The tramp up the Greenstone River Valley and down the Routeburn Track is called the Grand Traverse. The journey starts on the shores of Lake Wakitipu and stretches the length of the Greenstone and Routeburn Valleys, crossing the main divide twice in the process. The Greenstone and Routeburn Tracks have long been New Zealand's most accessible and popular routes into the spectacular South Island high country.

The Grand Traverse passes through two national parks, Fiordland and Mount Aspiring, and is part of Te Wahipounamu, South West New Zealand World Heritage Area. The pristine bush is home to a myriad of native birdlife: the Robin; Kea; Fantail; Parakeet; Bellbird; and Yellowhead, just to name a few. The sheer isolation and raw beauty of the Greenstone provide the perfect stage for the breathtaking scenery of the Routeburn. An unsurpassable combination to make a memorable walking experience.

Photos by Esther Hottinger.

Day 1. Queenstown/Greenstone Car Park to Steele Creek
Distance: 18km / 11.2 miles, Time: 5-7 hours walking

Your trip starts with a morning coach trip from Queenstown following the shoreline of Lake Wakatipu to the township of Glenorchy. After morning tea the coach continues around the lake edge delivering you to the mouth of the fabled Greenstone River. Here you don your pack and follow the Greenstone Track into the stately Beech forest.

 

 

 

 

 

You are soon deep within the forest with glimpses of the crystal clear waters of the Greenstone River below you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Drop down to the swingbridge at the junction of the Caples and Greenstone Tracks. Enjoy the mountainous panorama as you cross the grasslands before submerging back into the deep green of the forest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wind your way though the trees, past two small waterfalls and onto the lunch shelter where your guide will be waiting with the billy boiled.
After lunch follow the river up the valley, there are some great places for a swim. Back in the trees your guides will take you down the Mavora Lakes side track for great views of the river running through a deep chasm. Returning to the main trail you slip in and out of the forest until you reach the Greenstone Flats where you walk the last hour in the wide open spaces that can only be high country New Zealand.

Day 2. Steele Creek to Lake McKellar
Distance: 14km / 8.7 miles, Time: 4-5 hours walking

Cross the swingbridge behind the lodge one by one then head out into open plains of the Greenstone Valley. The views are vast in every direction, the river snakes it's way down the valley with the mighty mountains looking down from both sides. The Mid Greenstone Gorge is your first chance to get close to the river, the green water here will astound you.
Cross rocky slips, remnants of the ice age, as you make your way back into the emerald world of the Beech forest, a garden of ferns and mosses. Stay in the forest until the lunch shelter, where your guides have everything ready and waiting once again.
After lunch the track passes in and out of the forest, astounding you with everything from the tiniest red lichen on a rock to a 2000m mountain towering above. The track follows the river as you approach the lodge, cross a swingbridge once again and arrive at McKellar Lodge, nestled in a small clearing looking out upon forest and river.

Day 3. Exploration & Rest at Lake McKellar

Today you can stay in the lodge taking it easy or do any number of walks from a 15 minute lakeside stroll to a challenging 900m climb up to the tops of the Livingstone Mountains.
Take the demanding climb to the very top of the ranges (1538m); the Greenstone Valley Lookout.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also have a dinghy at the lodge for a little jaunt on Lake McKellar.

 

 

 

 

Day 4. Lake McKellar to Lake Mackenzie

Distance: 16km / 9.9 miles, Time: 5-6 hours walking

In one of the lushest parts of the forest start your walk following the shore of Lake McKellar. This is one of the wettest areas in New Zealand which makes it a haven for mosses and ferns. Leave the forest and cross the Greenstone Saddle, part of the main divide, and on to the head of Lake Howden.

At the far end of Lake Howden is Howden Hut, where the Greenstone and Caples join the Routeburn. Leave your packs at the hut and follow your guides up to Key Summit where we have the first of those breathtaking Routeburn views with a panorama of the Hollyford, Greenstone and Eglington Valleys.

 

 

 

 

Descend back to Lake Howden hut for a hot drink and lunch, before gradually climbing through lush Silver Beech forest to the base of Earland Falls. Continue traversing around the mountainside with the glimpses of the Hollyford Valley just a teaser for what is to come tommorrow. Pass through the natural clearing of the Orchard before descending into the Mackenzie basin. Lake Mackenzie is 5 minutes further on from the lodge, slow down and take it all in on your first night on the Routeburn Track side of the Grand Traverse.

 

 

 

 

Day 5. Lake Mackenzie to Routeburn Falls
Distance: 15km / 9.4 miles, Time: 5-7 hours walking

Today is divided into three distinct sections: the climb out of the Mackenzie basin to Ocean Peak Corner; the traverse across the Hollyford Face to the Harris Saddle and the descent to Routeburn Falls.
From the lodge you skirt Lake Mackenzie and follow the track into the forest. As the track starts to climb you leave the trees and enter the alpine world of daisies, buttercups, gentians and edelweiss. From the first daisies in November to last gentians in April the track winds through one of the greatest natural gardens on earth.
The traverse along the Hollyford Face is for many people the most spectacular scenery of the whole track. With the Darran Moutains in front of you and the Hollyford Valley far below, you are in big country. After lunch at the Harris Saddle the views get even better if you climb Conical Hill where the 360 degree panorama it seems like you are on top of the world.
Return to the shelter, pick up your pack and begin your descent into the Routeburn Valley. After walking around Lake Harris you come onto more intimate terms with the mountains towering above the upper reaches of the Routeburn River. Just before your arrival the lodge you are greeted by the Routeburn Falls and stunning views of the lower valley.

Day 6. Routeburn Falls to Routeburn Road
Distance: 10km / 6.1 miles, Time: 3-4 hours walking

Your last day is the least stenuous, a nice way to wind down and take time to enjoy the enviromnent.
The descent from Routeburn Falls to Routeburn Flats takes you through a rich mixed Beech forest as you slowly lose altitude and reach the valley floor. Morning tea is at Routeburn Flats Hut, set in natural grasslands surrounded with moutains rising straight up from the flat valley floor.
Below the flats the Routeburn River enters its gorge, surging among boulders in frothing white torrents at one turn and resting in the clear jade pools at the next before finally disappearing underground at the Sump. Lunch is right by the river at Forge Flat, you may even be inspired to take a plunge; your guides will encourage you with this!
From here it's a gentle stroll downhill to the end of the track, but not before you pass through the Red Beech section with it's huge gnarled ancient forest giants. A coach will be waiting at the road end to take you back to Queenstown, stopping at Glenorchy for a group photo. Tonight a celebration dinner is held in a local restaurant, a great night to finish off a magnificent experience.

 

Greenstone River

The Greenstone River has its source in the cool waters of the beautiful Lake McKellar on the Greenstone Track. There are few rivers in New Zealand more beautiful than this exquisite river. It is as though the river has taken the colour of the deep green NZ jade gemstone after which that the river was named.
The river is not actually a source of greenstone but was used by the early Maori as a route to the West Coast where the pounamu or greenstone was to be found. The river valleys of Greenstone and Hollyford provided the easiest passage from Central Otago to the West Coast.

The Greenstone Valley is wide and open, passing through tussock flats and provides easy going compared to the neighbouring valleys such as the Routeburn.


This means the tramp into the best fishing waters is not too strenuous although an overnight stay is necessary to fish the middle reaches.

 Photos courtesy of Rory McParland

 

 

 

 

 

The world famous track provides the only access to the river and to fish the better water requires an overnight stay.

Note that a special fishing permit is now required to fish the Greenstone and Caple Rivers - apply to D.O.C.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Greenstone/Caples Rivers - Fishing Beats

There are several well-appointed huts, both public (D.O.C.) and private. The private huts belong to the Routeburn Walk Company, which has regular guided tramps up the Greenstone from November to April (depending on the weather).

The track starts close to where the river spills into Lake Wakatipu, just north of Elfin Bay on the Western shores of the lake. Access to this point involves a long 86 km drive from Queenstown around the top of the lake through Glenorchy and Kinloch, passing over the Rees and Dart Rivers on the way. The quicker access is by water taxi direct from Queenstown as the Greenstone lies on the opposite side of the lake to Queenstown. The carpark at the end of the road is the start of the Greenstone and Caples Tracks.

 It is possible to fish the lower pools up from the mouth but these receive a lot of pressure from boat-based anglers. Accordingly, it is better to head up the track for about an hour to the confluence of the Greenstone and Caples Rivers. There is good fishing both above and below here. The track crosses the Greenstone at this point and heads up the river through a steep gorge. There are fish in the gorge but it is hard work clambering over the boulders with generally only smaller fish in the pockets between the big rock slabs.

Above the gorge there is a short valley at Slip Flat with some good pools but this stretch rarely seems to hold a lot of fish. The better fishing is in the middle reaches about an hour up from the Mid Greenstone or Steele Creek Huts.

 

 Here the river opens out into a wide valley, hemmed on both sides by beech trees.

 

 

The track veers away from the river at this point and continues through the beech forest. It is easy going following the river itself for the 10 km up to where it emerges from the bush at the top of the valley.

 

 

The track can be found again at this point and the two McKellar huts (one public, one private) are only a few minutes up the track. From here, it is a three hour walk out via The Divide to the Hollyford Road where transport can be gained to Te Anau.

 

Fishing the Greenstone River

The first time I fished the Greenstone, the usual tramping team, Sue, Helen, Paul and I, did a day walk to check if the track was as good as the advertising blurb claimed. As it turned out, mere words could not do justice to the stunning beauty of the river valley. We took off early from Queenstown, as it is a long drive around the top of the lake to the start of the track. In those days, the road to Glenorchy was unsealed and it was a long dusty haul – especially if you got caught in the hordes coming back from the Glenorchy Races. However the road has now been completely tarsealed all the way and it is an interesting drive that follows the lake edge for most of the trip. From Kinloch on, the road is rather narrow and winding so take care, as the buses taking trampers to the start of the track tend to take up more than half the road.

Arriving at the road end, we shrugged on daypacks and headed up the track. It was not long before we got our first sight of the river. The colour of the river was indescribable. The deepest, clearest green you could possibly imagine still could not match what we saw looking down from the first swingbridge. And lying deep in the pool above the bridge, was a big rainbow. Rod hands twitched as we peered down on the fish, seemingly unconcerned by all the attention. Reluctantly we moved on, as there was just no way down to the pool – a fact the fish seemed fully aware of! About an hours walk brought us to the junction of the Caples and Greenstone rivers. From the cliff above the junction pool we could see two large trout holding in deep water in the middle of the pool.

However while we were watching the fish, a party of trampers crossed over the Caples and came down to the pool. They shed packs and to our surprise, outer garments too and proceeded to plunge into the pool. Screams soon followed as the icy mountain water numbed sensitive regions. A mad scramble out then followed by all but a couple of hardy types. Naturally the trout had disappeared as soon as the first white body plunged into the river. We figured that they must be fairly spooky trout if this ‘plunge pool’ excursion was a must for all trackwalkers. So it was on over the Greenstone swingbridge and up through the beech-clad banks overlooking the steep gorge.

A couple of years later, the same team was back at the track start; this time in pouring rain and with somewhat heavier packs on our backs. A plastic rod case poked out from the top of my pack. As the first day consisted of a long tramp, it was not until the second day that we had the chance to fish.

By then, Liam, the Head Guide, had taken note of our twitching rod hands and reckoned our withdrawal symptoms were getting serious. He volunteered to guide us down from the track to the river and accompany us up the valley. It turned out that the main reason for this generous offer was that he was a keen amateur  photographer and wanted to add to his portfolio of flyfishing photos. One hour up from Steele Creek Hut, we farewelled the rest of the party and slipped through the beech trees down to the river.

Tackling up, we advanced to the first pool. While we stood there, a ring appeared halfway up the pool near the far bank. On went a size 14 Kakahi Queen dry and I cast a metre or so above the fish. It moved over and took a good look, slipping back down with the current as it inspected my offering. The fly must have withstood the detailed examination because it suddenly disappeared in a swirl. For a change I remembered to count to three and lifted the rod on three. The trout shot up the pool and jumped a metre out of the water. The impact from the landing threw the hook and the line came back to me. Perhaps I had counted too fast? Anyway it was nice to have at least hooked my first decent Greenstone fish – a rainbow of around 1.75 kg. We fished on, alternating pools but only saw two more fish in the couple of hours we had before we had to move on to catch up with the rest of the group.

That night, the size of the lost trout was a popular topic as we relaxed over a glass or two of ‘Country Dry White’ cask wine. It may not have been the best wine ever made but after eight hours tramping, it tasted pretty good. Of course the size of the lost trout grew considerably with each retelling of our fishing adventures and each additional glass of wine. Unfortunately for me, Sue and I had instituted a ‘Twit of the Day’ award on the first night of the trek, to liven up the daily pre-dinner drinks session. This backfired on me when I was the first nomination for losing such a huge trout! Fortunately there were far worse misdemeanours than mine that day, for which I was thankful. But we were warned to produce a fish the next day or face the consequences.

A survey has confirmed that anglers fishing the Greenstone River rated its beauty and isolation over the quality of the fishing. This was pretty much our own viewpoint and maybe affirmed that most anglers on the river were of the same opinion as that prince of angling writers – Roderick Haig-Brown when he wrote:‘perhaps fishing for me is only an excuse to be near rivers. If so, I’m glad I thought of it.’