Situated on the South Island of New Zealand, this great national park straddles the Southern Alps, and is known as a hiker's paradise. The grand summit is Mount Aspiring, the 'Matterhorn of the Southern Hemisphere' and is the third largest park in New Zealand.
There are two main approaches to the national park - one from Wanaka and the other from Glenorchy. When approaching from Wanaka, we took the Wanaka-Aspiring Road.
This is an ultimate scenic drive that starts from the southern side of Lake Wanaka, and follows the Matukituki River. This river has an ice blue tinged as it flows from the glaciers at the top of Mount Aspiring. Along the way, there are many waterfalls plunging down from either side of the valley walls. Of note is a unique fall called Twin Falls. It is a side by side fall that one can do a via ferrata trip along its fall.
Towards the end of the road, there is a large swing bridge crossing the Matukituki River. Here is the start of the East Matukituki Track. The bridge also provides a great vantage point of the valley, looking towards the mountains of the national park.
At the very end starts the famous hiking trail called the Rob Roy Glacier Track. There is a large parking lot that even sports a food truck! During the summer, it can be fairly busy as many hikers and tourists alike look to catch a glimpse of the glacier.
When approaching from Glenorchy, we drove along the northern side of Lake Wakatipu around Mount Alfred past the Dart River and into the southern end of the Mount Aspiring National Park. The day we visited, it was lush and rainy; giving the atmosphere a refreshing sense of "green". There were many sheep farms and stations along the way.
The main highlight of this section is the Routeburn Track; one of New Zealand's Great Walks. It normally requires at least 3 nights to complete, with several huts along the way, ending at Milford Sound.
At the trailhead, there is a visitor center and camping facilities. Its structure is well designed and fits well against the natural backdrop of the mountains.
We knew that Routeburn was going to be a great track, as a swing bridge greeted us right at the start. The waters were a raging greenish blue and the forest framed the mountains with a mystical feel.
The track was well graded and led to the Bridal Veil Falls bridge. It started to rain heavily, yet we persisted to see the falls and capture its beauty. One actually cannot see the full fall as the bridge is situated at the top of the fall. We did however, managed to capture the smaller cascade above it.
This track meanders through lush forests on the flanks of the Humboldt Mountains. Along the way we met several backpackers heading towards the Routeburn Falls lodge. Due to time constraints we fell short of getting to the Routeburn Flats. Nonetheless, it was a great walk that whet our appetite for more. We shall return...
As we returned to Glenorchy, we were famished and therefore stopped by a food truck serving haute hamburgers. The food was delicious! And the companion scenery even more delightful!
Unfortunately, as of early 2020, all tracks leading into the interior of Mount Aspiring (including the Rob Roy and Routeburn) has been closed due to the massive floods experienced in January.
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