Nurtured by nature

After a very busy start to the year some of our Topflite family took an opportunity to recharge on the Routeburn Track. There they were greeted by some of New Zealand’s wonderful native birds.

Named by National Geographic Adventure Magazine as one of the top eleven trails in the world and one of ten ‘Great Walks’ in New Zealand, the Routeburn’s reputation for stunning scenery could seem hard to live up to. However the Websters said their time on the 32-kilometre track was everything they hoped it would be, and then some.

Winding through the Fiordland and Mt Aspiring National Park, the journey took the Websters from Milford Sound through to the track’s end near Glenorchy. Along the way they saw kea, piwakawaka, tomtit and one particularly inquisitive South Island robin. According to Carolyn there was “certainly room for more birdlife”.

“There was still a lot the birdsong but it wasn’t as noticeable when compared with the incredible sounds in a predator-free sanctuary such as Orokonui for example,” she says. “While it was great to see so many possum and stoat traps on the route this was also a reminder of how serious the impact of predators is having on our birdlife.” 

While a sobering thought the overall experience of the trip was incredible. Across the three days hiking the Routeburn “lived up to every accolade it’s received” the Websters said. “If you get the chance – take it.”

View of Lake McKenzie

Routeburn Flats campsite