By Zita Keller, 03 July 2023
To make a long story short
Original plan - Matukituki Valley - bad weather -> cancelled
Panic
Routeburn to the rescue
Hut day too boring -> McIntyre Hut
Quick pie - expensive but good
River crossing
Zita cuts toe
Up hill down hill up hill
Hot, no snow. Did I bring snow gear? Yes...
We really need to poop
Little hut, cute hut, gravel floor
Sweet relief
Good night
To make a long story long
Our original plan had been to explore the stunning Matukituki Valley, but a winter storm crushed our dreams. We still wanted to go tramping though - not to mention avoid paying for expensive Queenstown accommodation - so we found a few decent alternatives. Plan 1 was to walk to the first or second hut on the Routeburn, depending on how bad/good people were feeling. After spending a night at Routeburn Falls Hut, some of us hungered for more so we walked out early, leaving behind a number of ill friends. (Apparently illness spreads fast when you're crammed together for days - who knew?) Another road end was only a short drive away and Daniel, Lottie, Harry and I set our sights on McIntyre Hut. This hut is in an old mining area. The water was still polluted from this so signs warned us not to drink from streams and rivers. The track was very wide and flat - a four-wheel drive track really - and led steadily uphill. Along the way we passed the Glenorchy scheelite battery and spent some time trying to decide how to pronounce 'scheelite': she-light? Shell-eat? skee-leet-ay? It was a hot day and I felt stupid carrying my helmet and ice axe over the green fields. High up we turned off the four-wheel drive track and into farmland, decorated with many, many cowpats (and cows). Our destination was up the next hill, so we were soon descending steeply to a river. Keeping our boots dry seemed like a good idea so we took them off and waded across the fairly shallow river. Unfortunately, I promptly cut my toe on a rock. It seemed to bleed a lot and for a few moments I thought my trip was over... but I soon pulled myself together. Walking was sore but tolerable. Harry kept my spirits up. Both of us desperately needed to poop and there was a horribly steep bit right after the river.... Walking backwards up the hill was surprisingly effective... Together we hobbled the long, long uphill to the hut. Fantastic view from the toilet, let me tell you.
Hut was cute and had a gravel floor. No fireplace though. It was a good thing after all that there was no snow.
Fantastic sunrise and a fairly chill walk out back the way we came, off to reunite with our friends.