Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Transport
Shuttle bus
Summary
These two tracks provide a return trip between the Divide and Greenstone car
park close to the shores of Lake Wakatipu, passing through World Heritage Area wilderness
of considerable renown.
Although no Maori archaeological sites have been found in the Greenstone and Caples Val-
leys, it is known that the Greenstone, as the name suggests, was widely used by Maori dur-
ing their travels in pursuit of highly prized
pounamu
. Europeans would later traverse the
valleys in search of grazing sites, with farming commencing in the Caples in 1880. The
Greenstone and Pass Burn were utilised as stock routes.
The Greenstone Valley is wide and open with tussock flats and beech forest. The Caples
is narrower and more heavily forested, interspersed with grassy clearings; many consider the
Caples to be more scenic, with its pretty parklike appearance.
The two tracks link at McKellar Saddle near the Divide, and near Greenstone car park on
the Lake Wakatipu shore where the road links to Glenorchy and on to Queenstown.
Trampers can choose to walk just one track in one direction, or traverse both as a there-
and-back journey of four or five days. Routeburn trampers planning to continue on the
Greenstone can easily walk from Mackenzie Hut to McKellar Hut, which takes from five to
seven hours. It's also possible to link the Greenstone with the Mavora Walkway.
