We did it! (Routeburn Track, Day 3)

March 10

Today is our last day of waking up early, sandwich making and hiking.

I thought Rachel, one of our four guides, would’ve forgotten about a conversation we had about me tasting one of her favorite foods- vegemite.

She found me in the dining room on the last morning and approached with a plate of buttered toast cut into triangles, topped with a schmear of vegemite.

There was nowhere to hide. She excitedly stood over me, anxious to see my reaction, hopeful that she could convert a wary North American to enjoy this Aussie delicacy. The video below shows how it all went down (or didn’t).

Today’s hike was an easy peasy six miles. A decent ascent started us off with the warning of loose rocks, avalanche danger and another unstable suspension bridge made for a max load of 5 people, or so the sign warned us. We didn’t test it out with more people for fear it might snap. The climb didn’t last too long.

Just as I was gaining speed, agility and confidence on this rocky terrain, it leveled off and we were home free. We picnicked at Forge Flat beside the Routeburn River and marveled at those who braved the icy, crystal blue glacier water for a refreshing dip.

Our last mile was a nature walk through a beautiful beech forest.

I half expected a finish line with red tape and cheering crowds, but instead we sauntered to the end to a somewhat anticlimactic finish of a shelter and busy car park.

Once everyone arrived and boarded the bus, we drove to the nearby town of Glenorchy for a cold drink and hot french fries, a treat from Ultimate Hikes. We then continued on to Queenstown, where it all began a week prior. We said goodbye to our friends and called an Uber to take us to the airport to pick up our rental car for the next part of our travels on the South Island.

When our friends Heather and Jamie highly recommended Mt Rosa Lodge and La Bella Rosa Vineyard in Gibbston Valley outside of Queenstown, saying it was their favorite accommodation of their trip, we knew we had to do some hotel cancelling and rearranging. Fortunately, Mt Rosa was available and boy were we lucky to have stayed at this beautiful spot with the most gracious hosts.

We were warmly greeted by Michelle, who showed us to our beautiful room overlooking the vineyard.

What a perfect place to relax and recover after our hiking journey. Located in Gibbston, the vineyard is the highest in Central Otago, at 482 meters (1,581 ft). They produce only four to five barrels of wine a year on their small, privately owned vineyard.

Her affable husband Stuart joined a short while later, and we sat and chatted while munching on delicious snacks Michelle had prepared, washing them down with delicious La Bella Rosa Pinot Noir and a Pinot Gris from Gibbston Valley, a neighboring vineyard.

We fell into our luxurious bed and slept like babies, relishing the comforts of a well appointed room with no roommates and no snorers.