a break.

From there it is 2.5 km to the 'Routeburn Falls Hut', these kilometers were indicated as the estimated time on the sign, from Routeburn Flats to there it should be 1.5-2.5 hours on foot. We took 50 minutes, it was a steep uphill the whole time.
As you can see in the photos, this ascent was more than worth it!
The Routeburn Falls Hut is huge, we thought we were going to a hotel in the mountains with a balcony and breathtaking views.
The Routeburn Falls Hut offers 48 beds, these are arranged in such a way that in a room where you can really only take two steps, there are two bunk beds on the right and left. Otherwise, like the other huts, there is a kitchen and toilets.
There was still the possibility to hike past the waterfalls to the 'Harris Saddle' (approx. 2-4 hours one way) but we only went a little further up and then made our way back to the parking lot.
Including photo stops and breaks, it took us from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. to cover the almost 21 km. So a total of 6.5 hours.

Since we didn't feel like cooking in the evening, we drove back to Queenstown, got a pizza from Domino's and slept at the Twelve Mile Delta Campground again. In the evening, just like last time, you could tell that hiking such a long distance, uphill, downhill, over sticks and stones is not 'just a walk in the park'.

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