Camping in the Silverpeaks

 A short walk into Dunedin's Silverpeaks Reserve to visit the derelict Possum Hut and camp out for the night. 20th-21st June 2026.

This will be the fifth South Island tramp in a row this year, which would be completely unremarkable were it not for the fact I live in the North Island. Tramping was not the sole purpose of this trip however, rather it was a chance to catch up with the now Dunedin-dwelling Cody. Naturally though, that catching up included tramping.

Lacking the time and motivation for a more extensive adventure, we ended up planning to visit the nearby Silverpeaks and walk into the historic and derelict Possum Hut and camp nearby for the night. I had recently bought a 2-person Big Agnes tramping tent that I had yet to try out - I was going to wait for warmer weather but this ended up providing as good an opportunity as any.

The weather was, in short, bad, but expected to improve in the evening so we started out fairly late in the day. From the parking area on Semple Road, we followed the "Gold Miners Direct" track - signposted, marked and maintained by the Green Hut Track Group. The group, I assume alongside other community groups, has long maintained an extensive network of tramping routes in the Silverpeaks in addition to DOC's official Silverpeaks Circuit track. Until recently these tracks were not marked on Topo50 maps, but the latest edition (2025?) includes many of them, including the Gold Miners Direct, marked as "routes".

 

The track begins with a meander through manuka-dominated forest along the 400 m contour. It's well cut into the hillside and frequently surrounded with bright green moss. After 600m, the track begins steeply descending a spur through a tunnel of sooty mould-encrusted manuka. 

 The descent is slow, bordering on torturous. The ground is muddy and incredibly slippery - I ended up on my back twice. Hiking poles would've been very helpful, as evidenced by Cody (who had one) not slipping over at all.
At times the descent is moderated by a series of short, tight switchbacks that zig-zag over what is presumably the pre-switchback track. Cody recalled reading somewhere that these parts of the old track can trace their origin to water races dug for colonial gold mining efforts. 

 

 

Things level out somewhat after kilometre or so, once the track enters a valley. There is then a small creek to be crossed, followed by another 600-ish metres of track sidling above the creek (which stays largely out of view) with minimal elevation change but no less slipperiness. Part way along this section is the signposted junction with the so-called Eucalypt Ridge track. This isn't marked on Topo50 maps, but is marked on this OTMC map: https://www.otmc.co.nz/files/silverpeaks/silver_peaks_river_track_v5.pdf. The name is self explanatory - exotic gum trees dot the horizon, towering over the lower-growing native flora. 

 Shortly from here is a small clearing and another track junction. We follow the left branching track further up the headwaters of the nascent Waikouaiti River toward Possum Hut. Another creek is crossed along the way. 

The forest here seems more mature and varied in species than the manuka forest we started in. There's plenty of the typical beech species, and finally plenty trees with a bit of substance to them. Shortly we arrive at Possum Hut, which appears suddenly among the trees though the winter gloaming, parked haphazardly on the side of the track.

 It is easy to see why the hut is officially derelict. The whole thing is on a lean, which gives the appearance it's sliding away down the hill. The stone chimney is partially collapsed. A tarp is strung up inside, a likely futile attempt at weather tightness. There's an undeniable charm though, a link to a bygone age slowly returning to the land it sits among. Curiously, the interior walls reveal that the hut is a cob structure, despite the external corrugated iron cladding. 

Historical coolness aside, a problem soon became apparent - although the hut is in a small clearing, said clearing is smaller than photos of the hut had lead us to expect. Unfurling the ground sheet (or "footprint" to use the North American parlance) confirmed that there wasn't really enough space to comfortably set up camp, so we retraced out steps to the junction clearing we'd passed earlier.

The ground was soggy but a light rain had resumed and the light was fading so the tent was pitched (with only minimal confusion from not reading the instructions), a tarp erected and a campfire started. Despite damp conditions and the awkward tedium of entering and exiting a small tend without bringing all the water and mud from outside in, it was a great evening. Helped, in no small part, by the many beers we carried in with us and the cheering effect of a small but crackling fire.

The new tent kept us dry all night, though a not-completely-sealed-closed valve on my mat meant I woke up on the cold ground. It was an icy cold morning but the skies were clear and the sun was on the rise.

After coffee and not-sausages (sizzlers, legally not a sausage!) for breakfast, we packed up and eventually headed out some time after 10 am. The bright morning sun give the track a very different and altogether more inviting vibe than yesterday. Without the low cloud, there is also the odd view to be found along the way.

Eucalypt Ridge, visible from the campsite

Camp, featuring Sizzlers (TM) burstless, skinless processed meat product on the cooker (legally not sausages!)

The ascent can't be ignored (and yep, still slippery), but not all that bad. Soon enough we were back snaking our way along the 400 m contour to the car park.
All in all, a very short tramp, but a great night in the bush. 

 Map:

Elevation Profile:

Times and Distances:

Car park to Campsite (River Track junction): 1.75 km, 50 min. Campsite to Possum Hut: 0.64 km, 25 min.

 

Mid Caples Hut

Overview: an easy walk up the Caples Valley to the excellent Mid Caples Hut for the night, 4th-5th May 2026

Sometimes you plan things so far in advance that you lose track of what you have and have not researched and prepared for. So despite having a pretty clear idea of what I could expect on the track and at the hut, an ominous sign at the tiny settlement of Kinloch, on the far north-western shores of Lake Wakatipu, surprised me with threats of three potentially impassable and/or vehicle damaging fords on the road to the Greenstone-Caples car park.
I fully expected a narrow and windy gravel road - that's pretty much a given - but I'd not seen the fords mentioned in my apparently inadequate research. And it was easy to see why they could be troublesome, unlike some of the more tame concreted fords I've encountered, these were pretty much just shallow streams that the road dips in and out of. My rental car made it through absolutely fine however, with only the briefest of undercarriage scrapes exiting the second ford on the inbound drive. I no doubt violated the rental terms and conditions but it's been long enough now that I feel pretty safe to say I got away with it.
Long story short, you'll probably be fine, barring any heavy rain and/or storm events. The DOC visitor centre in Queenstown would also have up-to-date info on the road condition.

Roading digression aside, back to the tramp itself. From the car park, the well formed track leads into the forest, following the Greenstone river upstream. Very shortly, another track diverges, crossing a suspension bridge over the river. This is the Rere Lake loop track. The Greenstone-Caples stays on the river's true left, and begins to climb through beech forest interspersed with interesting rock formations. The valley is narrow here, and the track reaches roughly 80m above the river as it sidles along the steep hillside. 

Eventually, 2 km from the start, another bridge is reached a short distance upstream of the confluence of the Greenstone and Caples rivers. The bridge crosses the Caples river, where the Greenstone track then makes its way up the Greenstone valley. I continue straight ahead, following the Caples track.

Curiously, the track here sits very close to the edge of the public conservation land (the Caples Conservation Area), which covers the forested hills on the river's true left, but not the valley floor itself (as can be seen on Te Herenga a Nuku's walking access maps). The origins of this arrangement trace back to the 1860s when colonial pioneer types lay claim to various pockets of land for farming. It also goes some way to explaining the somewhat incongruous farm-type fencing that was visible at times, which in hindsight probably demarcated the boundary of the public conservation estate and private land.

The track alternates between the fringe of the forest and out in the open. Tussock is conspicuous in its absence from valley floor - a consequence of the valley's use for running livestock. At times, the track crosses lose rocky slopes, prone to slips during and after stormy weather. Several streams are also crossed (unbridged) along the way, but they are small and shallow.

About 7.2 km from the start, the track passes by the vicinity of the Old Birchdale Homestead - a relic of the Birchdale Station that once occupied the valley. Nowadays, the homestead is a jumble of partially standing walls. It can't be seem from the track, but the general area is identifiable from the poplar trees adorning the terraces across the river. A pile of timber and iron can be seen from the track - the "Derelict Hut" marked on Topo50 maps.

Not far from here I took a quick snack break at another stream crossing. And quick it was, because it was not long until I was being mobbed by voracious sandflies. I gave up partway through my cheese and crackers and continued on toward the hut. 

Close to the hut, the track enters forest and climbs briefly, arriving in a another open grassy area with brilliant views up to the mountains at the head of the valley. On the other side of these mountains is the Earland Falls section of the Routeburn Track. The track makes a sharp left turn, re-enters the forest where a wooden footbridge crosses a narrow and spectacular gorge of the Caples River. The bottom end of the gorge can be walked to by following a clear but unmarked track the diverges from the main track in the forested area before ascending to the bridge. There's a memorial bench seat, and the river exits the narrow gorge into a deep and startlingly blue pool.

The hut is visible almost immediately after the bridge, where it occupies a brilliant spot on a high terrace. There are great views of the surrounding mountains. The hut itself is modern and spacious, with a generous communal area and two large bunkrooms. Separate DOC warden quarters are attached by a covered deck. The fire was already going when I arrived and the hut was warm and cosy. There's bunks for 24 people, though only seven other people were there.

Dusk

Dawn

The next day I departed relatively early and retraced my steps to the carpark in time to drive to Queenstown airport for my flight back to Wellington. 

Map:

Elevation Profile:

Time and Distance:

Carpark to Caples Track bridge: 2.01 km, 34 min; Bridge to track adjacent to Derelict Hut: 5.29 km, 1 hr 52 min; Derelict Hut to Mid Caples Hut: 1.9 km, 33 min.

Total: 9.2 km, 2 hours 59 min.