Harris Saddle / Tarahaka Whakatipu

Harris Saddle / Tarahaka Whakatipu is a 1,255 m alpine pass on the Routeburn Track and its highest point. The track reaches it above Lake Harris, after climbing through wet flats and tussock and sidling the bluffs. This is a proper high-country stop on a multi-day walk, not a road pullout. The saddle also marks the boundary between Mount Aspiring and Fiordland national parks.

You reach the saddle on foot from either end of the Routeburn. From Routeburn Falls Hut, the track climbs across wetlands and tussock flats before following bluffs above Lake Harris. The day-use Harris Saddle Shelter is just beyond the pass and has toilets; it is not an overnight hut. There is no food for sale on the track, so carry the meals and snacks you need. The Routeburn’s two trailheads are 325 km apart by road, so through-walkers need transport arranged at both ends.

This is exposed alpine country, where cold, rain, snow and strong wind can arrive in any season. Low cloud can hide the views. From May to late October, DOC requires winter walkers to have alpine skills, equipment and experience; avalanche risk can continue into December. Give yourself room to turn back if conditions change.

A short, steep side climb from the saddle reaches Conical Hill. On a clear day, the view follows the Hollyford Valley toward Lake McKerrow, Martins Bay and the Tasman Sea. The Routeburn continues beyond the shelter across the exposed Hollyford Face, with views toward the Darran Mountains. For a photo that shows the scale of the crossing, include the valley dropping away below the ridgeline instead of filling the frame with distant peaks.

Rock wrens, or pīwauwau, are often seen among the rock piles near the saddle. Kea may also be seen or heard above the tree line. Alpine flowers are at their best here in spring and early summer, adding small patches of colour to the otherwise rocky, tussock-covered pass.