Conical Hill

We opted for a diy breakfast at our hotel so we could get an earlier start. The drive from Glenorchy to the trailhead in Paradise was beautiful (and bumpy) as we passed by lots of sleep pastures with the snow capped mountains looming in the distance.

The track begins at Routeburn Shelter, gently winding alongside the crystal-clear Route Burn River. After passing Sugarloaf Stream, it climbs to Bridal Veil Waterfall and continues above the gorge. From above, the water appears a beautiful green color. Keanan stopped to pee at a toilet that was suspended over the gorge, which he was disappointed didn't have a window overlooking the water. A swing bridge leads to open grassed flats, and the Routeburn Flats Hut and Campsite.

The track then climbs steadily through stunning beech forest, providing views of the Humboldt Mountains, to the Routeburn Falls Hut, on the edge of the bushline and close to the impressive Routeburn Falls cascade. We gained a good chunk of our elevation gain during this portion, still enjoying the shade of the surrounding trees.

The track then climbs steadily up the valley, through wetlands and tussock-covered flats, before sidling along the bluffs above Lake Harris to reach the highest point on the track at Harris Saddle/TarahakaWhakatipu (1,255 m). The sun on this part of the hike was brutal, as it was all above treeline. On the flip side, this also meant that we had incredible views for the whole climb! By the time we reached Lake Harris, we both would have loved a swim, but the lake was pretty far off the path and it didn't really look like you were supposed to walk there. We were definitely relieved when we reached the saddle and were able to enjoy our lunch in the shade of the day use huts up there.

This is where I decided to add on the trip to Conical Hill (1,515 m) that is considered a side trip to the Routeburn Track. The track climbs very steeply for about 1km of rock scrambling. It reaches a beautiful viewpoint for Lake Harris before continuing to the summit. At the summit, there are sweeping mountain vistas, all the way out to the Milford Sound and the Tasman Sea!

On the way down, we stopped at a lovely mountain stream where we were able to refill our water vessels and dunk our hats in the icy water. We resisted the urge to take off our boots and soak our feet for a bit since we still had a while to go. The 4 miles between the flats hut and the carpark felt way longer on the way down and we didn't waste any time peeling off our boots when we reached the car.

We picked up a young German hitchhiker as we were shedding our shoes. She had just finished her bachelor's degree in something that sounded very impressive and an internship working on a knee prosthetic robot. She's taking 3 months here to hike the Te Araroa trail and decide what she wants to do for her master's degree.

We made it back just in time for a quick shower before our delicious fancy dinner!Read more