2 days on the trail

Well, we are back in Invercargill for re-fueling and a bit of laundry after our most amazing hike through beautiful forest and amazing waterfalls (not to mention the scenery of mountains all around us) We got all packed up and headed back out to Fiordland National Park where we purchased our 'hut' passes and then set out. We had originally planned to do two nights in two huts but the weather forcast wasn't that great and we found out it's $40 per person per night to stay in these huts so we camped one night in our van in the park and then set out the next morning. Our packs were fully loaded with enough food and clothing, sleeping bags, water, etc for the trip, meaning they weighed in between 11-15 kgs (24-33 lbs) mine being the lighter of the two. The trail was amazing, there were plenty of little huffing and puffing stops as we climbed up and up and after 7.5 hours on the trail we reached the MacKenzie Hut. Please note that it wasn't 7.5 hours up or I would have died. On the way we passed by the Earland Falls which were amazing at 80 meters high and though it was quite foggy and we couldn't see any of the amazing mountains all around us, there were plenty of beautiful sights along the way. The next day we were quite sore but being that we were in the middle of nowhere we had to walk back out so we set out again! The weather was better so we could see much more of the scenery and it was breath taking (or maybe that was just the hiking with a pack part?) Anyways, it was a beautiful walk out (again 7.5 hours) and we even did a little side trip up to Key Summit. The clouds parted just enough for us to glimpse the almost 360 degrees of mountain view all around us. I've included a link here for more info about the Routeburn track. We didn't do the whole thing only from the divide to Lake MacKenzie and back but you can check it out here.

All in all it was wonderful and we think we'll try to do another walk or two like that before we leave New Zealand. It's so worth it (plus it's good for you). Today once the laundry is finished we'll attempt to head towards Dunedin and then Mount Cook on Saturday! We'll let you know what adventures we find along the way!