Routeburn Track Planning: Transport

 Planning transport for the Routeburn Track

My second Great Walk tramp for the 2021/2022 summer season is coming up in two weeks time. As mentioned before I will be walking the Routeburn Track the last of the existing Great Walks I have yet to complete. I'm waiting to walk the Hump Ridge Track when it becomes a new Great Walk at the end of this year. 

NB: I just read an article over the weekend that DOC are starting work on track upgrades and the new hut on the Humpridge Track in the next month....

Te Waewae Bay from the Humpridge Track...2023 anyone?

I have previously been to both ends of the Routeburn Track but have yet to walk the section from Routeburn Flats to Lake Howden as my last attempt on the track was rained out by a massive storm system. I am hoping that this time I finish the track so I can "..knock the bugger off..." as a certain man once said. 

Direction of travel:

The Routeburn Track runs from near Lake Wakatipu to the Milford Road so if you are walking the whole track you will be undertaking a crossing of several mountain ranges. Obviously this means you have two termini for the tramp and a choice of directions to walk in.

The Routeburn runs through the Alisa and Humboldt Ranges

The standard route is to start at the Routeburn Shelter in Mt Aspiring NP and walk east to west over the mountains to the Divide Shelter. Probably 80% of trampers will be heading in this direction as it is arguably the easier way to cross the mountains in between the two points. Starting from the Routeburn Shelter end means you have to get there usually from Queenstown.

Routeburn Shelter at the Queenstown end of the track

It is perfectly possible to walk the Routeburn in the opposite direction...start at the Milford Road and walk to the Routeburn Shelter and 20% of people walk this way. Tramping west to east means you have to get to the Divide Shelter on the Milford Road and Te Anau is the starting point for this journey. 

The Divide Shelter on the Milford Road

My last attempt at the Routeburn was from west to east so I thought I would mix it up this time and start at the Routeburn Shelter and head to the Divide Shelter. 

How do I get to the track...?

Once you know which direction you will be walking you need to arrange some form of transport to one or the other ends of the track. The Routeburn is linear (from point to point) so you cannot walk a circuit back to your start point (...unless you walk back along the track but forget about that for now...) so you have to figure out how to get to the start and from the finish.

Routeburn Track profile diagram

You have the usual three methods as found with most tracks in New Zealand. These are; 1. use your own transport, 2. return the way you came, 3. use public transport. Lets start with using your own transport

Use your own transport..

There are roads to both ends of this track so you can just drive yourself to the start of the track. The Milford Road is sealed all the way to the Divide Shelter carpark and there is parking space here for about 100 cars so that is no problem. The road from Glenorchy to the Routeburn Shelter is gravel, rough, winding and remote. You can drive it in a 2 W/D but a 4 W/ D is a better option. 

The Divide carpark holds about 100 cars...

If you are happy to do this then your transport problems are solved. Just make sure you totally fill your car before leaving Te Anau or Queenstown and thoroughly lock your car to deter people breaking into it. Both of these carparks are remote and there are occasional instances of vandalism of cars and theft but this is a long way from any larger town so the Bogan factor is less here that say Arthurs Pass or Lewis Pass. 

Remote SH94 runs from Te Anau to Milford Sound

The problem is what to do when you finish the track? Your car will be 32 kilometers away over the mountains. One solution is to use a car relocation service to bring your car from one end to the other. There are several companies doing this for the Fiordland Tracks so have a look online. It can often be eye wateringly expensive as the two road ends are nearly 300 kilometers apart but it can be done.

 

The Routeburn Shelter road end...

You could do a key swap with parties starting from both ends of the track and exchanging keys mid way along the track but obviously you will need another party. This is not an option for me...

Return the way you came...

Another option is to walk back to your car over the track you have just walked which is a popular option of some tracks like the Heaphy. This would make your tramp a 4-5 day, 65+ kilometer mission but if you have the time, energy and can find a booking when you need then by all means fill your boots...

View up the Hollyford Valley from the Routeburn Track..

One problem with this scheme is that the Routeburn is the most popular of the Great Walks so the chances of getting bookings for four huts/campsites is slim. There is also the weather factor...4-5 days of decent weather is unusual so you could find yourself stranded on the wrong side of the mountains. 

This option is doable but not prime...

Use public transport...

Personally I think using public transport is the best method of access to/from the Routeburn Track. Several companies run trips into the road-ends from both Queenstown and Te Anau. There are multiple trips per day and they are not really that expensive when compared to the other options. You can also drive to one end of the track and use public transport to get to the other end. Environmentally using a shuttle or bus is a much better option than burning a lot of fuel in your own car.

Lake Howden between the Divide and Lake MacKenzie

After a lot of thought and weighing of options I went with public transport to/from both road-ends...for me it was the easiest option.

So...lets have a look at how that is going to work. 

To Queenstown...

I decided early in my planning that I was going to drive down to the start of the track rather than taking a flight or bus. With the rise of Covid these forms of transport have become hazardous and they are often cancelled. As I will have my car with me it made sense to start from Te Anau as that would be my final destination after finishing the track. I can park my car there ready for the drive back to Christchurch.

The Tracknet shuttle starts at the Lakeview Holiday Park

I will be walking the track from the Queenstown end so this means I had to get from TeAnau to Routeburn Shelter using public transport. This is a common way to start the track so there are several companies running services between the two points. I have booked myself on the Tracknet shuttle from Te Anau to Queenstown on the first morning of my tramp. From there I will be catching the regularly scheduled noon shuttle to Routeburn Shelter. 

Tracknet shuttle I used on the Milford Track back in 2018

Tracknet offer a package deal for transport from Te Anau to Routeburn Shelter is $122 in total and will take about 4.5 road hours in total...

From the Divide Shelter...

Walking from east to west means I will arrive at the Divide Shelter on the Milford Road around 1.30 pm on the last day. I would require transport from the western end of the track at the Divide Shelter back to Te Anau about 50 kilometers away. It is obviously too far to walk or hitchhike so I would need public transport at this end as well. 

The Divide end of the Routeburn Track

The easiest option was to book with Tracknet once again so I am scheduled to be on their 3.15pm shuttle from the Divide back to Te Anau. I have used this service a couple of times now and they are the largest transport company in Fiordland so I could be fairly certain that it would still be running. The shuttle starts in Milford Sound and runs through to Te Anau with stops along the way so it must be booked ahead of time. 

Te Anau is my start and finishing point

The shuttle costs $45 from the Divide to Te Anau and takes about an hour as you drive down the Eglington Valley to get back to civilisation. 

Transportation problems solved...!

So...to summarise my transport plan is as follows:

Drive from Christchurch to Te Anau which is where I will be staying before and after the tramp. From Te Anau I use the Tracknet shuttle to Queenstown on the first morning of the trip then at noon I take the scheduled service to the Routeburn Shelter road-end. 

4.5 hours travel time and $122 NZD...

The turn off to Key Summit...a side track of the Routeburn

Once I finish the track I take the Tracknet Shuttle from the Divide Shelter back to Te Anau which is my start point for the drive back to Christchurch. I will be driving back on the Friday which is the day after I finish walking. 

1 hour travel time and $45...

The shelters on Harris Saddle...Routeburn Track

Easy as...all up it will cost about $150 which is not bad compared to a car transfer between the two road-ends which runs to $400-$500 dollars. It just means I have a schedule to keep too and will be sitting in a shuttle for a quite a while.