Queenstown

Typical scenery around the Greenstone valley
View from the McKellar Saddle, linking the Greenstone and Caples valleys

Swimming hole in the Caples Valley which I swam in (I was subsequently bitten to pieces by sandflies)

Interior of the Mid-Caples hut

Cattle blocking the trail (and looking a bit angry?) in the Greenstone valley

Magical scene on Lake McKellar in the morning

Queenstown continues to be a town of coincidences for me. As I was setting my tent up in the holiday park for a third time I saw a bus painted with the "Flying Kiwi" logo (this is the tour bus I took for a week at the start of my trip). Then, as I started to write this, I saw Drew, the tour bus driver I had sitting across from me in the internet cafe!

The trip through the Greenstone and Caples valleys was amazing and not too demanding physically (with the exception of yesterday, which was a 9 hour day). It's the romanticized pastoral landscape come to life, and sure enough, there were cows too (a few too many actually). Much of the land in the valleys is leasehold farming (which I believe means that it's publicly owned and leased out to private farmers - but I'm not sure).

I had a slow morning at the hut because I didn't need to catch the boat out until 2:00 pm but didn't mind spending the time there because the view was phenomenal. I had a very pleasant and short walk out today and walked part the way with some other people I met along the trail. Waiting at the dock were the two Americans - who I will mention further down - and we went back together. After I write this I'm going to meet them at Fergburger, a local favorite here in Queenstown, and, having had it, I approve of it (I feel that I am more than qualified to judge hamburgers as an American).

Another front is moving in now, just in time for the end of my last trip. I'm starting to head north tomorrow, the next stop being Wanaka just an hour or so north. I'll then do the same thing I've been doing - wait out the foul weather for a day or two and then start another tramp. I can't seem to get enough of the scenery in this part of the island.

-Brian

February 23 - Greenstone Hut

I had a great night of sleep last night and ate a big pancake breakfast at a cafe in Glenorchy before the hike today. The rain continued to fall lightly all day, but the scenery was still awesome. Some of the clearnings in the Greenstone valley looked especially cool with all the mist.

I took a boat to the trailhead, and, although it was not as exciting at the ferry across the Foveaux Strait, it was still a fun (and bumpy) ride.

I saw few people on the trail today and really enjoyed the walk that more or less followed the river up the valley. There are plenty of people here at the hut and they are all young and quite friendly. I particularly enjoyed talking to Travis and Michael, two brothers from Colorado who are here to fish the Greenstone. Tonight, most of us at the hut played a game called "Yannive," taught to us by an Israeli couple staying here. I will see some of the same people at the next hut tomorrow.

February 24 - McKellar Hut

The weather was finally good today and the walk was splendid and easy on my feet. The track traversed a good deal of lease-hold farmland and I had to do a bit of hopscotch to avoid landing my feet in one of the many piles of cow poo. I also had a few face-to-face encounters with the cows - they were looking at me menacingly but always fled frantically when I got close. This is a beautiful area and it's been a peaceful few days.

The hut is crowded (17 people) and the bunks are very close. It will be difficult sleeping, but I've met more awesome people here and enjoy that aspect of the huts. It's pretty much impossible to crawl in bed without waking everyone else, however.

February 25 - Mid-Caples Hut

Today was a long day, but the weather was fantastic and there were some great views from the McKellar Saddle. The highlight of the day was certainly seeing Lake McKellar this morning with a light fog hovering above it; it was nothing short of magical. It was a boggy walk from there to the saddle and incredibly steep on the approach to the saddle. From there I descended into the Caples valley which is much more rugged (and thus, less used) than the Greenstone valley. The views here at the hut are great and it's not crowded - just the two Israelis who have walked the same route as me and another American.