Two gems and a Jeweller in Greenstone Valley, NZ

How proud can a dad be when his daughters ask to go on a walking trip with him ? Well I am the proud jeweller with my two gems – ie my daughters Steph and Katie. We’ve just spent a wonderful  week of walking in the Greenstone and Caples river valley of New Zealand.
I was in a dilemma for walk choice as I had a hankering to do the Hollyford, Rees Dart or around Wanaka. The Keppler,  Routeburn and Milford tracks were fully booked and I had already done them I chose the Greenstone-Caples track as it was a circuit walk and is being improved to a ‘great walk’ grade (which could mean a more expensive, crowded and regulated track as the Routeburn and Milford tracks. It also had good return options should the girls be unable to complete the walk for whatever reason.
Greenstone Track
It turns out to be a great choice of walks. Right from the very beginning we are presented with a river scene and mountain backdrop. The drive also from Queenstown was and Glenorchy had a wonderful lake scene all the way.

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We walked up the Caples track and returned via the Greenstone. The walk quickly moves through moss grown forest, and always there is a stream of water somewhere.

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There fields where on the river banks with lush grass and beautiful flowers. The small things and the big things offered by nature, are what makes a break from the city such a great thing to do.
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The first hut we arrive at is a very neat and recent building. It can house many lodgers. There is running water, flush toilets and plenty of area to cook and socialise. I am grateful to have taken my earplugs though, as there is always someone snoring. I took a tent, but did not use it: I don’t know why as it is often far more comfortable than any group accommodation.
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With verdant grass river banks there are a few puddles to contend with. The girls soon learn the value of gaiters and appropriate footwear.
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The track through the forest is well maintained and graded. This track is suitable for most walkers.
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I don’t mind a well cared for track, especially when taking non-walkers. There is no denying it, the Caples track is up there in the scenery stakes. Our 2nd night is in a hut nestled below a mountain in a field.  A rustic setting to appeal to any romantic.

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Nothing like a walk to boost the appetite.

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Wet socks are rinsed and set out to dry.  I bought some ‘Darn Tough’ socks and now believer the company’s hype. I like them, they were comfortable even when wet and I did not suffer any blisters.

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I’m a  dreamer at times and the river and its backing scene allows me to immerse myself wherever I want to go.

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A garland for the world …

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At the apex of the Caples track we head towards the Greenstone track. There is an option to join the Routeburn track, but there would be some frowning should an overnight stay be required !  The mountain and lake scene up here is sublime. Our days are long in January so we have plenty of time to appreciate it.

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On the outflow of the lake heading towards our hut we see an  interesting patch of rocks coated with red lichen.
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Katie finds a running stream covered in moss a great place to sit for a while.

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The return track along the Greenstone river is oftentimes quite muddy. We become quite adept at navigating through a mire, but in the end, the mire will win.  It was not possible to escape mud free and there was a bit of cleaning to do before we headed back to Australia.

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Whenever we sat down for lunch there would be an interested visitor waiting for a titbit.

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It started raining on our 2nd last day so we elected to stay an extra at the deerstalkers hut and bypass our last DOC hut on the Greenstone. We love the Deerstalkers huts as they had plenty of charm and no other visitors. They used to be DOC huts until it was time to upgrade and cater for increased trail numbers.

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We had plenty of time to play cards, drink tea and contemplate the world.

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Steph being a culinary master found a block of cheese to put in a beautiful pasta dish she rustled up. Unfortunately it was soap. When we left the hut, we gave all our non perishable food to the larder for other guests to share.

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New Zealand does not have anything deadly like we have in Australia, no funnel web spiders, tiger snakes, they probably have sharks – but one thing they do have in abundance by those watery shores are ….. Sand flies !!!!  From Wikipedia I quote:

New Zealand sandflies (which are taxonomically blackflies—Simulidae) have a native Māori legend wherein "the god Tu-te-raki-whanoa had just finished creating the landscape of Fiordland, it was absolutely stunning... so stunning that it stopped people from working. They just stood around gazing at the beauty instead. The goddess Hine-nui-te-pō became angry at these unproductive people, so she created the sandfly to bite them and get them moving"

Just got to love the the god Tu-te-raki-whanoa . I wore lycra leggings most of this walk and stayed mostly free of their assault. The girls however, well – look at the picture ! You miss an area with the insect repellent, you are going to cop it.

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The mulched forest floor offers a great place to picnic. We were fortunate on our last day that the heavens returned to their sunny disposition and we could enjoy such things as a picnic.

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I had to jump in to the Greenstone river. That photo is probably a rebound shot of me exiting. By jingo it was chilly !

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When we finished the track we stayed a couple of nights at Kinloch Lodge.  It was good to have a shower and relax in the dining area..

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Food and coffee went down well.

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The girls enjoyed the opportunity to go horse riding with Dart Stables. They were pleased with the river traverses and quality of the horses and the opportunity to canter every now and again.

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On the second day we were due to go home late in the evening. The girls wanted to chill at the lodge so I went off to have a peek at the Rees-Dart trail We met a lady on the Greenstone track and then again at Kinloch. Sarah is taking some time off to see the world and was also talking about doing this track after having completed a mega adventure of the Hollyford and the other tracks joining in to the Greenstone/Caples . I offered her a lift there to save some hitching. The drive in to the track head was quite spectacular.

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I walked with her some of the way, turning around at lunch time. There were many river crossings: this would not be a good place in the event of flood. The track was often boggy in places, but I think it would be an interest trip with some of my hardened friends. Sarah had my admiration for pressing on alone.

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I had covered quite some distance.It was fortuitous that a 4wd club was in this area (naughty as they did not gain permission from the lease holders – but that was due to a misunderstanding from some authority). I saved a long hike back.

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Just as well because the road to Queenstown was on fire. There was some speculation that it would be closed for a couple of days and the power was cut. Poor Katie was getting quite anxious and wanted to charter a plane out.  The budget for plane charter and one-way car pick up did not however extend to that – I was not sure that insurance would cover it but knew they’d cover the flight cancellations. It all turned out well though: we got notification that cars were being let through at 4pm so we made a dash for it and queued for an interminable time whilst traffic was being drip fed both ways. We scraped in with the 1 hour grace period for International flights with the luck that Queenstown is a small airport.

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It was a great week away for all of us. The girls were able to do the walk without too much difficulty. Steph had an issue with her boots as she had no time to break in some new boots but we sorted that out with bandages and swapping with sneakers.

The girls have grown up all too rapidly and soon these times will be harder to get, though hopefully there will be a few others. 

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