Routeburn Track Hut

We spent the night in one of the NZ Department of Conservation's huts, along Lake Mackenzie. The DOC maintains several huts along each of the "Great Walks" (famous hikes). These feature bathrooms, running (cold) water, gas stoves, bunks, and a resident ranger. The hikers bring sleeping bags, food, cookware, etc. and are responsible for carrying their waste out. This is a pretty nice way to make backpacking more accessible and provides a good opportunity to connect with other hikers.

We arrived at the hut around 4 PM and grabbed a bunk. Then we headed to the main array to eat some snacks and chat with fellow "trampers" from NZ, Germany, Israel and the US.

After dinner, the ranger (a veteran of 15 seasons at the same hut) explained the history of the local fauna. Many endemic birds are flightless since there were no land-based predators. With the arrival of the Europeans came rats, possums and scoats which have unfortunately preyed on the birds, thus diminishing their population including several species becoming extinct. Efforts are underway to trap the predators, many led by the ranger himself.

Afterwards we headed to the bunk room with 28 of our closest friends. Unfortunately it was a snoring symphony so neither of us got great sleep; next time - sleeping pills.Read more