After a nice day off at Te Anau I made the decision to ignore the standard route via the Greenstone valley back to Queenstown in favour of walking via the stunning Routeburn track . Had heard about a place called the valley of the trolls , a short distance off the main track that would make it possible to use the tent for the night and make it a simple 2 day stroll .

The day started early and by about 7am I had a lift courtesy my right thumb and all the way to the start point at the Divide

When I finally made it to Lake Harris I found the small side track that skirts the western side and found a perfect tent site eventually on a luxurious bed of thick moss . So thick and comfortable that I didn’t need an air mattress

Explored the valley of the trolls early am before heading down the track and hitching back to Queenstown

Finished the walk by 1pm and hitched back to Queenstown with ease , a lovely couple of oldies picked me up , first car that passed me . I was eating a ferg burger by mid arvo