Hiking new Zealand II: exploring the beautiful scenery in the mountains

Among the nine national trails in New Zealand, the Routeburn circuit near Tian 'ao Lake is the shortest one, but it is the most amazing one.

The trail is not a loop. You can enter from point A and exit from point B. You can choose the entrance and exit at will. Before entering the mountain, you need to book a shuttle bus. In this regard, New Zealand has a very complete supporting service, which is fast and convenient.

If the equipment is not complete, you can rent it, don't worry.

After starting from Tian 'ao, the bus stops at Queenstown, picks up people waiting for the bus there, and walks along Lake Wakatipo Highway until you reach the entrance of the trail.

It happened in April, autumn was strong, and the scenery on the road was beautiful. Unfortunately, the dark clouds were overwhelming and the color of the lake was very dark. The master driver will stop at the observation deck with a better view, so that we can enjoy the scenery.

The original ecological scenery along the way, all over lakes, mountains, meadows and pastures, is the perfect embodiment of 100% pure New Zealand.

This road has also been rated as one of the "Top Ten Most Beautiful Self-driving Roads in the World".

From the southern tour of Queenstown, we arrived at Lenoci, the "hometown of the Lord of the Rings". Today, New Zealand has many beautiful scenery, all of which are famous for the movie The Lord of the Rings.

This is a small town with only 400 permanent residents, 45 kilometers away from Queenstown. The town is famous for The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit, which was filmed by New Zealand director Peter Jackson.

When we stopped at the tourist center in Greenock, we saw the weather forecast on the trail. It snowed above 800 meters above sea level and rained below 800 meters that night.

My hometown Harbin is the northernmost capital of China. It has the reputation of "Ice City" and is particularly beautiful in winter. Therefore, I didn't care about the fact that there was snow on the path at all.

Continue from Greenohe, drive into an unknown road, and arrive at the entrance of the trail at 1: 30 in the afternoon. The first day of hiking begins.

The whole journey of Luteben Trail is only 33. 1 km, with an altitude of 1225 m, and it is a slow climb all the way. Although it is not long, it is not easy to climb with weight.

First day? 7.5 km

As soon as we entered the path, we felt a chill on our faces. It was a gloomy afternoon, and our party soon disappeared into the Woods in twos and threes.

There is a clear stream beside the path. Through the swaying trees, you can see the emerald-like stream winding through. Because there is no sun, the color of the stream is a bit dim.

Not long after walking, it began to rain in Mao Mao, and the trend was getting bigger and bigger.

The field of vision suddenly widened, and the stream jumped out of the trees and flowed into a golden meadow, heading for the distant mountains. The scenery in the rain and fog, like a veil, is vaguely hazy.

I stood in a slightly higher position, overlooking the scenery below, and felt that the scenery in the rain had a special taste, but my coat was frozen by the rain and stuck to my body, which was very uncomfortable.

When hiking in China, whenever it rains and snows, everyone joked that it was time to test the equipment. In fact, no equipment is waterproof in the long rain.

Because there was plenty of time, I walked slowly, about 4 o'clock, and arrived at the hut in the camp.

There is a big fire burning in the wooden house, and hikers from all over the world gather here. In the evening, everyone held a small get-together, and the trail manager told interesting stories in the mountains and played games to get prizes. Everyone had a good time.

It was a warm and happy scene. More than 40 people from more than a dozen countries tried to communicate with each other in English with different accents. There is a mixed smell of rice in the lounge. That snowy night froze in my memory.

Although all the people you meet here are strangers, you may become friends along the way.

I was hiking alone and met a French girl in Queenstown. It's another story that we walked the Lutebon Trail together and then the milford Trail together.

The next day? 13.6 km

The trails in New Zealand all climbed to the top the next day, so it was the most difficult day, but I didn't expect today's journey to be more difficult because of the weather.

When I got up in the morning and opened the door, I was startled by the scenery in front of me. It is silvery white outside, and there is snow everywhere. Everyone was very excited and kept taking pictures. Unexpectedly, in New Zealand in April, a heavy snow happened unexpectedly.

As soon as you enter the lounge, you will be informed that the administrator will set out to explore the road before six o'clock. All personnel are not allowed to leave the wooden house without authorization, and they can only set out after the road condition feedback to ensure safety.

The administrator came back to tell everyone that the snow on the mountain was thick and many places were frozen. He contacted the Ministry of Environmental Protection to take us to the other side of the mountain by helicopter, and the expenses were borne by the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

I am very excited about this arrangement. I wrote an article about it before, so I'll skip it here.

We set out collectively and walked forward with one foot deep and one foot shallow in the snow. The snow on the ground turned into water as soon as it was stepped on, and the hiking shoes became slippery as soon as they met the water. Everyone walked slowly.

Along the way, in the white snow fog, you can see mountains, waterfalls and streams in the distance.

When a lake appeared, we arrived at the waiting point, chatting between two big stones and waiting for the arrival of the helicopter. The boarding process went smoothly, with six people in a group and no one competing. Very harmonious and orderly.

The helicopter took us to the rest place on the top of the mountain, and everyone started to set off after lunch.

I didn't expect the scenery on this side of the mountain to be completely different. Looking around, it is surrounded by mountains, and the peaks are covered by flowing clouds.

The path is a stone road on the ridge, winding forward. In the afternoon, the sun is shining and the snow is not melting.

There is a lake under the hillside, hidden in the canyon. Because of the light, the lake is dark blue.

Walking through the canyon and the lake area, I started the way down the mountain. The vegetation changed slowly and entered a forest. The trunk was covered with moss, like a refined tree in the movie The Lord of the Rings.

As I approached the camp, I heard a knock at the door. It turns out that the camp manager is placing a hunting device to kill birds and mice.

Arriving at the camp in the evening, a bonfire was lit in the wooden house, and everyone chatted happily.

The third day? 12km

On the last day, everything was downhill. Although the backpack is light, it doesn't feel easy.

Next to the camp is a winding and secluded place, with lakes and mountains in contrast, moss Woods and boulders on the other side and snow-capped mountains in front of us.

This road has been walking on one side of the mountain. When the field of vision is wide, the snow-capped mountains are beside you.

Arrive at the lake at noon, because the sun is just right, the lake is blue, and it is very pleasant to have lunch in the sun by the lake.

People keep coming into the mountains from here and starting hiking. It is also a good choice for people who have been hiking for a day to go to Jifeng to see the peak of Snow Mountain at 360 degrees.

You can choose the distance of 1-3 days on the Luteben trail, and there are connected vehicles every day. Just make a reservation before entering the mountain. Those who return on the same day can drive to the foot of the mountain.

It was a close call. There was no rain or snow, and the scenery was just right.

Dense moss-covered forests, waterfalls, clear streams everywhere, and snow-capped mountains all around. No matter what the weather is like, Rutbon Trail is picturesque.

Why are you hiking? Ask yourself every time you walk, maybe you can only find the answer by walking.