Vittles for the Routeburn Track

Preparing for the Routeburn Track: Food

I am off to walk the Routeburn Track in two weeks time and I am starting my final preparations for the trip. I have walked sections of the track in the past but on both occasions big rain events (not uncommon in Fiordland) have scuppered me before I could finish the whole route. 

I made it as far as Howden Hut (1980's-2020) in 2019

I thought it would useful to write a series of blogs about the preparation I undertake before walking a specific Great Walk so this is the first dealing with the food I will be taking on the Routeburn. You burn a lot of calories tramping so hopefully this will be enough to keep me going. 

Conditions the last time I visited the Routeburn Track...

I also intend to write a post about the gear I will taking with me and a brief description of the convoluted transport plan I used to walk the track during Covid.

Food for the Routeburn Track:

I'm walking the Routeburn over three nights/four days which is longer than usual as I am staying one night at Routeburn Flats Hut. All of the main Great Walk huts on this track have gas cookers in them but no pots/pans etc. so you have to take these with you. I have planned a menu that will be quick and easy to prepare so most of the time I will just need hot water. 

Most Great Walk huts have cookers...Perry Saddle Hut

 I will be spending a night at Routeburn Flats, Routeburn Falls and Lake MacKenzie Huts so I will be taking three dinner meals. I will also require breakfast for days 2-4 and lunch and snacks for all four days. All up this comes to about 2.4 kilograms of food which is certainly not lite but also reasonable for 4 days. 

My food rations for the Routeburn Track

I pack my tramping food into 24 hour rations i.e. the way the military receive their rations. Everything I need to survive for 24 hours is packed into a zip-loc bag and the contents are all I have for that period. The advantage of this system is you have an easy to control amount of food for each day, it packs smaller and it is often a lighter option than carrying a big olde sack of loose food. 

A 24 hour ration I used on the Kepler Track in 2021

As this is a multi day trip in Fiordland known for random and extreme changes of weather I will also be taking a days worth of spare food. This is not a full days ration but just some items to cover breakfast and dinner in case I find myself stuck in a hut due to track closures or adverse weather. 

Emergency foods I have used in the past...

I have been lucky so far and never needed to use my emergency food but I would never undertake any trip longer that a day without carrying some. 

Now let us turn to what I will actually be eating each day...

Day one: Routeburn Shelter to Routeburn Flats:

The first day is short with a 2-3 hour walk from the start of the track at Routeburn Shelter to Routeburn Flats Hut. I am starting in Te Anau and using a shuttle bus to get to the Queenstown end of the Routeburn Track. This is so I can leave my car in Te Anau for homeward transport after the tramp.

I am using the Tracknet shuttle to get to Routeburn Shelter

 I will be starting the actual walk some time at 1.30 pm so this has me arriving at the hut around 4-5 pm. If I continued on to Routeburn Falls Hut (as most people do) I would be arriving sometime between 5 and 7 pm as it is another 1.5 hours up the track. I decided in the planning stage that this would be cutting things a little fine...

Day One: Roast Lamb and Vegetables BBC

On the first night I will be having a Backcountry freeze dried meal...in this case the tasty Roast Lamb and Vegetables. I only use single serve freeze dried meals now as I found a larger two person meal was just too much for one person. Added to this is a simmer soup, drinks and chocolate for that day and some snacks and a breakfast meal for the next day. 

I have Instant Grits for breakfast on day two...

Contents of the day one ration are as follows:

BCC Roast Lamb and Vegetables, Trident Chicken Noodle simmer soup, Instant Grits with powdered cheese (breakfast for day two), Snacks for day two (Le Snak, muesli bar, steak bar), Jack Links beef stick, Whitakers Sante bar, Vitafresh (Orange), sugar sachet x 4, salt, pepper, Aquatabs, chux cloth

Weight:790 gm's 

Crackers and tuna fish for lunch on this tramp!!!

Each of these rations includes an accessories pack with a number of universal items including Raro/Vitafresh powder, 3 in 1 coffee, sugar, salt, pepper, Aquatabs (water purification), scrub pad and two freezer bags. 

My meal accessory bag included in every 24 hour ration

These are the standard accessories I include with every ration I make. 

Day Two: Routeburn Flats to Routeburn Falls:

Day two of my Routeburn tramp is a very short day...the track between Routeburn Flat & Routeburn Falls is only 1.5 hours. I will spend a goodly amount of the day exploring around the hut with a trip up to the nearby falls. I should have my pick of bunks for the night as I will probably be the first person there...

Day two: Beef Stroganoff BBC

Contents of the day two ration are as follows:

BCC Beef Stroganoff, Knorr Corn and Chicken simmer soup, porridge with milk powder/fruit/nuts (breakfast for day three), Snacks for day three (Le Snak, Nougat bar, nut mix), Jack Links beef stick, Whitakers Sante bar, Vitafresh (Orange), sugar sachet x 4, salt, pepper, aquatabs, chux cloth

Weight:760 gm's 

My food rations for the second day...

I have the Jack Links beef stick with breakfast to up my intake of protein in the morning. Porridge, bread, cereal and grits have plenty of carbohydrates and sugars but bugger all protein so you need to supplement it. Protein is the long release source of energy in your diet and you will not perform well if you are lacking in it. 

Day three: Routeburn Falls to Lake Mackenzie:

Day three is the longest on this trip and is a 5-6 hour walk up and over Harris Saddle, along the Hollyford Face and down to the hut at Lake MacKenzie. It is through some rugged alpine terrain and is the most picturesque section of this track. I will probably have lunch at Harris Saddle Shelter which is about 2-2.5 hours into the walk. 

Day three: Mediterranean Cous-Cous for diner

I have Mediterranean Cous-Cous for dinner that night...a flavored cous-cous packet with some dried vegetables, tuna fish and herbs and spices added. Cous-cous is a fantastic tramping food...lite, compact, easy to prepare but you do get sick of it after a while. The key is to give it a flavor kick with soup powder, stock cubes, olive oil, salt and pepper. 

...a BBC Muesli and Yogurt for breakfast...

Contents of the day three ration are as follows:

Mediterranean Cous-Cous, tuna sachet (for Cous-Cous), dried vegetables, Knorr Chicken Noodle soup, BCC Muesli with Yoghurt (breakfast for day four), Snacks for day four (Le Snak, muesli bar, nut mix), Haneff pate (lunch day four), Jack Links steak bar, Whitakers Sante bar, Vitafresh (Passionfruit), sugar sachet x 4, salt, pepper, aquatabs, chux cloth, scrubbing pad

Weight:410 gm's 

Day four: Lake Mackenzie to the Divide Shelter:

The last day is another big one with the climb up out of Lake MacKenzie and the trip to Lake Howden and then out to the Milford Highway. In the past you could have shortened the day with a stay at Howden Hut but alas it is no more. A landslip took it out back in early 2020...it is a damn shame as it was an awesome wee hut. DOC have no plans to replace it as there is no safe land in the immediate vicinity to build a new hut. 

Interior of the now removed Howden Hut back in 2019

I have a Backcountry muesli and yogurt pack for breakfast on the last day and will stop for lunch at the temporary shelter DOC have installed near the old Howden Hut site. I have some pate and crackers set aside for this meal and a instant soup.

My snacks for the last day of the Routeburn tramp

If I am able to get to Lake Howden then I will be able to walk off the Routeburn under my own steam. I can tuck into my emergency rations while I am waiting for the shuttle to arrive at the Divide Shelter. There are multiple seating areas, water and toilets available there.  

Emergency Rations:

So as mention previously I will be carrying some emergency rations on this tramp...partially as it is in storm prone Fiordland but also I have prior experience of the vagaries of tramping down south. Stuff happens that can make forward progress impossible. It is not a lot of food...just enough to relieve the misery of being stuck in a hut for an additional day. 

Pack four: emergency food for the Routeburn

I pack these emergency rations using the same method as the main ones but at least these fit in a medium zip-loc bag. I would also have some teabags and any other left over food to supplement this...

...my emergency rations for the Routeburn Track...

My emergency rations will be:

BCC Cheesy Chicken Mash, Instant oats, Trident Thai Noodle soup, Vitafresh (Orange)

Weight: 410 gm's

All of my food is carried in a yellow 13 liter sil-nylon dry bag...yellow is my color code for food items. Keeping your food in a larger bag makes it easier to find, easier to store and can protect the rest of your gear from accidental spillages. 

My 13 liter food bag from Sea to Summit...

I carry a 30 cm long piece of para cord in the bottom of this bag in case I need to hang my food bag in a hut with a rodent problem. If you are in a hut with rodents you have to remove all food from your pack or they will eat right through it to get to the goodies. 

Not an urban myth...I have seen it happen before!!!

Breakdown of some food accessories...

I carry a few additions to the basic ration load out so lets take a look at these.

 First up are the snacks I have for the first day of the track i.e. walking into Routeburn Flats. They are packed in a separate bag and will be easily accessible in my pack lid. I take 2-4 snacks per day on all my tramps...I try to keep these lite and packed with energy so cheese, muesli bars, jerky, dried fruit, nuts and chocolate. 

Day one snack's: muesli bar, Le Snak, nut mix...

I have a 3 in 1 coffee with my breakfast but the rest of the time I drink Earl Grey tea as a hot beverage. My favorite brand is Chanui and I will carry at least 3 teabags for each of the days I am tramping plus some spares. I do take other teas on occasion but Chanui is the one I like the most. 

Chanui Earl Grey for me thanks!!!

I also carry some Aquatabs for water purification...water at Great Walk huts is normally fine to drink from the taps BUT caution is always good. Additionally I might refill a water bottle from a stream or lake enroute and it needs to be treated before I drink it. I have a water filter but it is easily damaged by cold conditions so not good for an alpine area like this. 

I carry Chanui Earl Grey Tea and Aquatabs

I like soup before dinner and have taken to carrying packets of simmer soup for this purpose. My go to brands are Trident, Knorr and Continental. I usually enjoy these about an hour before my main meal to add some extra calories, salt and warming liquids to my tramping diet. Soup will beef up your nutritional intake for little extra weight or bulk. 

Simmer soups brands I will be carrying...Knorr and Trident

 I also carry packets of instant soup (Cup-O-Soup) with me for lunch breaks, rest breaks or as a pick me up on a cold day. They are easy to make...you just add boiled water and sipping one will make your lunch breaks more enjoyable. They are also excellent as emergency food as they are lite and take up little space. 

The mixed instant soup kit I carry...multiple flavors

I carry these soups in a separate bag which sits in the lid of my pack where they are easy to get to if required...

My cook kit on this trip...

I will be taking a lighter version of my standard cooking kit with me on the tramp including my Toaks cooking pot and Firemaple stove. All the main huts on the Routeburn have gas cookers but I like to carry my cooking kit for emergencies and for on trail tea/soup breaks. 

My standard cook kit...Great Walk edition

My cook kit will have the follow items in it:

Toaks 1.3 liter titanium pot, Firemaple TI stove, plastic Sea to Summit Delta mug, TI fork and spoon, Victorinox folding knife, 110gm gas cannister, lighter, carry bags

If I have enough water I will brew up for lunch at Harris Saddle Shelter, Lake Howden Shelter and at the end of the track. I only need a small 110 gm gas cannister for these occasions. 

I finish at the Divide Shelter on the Milford Highway

So that is the food I will be taking with me on the Routeburn Track. I may swap out one of the Backcountry meals for some Mac and Cheese as that is another meal I really like on trail. Apart from that this is the menu I will run with...

Tramping food: Dutch style fruit bread

 Krentenbrood...great for breakfast and dessert!!!

I was looking for something different to take with me on my tramp of the Heaphy Track and after a bit of consideration I decided on some of this delicious fruit bread. Rosedale Fruit Loaf is a specialty dense fruit bread made by the Delamine Food Company here in New Zealand. 

Rosedale Dutch style Fruit loaf or Krentenbrood

The bread comes packed in a sturdy plastic bag and due to the ingredients and baking process it is shelf stable and totally usable for up to 10 days. You will find it at most supermarkets and it will either be in the baked goods section or specialty bread section. 

Krentenbrood is packed with dried fruit and peel

Rosedale Fruit loaf with other breakfast options...

The loaf comes unsliced and you can cut it to whatever thickness you desire...in my case that is bloody huge chunks about 2 cm's thick. It is good fresh or toasted and while it can be eaten without anything it is so much better with some kind of spread. I have had this bread with butter and margarine but it is also a great loaf for fruit jams, marmalade, conserved fruit, nut butters or honey

Slices of the Rosedale Fruit Loaf...looks good!!!

Rosedale Fruit Loaf  is a dense fruit bread...

With a slice or two of salami or cheese it is a complete breakfast meal option and I have had nothing but a chunk of the loaf and coffee for breakfast a number of times on a trail. It is also a lovely dessert for the end of the day as the sweetness of the fruit and peel is very appealing after the main meal. I was having it morning and evening for the first three days of the Heaphy Track. 

Ingredient list for Rosedale Fruit Loaf

Krentenbrood is great fresh....

There are a couple of negative points to the bread...it is on the heavy side with a loaf weighing 450 gm's. That is the same weight as 2/3 of a 24 hour ration for me on a typical day!!! This is not a problem if there are four of you to distribute the food weight but it is significant if you are humping everything on your own back. 

...or toasted with your favorite toppings

The other factor is it is a bit sticky so you have to wash your hands after handling it or they will get all your gear dirty. Apart from that it is all good as far as I am concerned. A loaf of this bread costs between $5-$6 NZ dollars at this time. It is definitely something you should consider the next time you are planning a menu for a tramp.

 

Nutritional Information for Rosedale Fruit Loaf

Here is a blurb about these fruit loafs from the Delmaine Food company website...

Keep an eye for the next appearance of this fruit loaf on a tramp...I am taking some on the Routeburn with me!

A photo montage of outdoor vittles.....

Refuelling for outdoor adventures..

I though I would chuck together a photo montage of me and my occasional tramping companions enjoying some fine vittles while engaged in our outdoor pursuits. I will add more photos to this post as time goes on so watch this space....

Enjoying my sandwich in the Otira Valley in the summer of 2016

Georgia eating a snack bar outside Packhorse Hut

The preparation and consumption of food plays a vital part in any outdoor activity, it can raise your spirits, can be fun to prepare and it provides the fuel we need to help us to achieve our outdoor adventure goals. 

A daily tramping food ration...

I like to pack my food into daily 'rations' i.e. one bag contains all of the food I will be eating for that particular day. This is packed into a large sized Zip-loc bag along with any instructions or content information I feel I might need to prepare the food.

Four days of tramping food being prepared for a trip....

Below is a typical daily ration from a trip I took on the St James Walkway back in 2015...

Breakfast:  Cream o' wheat + raisins + 1t sugar/milk powder + Tea

Lunch: Crackers + Pate + electrolyte drink

Snacks: Peanuts + Special K biscuit + scroggin pack+ Steak bar

Dinner: BCC Chicken a la King + mashed spuds + Miso soup + Refresh sachet (lemon/lime)

Extras: Puri Tabs + salt + pot scrubber +contents list

Nestle Iced Tea + tea ( 1 T sugar) (710gms total)

Kitchen duties: outdoor food preparation

At some point you are going to need to prepare food in the outdoors. Sometimes you will have a cosy shelter or hut to eat in...other times you might just be propped against a tussock on some hillside.

Here are a few photos of outdoor meal preparation.

Preparing lunch at the Onetahuiti shelter, Abel Tasman National Park 2017

Soup before the main meal,  Packhorse Hut wardens quarters: we were doing a stint as wardens at Packhorse Hut

Brewing up and lunch prep at Onetahauiti Shelter, Abel Tasman NP 2018

Cooking dinner at the Packhorse hut wardens bivy..we were doing a stint as wardens at Packhorse Hut

Fixing lunch in the forest on Mt Thomas, North Canterbury

Cheese and crackers at Fenella Hut, Cobb Valley, Kahurangi NP

Campsite/camp ground cooking shelters

Some of the more developed tracks will have shelters for you to cook and enjoy your meals in. These are mostly clustered at DOC campsites or campgrounds and can range from the most basic three sided structures to edifices that look like huts. 

Eating at the Black Rocks Campsite shelter, Queen Charlotte Track

The massive and rather splendid cook shelter at Pelorous Bridge campgrounds

Camp shelters will often be the centre of camp life and the focal point for meeting other trampers/campers.

The campsite cooking shelter at Onetahuiti Beech, Abel Tasman NP

The slightly mangy cook shelter at Bay of Many Coves Campsite, Queen Charlotte Track

The campground cooking shelter at Kerr Bay, Nelson Lakes National Park

Cooking shelter at the Bar Bay campsite, Abel Tasman NP

Massive cooking shelter at Anchorage campsite, Abel Tasman NP

Camp cook shelter at Manson Nichols Hut, Lake Daniell

Approaching the camp shelter at Maori Beach, Rakuira/Stewart Island

The camp cook shelter at Brod Bay, Kepler track

As you can see there is a wide variety of shelters used for this purpose...

The pleasure of a hot or cold beverage outdoors

Tea is always a part of my tramping experiences wither it be billy tea, a quick lunchtime cuppa or a more civilised brew enjoyed once I arrive at the hut. Earl Grey (Chai Nui by choice or Dilmah) and always black....like my soul.....or so I'm told....

Jon enjoying a mug of tea at the East Hawdon Hut, Arthur's Pass NP

Swinging the billy for some tea...open fire and billy boiling

Heating water for hot chocolate, Packhorse Hut, Banks Peninsula

Brewing up in the bed of the Blue-Grey River, Victoria Forest Park

Having a cup of tea at Davies Bay Shelter, Queen Charlotte Track

If you are going to drink tea have a full measure!!!!!

Enjoying a feast while walking in Hanmer Heritage Forest

Tea time at the Pororairi River, Punakaiki, Paparoa NP

I also enjoy a cold drink from time to time...

Lunchtime tramping food

There is nothing finer in life than a tasty lunch after a couple of hours walking. It is a great pick me up and provides the energy you need to keep going into the afternoon.

One of the lunch mainstays I enjoy is pate.....this is usually small 90gm cans of pate made by the French company Haneff. Excellent on a wrap or crackers and power packed with calories to keep you moving while tramping. 

My French inspired lunch repast while walking around Quail Island, Lytellton Harbour

Pate for lunch while reading in Magdalen  Hut, St James Conservation Area

...here it is pate with spinach wraps at John Tait Hut, Nelson Lakes NP

I am also partial to tuna fish at lunchtime, be it canned or in a foil pouch it never disappoints when you are hungry. Good on a salty cracker, in a sandwich or wrap and with or without condiments it is tasty and full of energy. 

Tuna and crackers while walking the Christchurch 360 Track, Summit Road, Port Hills

Tuna and crackers for lunch again..... on Mt Isobel overlooking Hanmer

Tuna and crackers while admiring the view from the Lewis Pass Tops in 2016

I also like cheese, salami and crackers, or for a change some peanut butter on crackers or a wrap...

Cheese, salami and crackers: a lunch of champions while strolling the Abel Tasman Coastal Track in 2018

If the trek is short or if you are willing to carry the weight your meals can be a lot more elaborate, like this anti-pasti spread Karen and I had while visiting Otamahua/Quail Island...

Antipasti spread at Swimmers Beach, Otamahua/Quail Island

Filled wraps on a visit to Mt Grey, Canterbury Foothills

Snacks for the trekker on the go...

There is nothing like a snack on the trail as you make your way from one point to another. It might be savory or sweet or a combination of both. Personally I lean heavily to the savory (olives, steak bars, jerky, cheese wedges, Bhaji mix and I love a salty nut ....Brazil's, peanuts or macadamias) although my favorite outdoor snack is a box of raisins...

Le Snak: crackers and cheese spread...a great tramping snack

Very occasionally I will eat muesli bars...Hanmer Forest Park

Snack time on the Arthur's Pass Walking Track, Arthur's Pass NP

My favorite tramping snack...raisins!

I sometimes like a Kellogg's LCM snack bar to go with my tea....

My daughter Georgia chowing down on chocolate, Kaituna-Packhorse Hut Track

,,,tacking into a Kellogg LCM bar atop Mt Herbert, Banks Peninsula....

Snacks also include an ice cream if walking the Christchurch 360 Trail

Food bar at the Pororairi river, Paparoa NP

Tucking into a freeze dried meal...

Most outdoor people will have had the dubious pleasure of tucking into a freeze dried meal at some point. The ubiquitous freeze dried can be heaven or hell depending on how you cook it, the mood you are in or how hungry you are feeling.

The ubiquitous freeze dried meal...before adding the water

A Backcountry Moroccan Lamb meal after adding the hot water

Wither it be a Backcountry, Outdoor Gourmet,  Absolute Wilderness or some other brand we can all associate freeze dried meals with some outdoor adventure...

Miso soup with my freeze dried meal at Packhorse Hut, Banks Peninsula

Cooking a freeze dried dinner at Nina Hut, Lewis Pass Scenic Reserve in 2017

Tucking into a Backcountry Tomato Alfredo Pasta at Mid Robinson Hut, Victoria Forest Park

Backcountry Lamb & Veges and red wine, Hawdon Hut, Arthur's Pass NP

Soup and Outdoor Gourmet Butter Chicken at Totoranui, Abel Tasman NP

An Outdoor Gourmet Venison and Rice Noodle Stir fry, Packhorse Biv

Tucking into a Beef Stroganoff at Luxmore Hut, Kepler Track

DOC Huts: cooking benches, gas hobs, tables and general hut life

I enjoy the variety of cooking/dining facilities you find in DOC huts....again the quality of the experience depends on the facilities and your mood. Time spent in a hut will include sitting down to a meal or snack at some point.

Cooking space at the Rod Donald Hut, Te Ara Pataka, Banks Peninsula

The cook bench at Lake Christabel Hut, Victoria Forest Park

Clinton Forks Hut, Milford Track: Great Walk huts sometimes have cooking facilities provided

Georgia eating some soup at the Packhorse Biv in 2018

Hut life...various trampers enjoying the late afternoon sun and each others company

Brewing up at Hawdon Hut, Arthur's Pass...

Lunchtime at Ces Clarke Hut on the Paparoa Track

Dinner time at the new Manson Nichols Hut, Lake Daniel

Lunchtime tramping vistas to die for

A good lunch stop will often depend on the view you are enjoying while eating. Some of our lunch stops are pedestrian but some are gorgeous and worth all the effort used to reach that point. 

Lunchtime stop on the Christchurch 360 Trail looking at the Estuary at Redcliffs

Mt Balloon, Milford Track from the lunch shelter at McKinnon Pass

Tonga Island from the beach in front of Onetahuaiti Campsite, Abel Tasman National Park

FYI: Pt 913 shown in the photo below is the second highest point on Banks Peninsula and is only 6 meters lower than the summit of Mt Herbert. It is to the south east of the Mt Herbert massif and has a radio relay building on its summit. 

Lunchtime view from Pt. 913, Mt Herbert Scenic Reserve, Banks Peninsula

The Apprentice (1678) from a lunch stop on the Lewis Pass Tops

Lunch stop on the summit of Mt Grey, North Canterbury

A basic lunchtime seat on the Rakuira Great Walk

Kaikoura Peninsula from a memorable lunch spot on Mt Fyffe, Seaward Kaikoura Range

Lunchtime view from Mt Grey, Canterbury Foothills

View from picnic area, Swimmers Beach Otamahua/Quail Island

Southern Paparoa Range, Paparoa Track, Roaring Meg Conservation Area

View from the picnic table at Hanging Valley Shelter, Kepler Track

Bon appetite!!!