Greenstone-Caples Circuit

 Overview: a 4 day expedition up the Caples Valley, across McKellar Saddle, and back down the Greenstone Valley to complete a loop that rivals the nearby Routeburn Track for greatness. 23rd-26th September 2026.

"Trepidatious" might accurately describe my mood as I was driving up the Greenstone Station road - the prospect of four days of walking, the middle two of which averaging about 20 km each, contrasted uncomfortably with the last handful of tramps I'd done being fairly short, easy overnighters. In addition, the forecast was threatening to deteriorate to rain by some time in day 3.

For now, though, the sun was out and the temperature mild for the journey on to Mid Caples Hut. The track is well benched and graded, nearly Great Walks standard. There's the odd rocky, uneven, or muddy sections but it's mostly easy going through the edge of the forest or over grassy river flats.

 

I've described the track in more detail after an earlier visit, so I'll refrain from repeating myself.
Part way I encountered a pair of French(?) trampers who appeared to carrying enough gear to last several weeks. It did not seem to slow them down though, I passed them while they were taking a break but it wasn't that long until they hooned back past me.

While walking through one section of forest, I was startled by a squawking Karearea/falcon flying over, close to my head. "Oh cool," I thought to myself, and kept walking. But then it happened again. And again. And I realised this falcon had taken issue with my presence. Assuming it must be guarding its eggs (or something of that nature), I hastened out of the trees onto the open flats which seemed to satisfy the angry falcon. The remainder of the walk passed without further avian harassment.

 Soon enough I was crossing the bridge over a narrow gorge of the Caples River and arriving at the hut.

I arrived at the hut after 2 hr 50 min and quickly claimed a spot in an as-yet unoccupied bunk room. Before getting too comfortable, I dragged in a sack of coal and foraged up some firewood for what would no doubt be a chilly night. Alas, the fire never seemed to get hot enough for the coal to burn properly but the smouldering nevertheless took the edge off the chill. In addition to the two French guys, one other solo tramper turned up later in the afternoon so it was a quiet evening in the large hut. 

After a decent sleep (I note that all the huts on this tramp have well above average mattresses), there was time for only minimal dilly-dallying in the morning owing to the long day of walking ahead. 

Leaving the hut, the track ambles gently through grassy terraces above the Caples River for 4.4 km, after which it's largely under trees. It's an easy, pleasant walk in the morning sun.

 

 

There's some windfall across the track. Some of the toppled trees are pretty hefty but all are navigable. 7.35 km from the hut, a junction is reached. The signposted track branching off to the left is the Steele Creek Route - by all accounts an arduous 8-10 hour ordeal that crosses the Ailsa Mountains to reach the Greenstone Valley. As the DOC sign is at pains to point out - this is not a shortcut. The track heading off to the right could isn't signposted and could be easily missed if you didn't know it was there - this leads to Upper Caples Hut. I take this path to check out the hut. The short track winds down through the trees, past stacks of firewood, and onto a boggy tussock clearing home to the hut, a couple of minutes off the main track. The hut is 7.5 km from Mid Caples, and I arrived after a little over 2 hours of walking.

One of many crossings of minor side-streams

 

Upper Caples Hut was originally built by NZFS in the early 1980s. In 2014, ownership was transferred from DOC to the local NZDA branch after Mid Caples Hut was built (part of the package of works DOC undertook to create the modern, high-standard 4-day Greenstone-Caples tramp we have today). It is locked to the general public but is available for booking by all and sundry.

The decking was a pleasant spot for a quick rest and snack break in the sun - I could easily have sat there for much longer. Alas, there were many more kilometres to be walked so I saddled up and head out once more.

Back at the junction, the track resumes its gentle amble through the forest. There's many mossy boulders scattered around, perhaps ancient glacial moraine? The well built track makes for easy walking and hints at the massive amount of work that would've gone into building it. 400 m from the Steele Creek/Upper Caples Hut junction, the Fraser and Kay Creek track diverges, again with a sign warning of the rugged conditions. After this point, a gentle ascent begins as the track enters the upper valley slowly bending around to head southwest and approach the KcKellar saddle.

 

About 2.2 km from Upper Caples Hut, the track passes a waterfall (marked on Topo50 maps), which is audible from the track but sadly not visible. The track around here is well benched into the hillside as it winds upward, but briefly runs right next to the upper reaches of the Caples River in a pleasant narrow valley (just past Pt 636 on topo maps). There's some cool rock formations around, and a good spot for lunch. The marked track appears to criss-cross the river here, but it remains solely on the true right.

As the valley comes to an end, the track again climbs, eventually exiting the forest into the open tussock of McKellar Saddle at an altitude of 950 m.

Rocks

 

More rocks

It was here that I encountered the only adverse weather, with thick cloud, light showers and a biting wind. It's an incredible spot though, even if the cloud obscured some of the surrounding peaks.

Towards the apex of the saddle (can a saddle have an apex?), a boardwalk crosses the mossy, ecologically fragile ground. It winds around a tarn (which doesn't seem to appear on topo maps) shortly before the descent to Lake McKellar.

 

The descent could hardly be more different from the ascent from the Caples Valley. The track heads north, quickly shedding the metres as it drops down the steep western face of the Ailsa Mountains. The track is narrow in places, not especially steep but still relentless in its descent. Lake McKellar is directly below the the track, but is only occasionally glimpsed through the trees. Interestingly, the edge of McKellar Saddle marks the boundary between the Caples Conservation Area and Fiordland National Park.

On the valley floor, at the edge of the forest, a boardwalk crosses a waterlogged area criss-crossed by small water courses. It's this bit that I think a route guide in Mid Caples Hut mentioned as being prone to flooding. From here the track crosses open flats north of Lake McKellar.

Across the flats, a track junction is reached. To the right, the track leads to Lake Howden (about 1 hr away) and the Routeburn Track. I turn left, toward McKellar Hut. The track follows the lakes western shore, at times immediately adjacent to it, other times a short distance away. This section of track is a little rougher - a more uneven surface, more roots, less of a formed gravel surface - but still a high standard. About 2 km from the junction there's a little beach next to the track.

Shortly before the hut, an odd little clearing is passed, and a couple of minor streams crossed. At one of these streams (crossed by a footbridge that isn't marked on maps), DOC signage indicates that Fiordland NP is left behind and the Greenstone Conservation area entered.

 

Near the hut, before Duck Creek, is the private McKellar Lodge. It sits some distance from the main track and it was only after arriving at McKellar Hut that I realised I hadn't noticed any turn off to reach it. Too tired and focussed on reaching my destination I suppose. 

Smoke was wafting lazily from the chimney when I arrived. The two French guys, who'd departed Mid Caples well before me, were settled in and had made a getting the fire going and the hut nice and warm. And it was just as well, because the temperatures dropped very low overnight. McKellar, originally built by the NZFS in the '80s, was significantly expanded and renovated by DOC around the same time Mid Caples was built. Curiously, the hut is actually two buildings joined by a covered deck. One building contains the DOC ranger quarters and a bunkroom, the other (which I assume was the original hut building) contains the shared spaces and a bunk room. Both bunkrooms can only be accessed externally, so even the bunkroom adjacent to the common area receives little warmth from the fire. With the freezing temperatures, the three of us brought mattresses into the common area to sleep closer to the cozy fire.

Nevertheless, it was a chilly morning. I was worried about rain - the last forecast I'd seen suggested worsening weather, I'd woken to the round of rain earlier in the morning. But by the time I actually got up, the sun was back peaking through the cloud.  

 

With another full day of walking ahead of me, it was another early-ish (which to say, pre-9am) departure. Leaving the hut, a small bridge crosses the nascent Greenstone River, before following the river downstream on the true left. The track starts in forest, and alternates between forest and the open tussock flats. The valley floor is broad, fairly flat, and often waterlogged by the many tiny creeks draining the adjacent mountains.

 About 1.3 km from McKellar, the track begins a sidle in through the forest above the valley floor. Like the track around Lake McKellar, these sections are a little rougher then the rest of the Greenstone-Caples. This first section also seems to deviate significantly from where it's marked on topo maps.

There's a couple of spots where it's hard to pick the best line through a marshy patch. The movement of the land is also made apparent at times, when enormous streaks of rocky rubble resembling a violent stream bed interrupt the mossy forest - presumably the result of extreme weather and/or avalanche activity bringing a flood of rubble down the mountain. Occasionally there is a little stream in the middle, sometimes not. Despite spending all day in the same river valley, the track passes through some surprisingly variable scenery.

 

Towards the end of particularly long stretch in the forest, the track crosses a cool slope of boulders. I think this bit is is right below the "k" of "Greenstone Track", just north-ish of the Rats Nest Hut Marker on Topo50 maps. There's also a large rocky slip just below the "G".

Just past the rocky slope, it's time for some more open flats. If I'm remembering correctly, this area was the worst for boggy nonsense on or around the track, and it was really getting on my nerves. 
On the other side of the river, a small building can be seen. It's not, as I first thought, Rats Nest Hut, but Te Whare Pounamu - a private hut owned by Ngai Tahu which is only marked (but not named) on the most recent Topo50 edition. Rats Nest is nearby, but hidden among the trees until looking back up the valley from further down.

There's some fun little outcrops covered in mosses and little shrubs, and the track meanders up and around terraces by steep little gorge section of the river. I didn't find any good views of the river itself here, though I could tell where the gorge was. An incongruous fence crosses the track, probably to do with the valley floor being part of Greenstone Station, rather than public conservation land. There's a stile, but the portion of fence that would cross the track was rolled back like a sort of makeshift gate. At times, the Mid Greenstone Hut (former DOC, now NZDA, a la Upper Caples Hut) can be seen on the forest edge in the distance.

There's a gorge in there somewhere

  

Soon after the gorge, the intersection with the other end of the Steele Creek track is reached. Shortly after this, the track enters forest and crosses Steele Creek by way of an old NZFS swing bridge. On the other side of Steele Creek, the private Steele Creek Lodge can be seen above the track. I didn't go any closer, assuming there'd be an obvious access track soon enough. There wasn't, so if you're inclined to pop over for a visit, take whatever bush-bash route you feel like.

Past the lodge, the track traverses one of a series of terraces, before climbing up to a higher terrace where a sign marks an official access route to the lodge (presumably for walkers approaching from the Greenstone carpark). I plonked down into the tussock here for a late lunch break. This point is 13.7 km from McKellar hut, I'd been walking now for just over 4.5 hours.

 

From here, there's a lot of terraces with steep drop-offs and cliffs around the river. There's an enormous rockslide at one bend in the river. The rocky cliffs on the true right side of the river are striking, and look remarkable unstable.

 

 

After a final stretch of grassy flats, a small stream is crossed immediately before entering yet more beech forest. Plenty of young trees and little in the way of undergrowth. Occasional gaps in the trees afford views across the river. I can now no longer remember if I'm mis-remembering and confusing this with Rat Nest Hut, but you might be able to sometimes catch a glimpse of the rustic old Passburn Hut. Either way, it exists across the river whether visible or not. There's another patch of large rocks along the way. Eventually I finally reach the turnoff to Greenstone Hut, 18.5 km from McKellar. The track decends a little toward a gorge section of the Greenstone River. After crossing via a wooden footbridge, the track ascends to a clearing, home to Greenstone Hut.

 

Hot, tired and sore as I was, it was an immense relief to arrive at the hut. Alas, there's no immediate respite - firewood requires foraging and cutting, and the fire itself needs preparing. Soon enough though I was able to relax on the deck with a hot drink. The hut sits in a great spot, with excellent views from the common area windows. There's two bunkrooms off the common area, I was a big fan of the bunk layout that allowed for plenty of individual bunks rather than a single platform.
The hut replaced the old Sly Burn Hut, which has now been repurposed in DOC staff accommodation.

I was the only person at the hut thus far (the French dudes were bound for The Divide from McKellar), but the solitude was eventually broken by the arrival of a large group of Australian teens and their two teachers. Although other than the propensity for leaving the door open they were far from the worst people I've ever shared a hut with. 

The next day again brought more good weather. After breakfast and coffee out in the sun, I spent some time semi-successfully hand washing the selection of crusty tea towels. One final sweep of the floor later, I was back on the trail, the promise of a shower and a real bed tantalisingly close.

 

The track sidles though beech forest, above the Greenstone River. About 3.3 km from the hut, the track leaves the forest at the end of area known as slip flat. Close to this end of the flat is Slip Stream, which runs through a very wide, rocky bed. The actual position of the stream is not currently where it's marked on maps. A sign points the way to a co-called "emergency" bridge. This is the track that's marked on Topo50 maps, and frankly what I think should be the always track - it's hardly a long inconvenient diversion. I had planned to take a more direct path across the stream (though there wasn't a clear path to follow). On this day, the stream occupied a fairly deep, narrow channel to one side of the bed. Deciding I did not want wet feet, I rock-hopped up the bridge and crossed like a sensible person. At the other end of the bridge, a marker points to Slip Flat Hut. For reasons I no longer recall, I ignored this and continued stubbornly onward for the carpark.

 

A waterlogged, grassy area of Slip Flat is then traversed. The track is often indistinct and uneven. A short descent into the forest then reveals why - that grassy section was a re-route due to undermining of the old track by the Greenstone River. After ~1.5km, the end of Slip Flat is finally reached.

Back in the forest, it's more pleasant (if slightly rocky) sidle track. There's great waterfalls on the side-streams along the way. A bit more windfall in places too. About 6.7 km from the hut, as the track enters a particularly steep-sided part of the valley, a junction with the Rere Lake loop track is reached. This track drops steeply away, crossing the river via an out-of-sight bridge. From the next section of track, a remarkable rocky scar can be seen cutting down the mountainside across the river. 

The valley begins to widen, and the track gradually gets closer to river level. Eventually the open grassy flats of the Caples Valley are reached. After ambling through a grass, I arrive at the suspension bridge over the Caples River. I head to the rivers edge for a quick break.

 

Back on the Caples Track, it's a straightforward 2 km back to the carpark. 

 

By a quarter to two, after 12.9 km of walking, I was relieved to be back at the car. Of course there was still the almost 2 hour drive back to Queenstown standing between me and a hot shower, but I was too relieved at having completed the tramp to let that get me down.

Maps:

Overall

Day 1: Start - Mid Caples

Day 2: Mid Caples - McKellar

Day 3: McKellar - Greenstone

Day 4: Greenstone - Finish

Times and Distances:

Day 1:
Carpark to suspension bridge: 2.12 km, 38 min; to Mid Caples Hut 9.50 km, 2 hr 50 min.

Day 2:

Mid Caples Hut to Steele Creek Track & Upper Caples Hut turn-off: 7.36 km 2 hr 6 min; to Upper Caples Hut: 7.49 km, 2:08.

Upper Caples Hut to McKellar Saddle start: 7.21 km, 2:57; to saddle apex/sign: 8.51 km, 3:28.

McKellar Saddle to Track Junction: 2.6 km, 59 min; to McKellar Hut: 6.6 km; 2 hr 32 min.

Total: 22.6 km, 8 hours and 8 minutes.

Day 3:

McKellar Hut to Steele Creek Track junction: 13 km, 4:22; to Steele Creek Lodge 13.3 km, 4:31.

Steele Creek Junction to Greenstone Hut turn-off: 5.5 km 2hr 8 min; to Greenstone Hut: 6.1 km, 2:29.

Total 19.1 km, 6 hours 51 minutes.

Day 4:

Greenstone Hut to Slip Flat Bridge: 3.63 km, 1:21. Slip Flat bridge to Rere Lake Track Junction: 3.03 km, 62 min. Junction to Caples River Suspension Bridge: 4.14 km, 1:20. Suspension Bridge to Carpark: 2.1 km, 36 min. 

Total: 12.9 km, 4 hours 19 minutes.