He only went out for some milk A blurb of monstrous proportions - it was only supposed to be a couple of lines and the odd photo.

Tony booked this Great Walk months ago - it was the only way the we could guarantee a walk in this area. Milford Sound is just too popular. Our early planning hadn't gone so far as to work out transportation for the beginning and the end of the track, or even the best number of huts to book. Strangely, we had booked 4 nights in huts not the 2 we needed. It would have meant LOTS of time chilling in the huts. We ended up cancelling 2 of the nights just before we started and re-arranging our accommodation.

The Routeburn is a sort of alpine trail for between 3 and 5 days, depending upon the usual: what you want to do, how long your holiday is, and how many coffee and cakey times you've had. Our 2 nights and 3 days of walking 4-6 hours was just about perfect. It's described as a moderate walk, it was certainly not difficult, but at the end of the day we were ready for using one of the many stoves in the hut and making a feast of our freeze dried/lightweight food. Packets of soup, dried pasta and tuna and freeze dried cooked breakfast. This last one was supposed to be a treat on our last day of walking. The finest ingredients money can buy. several times the needed amount of water, Tony at the stove (i was still in bed) and voila - mush. Easily the worst meal I've ever had.

It's a really nice walk, and it's really popular: ice cold, crystal clear streams and lakes, dense and lush beach forests, red tussocked hills just like Scotland - all overlooked by snow capped giants. The huts are generally in amazing locations - but bunk beds and no showers. It sort of feels like an international jamboree. Outdoorsy people, simple food cooked over a stove, people huddled together around a log fire for warmth, dibs on getting the best beds. Some set off early just to claim one - like the towel on the deckchair, perhaps the German contingent (sorry!). The first night i went to bed i could see Tony grinning manically at me from his bunk. I did the most obvious thing - ignored him and went to sleep. It's only later in the morning i find out he was trying to tell me the elderly couple in the bunks below us were having "jig-a-jig". Nice...