Greenstone Caples Track

 From Queenstown I took the track transport minibus out along the lake to the Greenstone car park. It passes through Glenorchy and the area where Top if the Lake was filmed. So too was the marshes scene from Lord of the Rings.

Lake Wakatipu

From there I had 4 days and 3 nights on the 61km long Greenstone Caples track ahead of me. Day 1 was beautiful and I took my time following the Greenstone River 12km up to the first hut.

Track

Greenstone River

Inside the Greenstone Hut

View from the hut

The hut was very comfortable and even had flushing toilets (all the huts on this track did). However the DOC warden warned us of heavy rain and wind coming in by lunch time the next day. So everyone was up early to beat the weather and I left about 6.45am.

It was wet all the way and I just kept my head down and walked the 18km as fast as I could.  Pretty good track with some boggy sections. I adopted the kiwi outfit of rain jacket and then shorts with leggings. There are so many river/stream crossings that your feet are inevitably wet. The worry is that with rain these side streams can become impassable. Luckily this wasn't the case. I made it to the McKellar Hut by midday just as the worst of the weather hit.  Even before I arrived I could smell the smoke and was delighted to find someone had the stove going and pretty soon there were a lot of clothes hanging to dry.

McKellar Hut

The next day it was raining again though not so heavily for the 22km to the Mid Caples Hut.  Luckily there was a very good track up to the 945m McKellar Pass where the rain was like wet snow. Indeed fresh snow lay only about 100m higher up. 

Boardwalk on the McKellar Pass

Once down through the trees about midday the sun came out and was joyfully received. 

Caples River looking downriver

Caples River looking upstream

Mid Caples Hut

The 4th day was also glorious and with only 9km to walk back to the car park I was again able to take my time and enjoy the scenery.

South Island robin

A great walk and good practice for walking in the rain. Back to Queenstown and then flight back to New Plymouth for Christmas and New Year with the family. I'll be heading back to the South Island on 6th January for a couple of tramps with Ben.

State Highway 8 - Part 2

After a brief stop in Twizel I was back on the main road and heading north, passing the amazing blue lakes (from the rock dust washed down the streams and rivers and suspended in the water) and even a canal which all form part of a vast hydro-electric scheme. 

Sorley at Lake Pukaki

Lake Pukaki

In Tekapo I did the 3-4 hour Mount John Trail with great views over the lake. Tekapo is a very busy but small place. However I could see the infrastructure going in and the expansion of the town very much on the way. 

Lake Tekapo

Lake Tekapo from Mount John where there is an observatory, centre of a Dark Skies Reserve.

Down by the lake was this statue to the collie dog erected by local farmers. A lot of sheep in this area.
Miles and miles of gravel roads lead into these sheep stations giving great access to the hills and trails.

From Tekapo it was on to Fairlie, a small town named after the one in Scotland. I stayed in the historic Gladstone Hotel built in 1884. I think some of the decor still dates from then. Faded grandeur! But it was pleassant, a decent pint in the bar and hearty fish and chips.

This area is MacKenzie Country named for the Scottish shepherd who 'discovered' it when he made off with 1,000 sheep and followed a route shown him by local Maori. He became something of a legend and was eventually pardoned before leaving the country and the pages of history.

In Fairlie I visited the excellent Heritage Museum. Another amazing collection kept going by a determined group of volunteers. 

Duncan Farm wagons c.1900

Studebaker Champion

Poster

My next stop was Oamaru on the east coast. A nineteenth century boom town for the export of meat and wheat it lacked a forested hinterland and so magnificent Victorian buildings of limestone were constructed. When the boom ended there was no more development and the core of the town remained to be restored and protected from the 1980s onwards. It was also the childhood home of the writer Janet Frame whose house I visited.

Today it is also famous for its steampunk festival and the Steampunk HQ is in one of the these 'Whitestone' buildings.

Inside and out is a collection of fantastical sculptures made from old machinery etc.

There were some lovely eateries in Oamuru including the Harbour Collective Cafe where I had this delicious veggie eggs Benedict and tea:

Just south of Oamaru lies Moeraki. On the beach are the famous 'boulders' that formed deep underground over millions of years. Erosion has brought them to the surface and left them exposed on the beach.

Boulders sunk in the sand

This one popped out of the cliffs relatively recently.

This one has broken open

Leaving the coast I headed inland and back towards Queenstown through some beautiful countryside, farmland and little settlements. 

I also noted down a number of notable road names: Dunrobin, Caithness, Mull, Kyeburn, Clunie, Bannockburn, Kinross and Buraness.

Shop from 1899 still in operation

Ophir post office

Daniel O'Connell bridge from 1890 and still in use

One thing I noticed driving around was the relatively large number of insects on the windscreen. Something you don't see much of in the UK any more.

The Central Otago Rail Trail is popular cycle way following the old railway.

Cromwell Lookout

My journey by road ended back at Queenstown, a bustling place on the shores of Lake Wakatipu.

I had a night in a hostel here before setting out on a 4 day tramp.

State Highway 8 North - part 1

After a week or so in Wānaka it was time to take the main road north and east. I had barely left the town when I saw a sign to the National Toy and Transport Museum and just had to stop. What a place, 5 massive hangars of vehicles, toys and games. Train sets, lego displays, planes, cars, trucks, diggers.

Not a game I remember... but who loves ya baby?

Lego Star Wars display

Meccano

Loads more vehicles outside and plans to expand further. There was even a pub style table top games machine with Space Invaders etc.

From there the road took the Lindis Pass:

A landscape of various tussock grasses which help keep the soil stable in the harsh alpine/montane environments. Elsewhere I read about the removal of 'wildings', these are non-native trees that crowd out the tussocks.

Looking at the map I spotted the 'Clay Cliffs' down a long gravel side road. Well worth the detour.

From the track

Entrance

Inside

Sedimentary layers formed in a lake and river have been eroded to make these towers and canyons.

Although non-native the lupins everywhere were impressive.

After a stop in Twizel and some advice from my local contact I drove out to Lake Oahu.

After passing through a sheep station and a couple of fords I made it to the Temple Valley campsite (a toilet and a shelter). 

I was the only one camping that night

I took the Temple Valley north stream track (10km round trip). It sticks close to the stream and at times is hard to follow where there have been wash outs and slips:

Eventually you break out of the trees into a lovely 'cirque' with snow at your feet:

Then back to the tent for food and a cuppa by the stream:

Great views of the stars that night. And a lovely rainbow the next morning: