Tag 58: Routeburn Nature Walk

Once and never again.

The weather actually holds up after short showers during the night. We have sunshine and I really want to spend another day hiking in Fjordland. Our guide yesterday infected us even more with his passion for nature. The Routeburn Track is a multi-day hike, but our tour guide recommends the Nature Walk as the most beautiful part for a one-hour hike.

So we drive from Te Anau, along the entire Lake Wakatipu, through Queenstown, past Glenorchy, across hills, valleys and curves, single-lane bridges and through Frodo's paths to Lothlorien, until we finally arrive at the gravel road after 8km at walking speed. The landscape during the drive feels like a movie set or painted by Bob Ross, almost surreal. That's the beauty of this day.

Then came the walk, which we had expected a lot from after this long drive. There were trees, bushes, and a suspension bridge. Disappointment is not the right word to describe what we felt here.

We decide never to drive such long distances to hiking trails again without good recommendations, and especially not with our camper on gravel roads.

Tonight we stay again at our proven spot at Lake Hayes and plan for the next day.