A walk along the Hooker Valley Track

After completing two of the ten ‘Great Walks’ in New Zealand we’re working our way slowly up through South Island, taking in some of the sights and doing some day walks. The Hooker Valley track is on the list as it is one of the best day walks in New Zealand and has great, close up views of Mount Cook, the highest mountain in New Zealand. We have decided to spend the night in Twizel as it’s near to the start of the track. It’s a quirky name for a quirky little town that has a slightly strange feel about it. Wikipedia tells me it has only been around since 1968 and was built to house workers on a hydroelectric scheme so this might explain its rather functional, frontier like atmosphere.

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Routeburn Track Day Two, Routeburn Falls Hut to Lake Mackenzie Hut

Day two on the Routeburn Track dawns bright and clear. All twenty or so bunks in our room were full but there were no ‘nighttime noises’ and I slept well, helped no doubt by the fact that the girls from Otago were at the opposite end of the lodge. The weather forecast is for rain early afternoon so I am keen to get moving as soon as we can. After breakfast we finish our packing on the balcony of the hut enjoying the morning sunshine and final views down the main Routeburn valley. 

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