Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
This section can prove tedious, as you sidle around the tussocky ridge, leapfrogging from
pole to pole. Keep an eye on the poles, as they will lead you safely around several steep
drop-offs and cliffs. The views of the valley improve greatly with the increased elevation.
After two hours of sidling hillsides, or 11km from Boundary Hut, you descend gradually
to the valley floor and finish the day crossing a grassy terrace that leads to Mararoa River.
On the other side is Taipo Hut (eight bunks) and between them a large swing bridge. Taipo
Hut, perched above the river, is identical to Boundary Hut.
Day 3: Taipo Hut to Greenstone Car Park
7-10 HOURS, 22KM
At Taipo Hut, the walkway leaves the Mararoa River for good and heads northeast across a
terrace of tussock so high it reaches your chest at times. Within 1km you pass the northern
end of
Pond Burn
and in another 2km (an hour from the hut) you arrive at scenic Upper
Pond Burn.
At this point the orange-tipped poles disappear and a well-defined track takes over. You
now begin the gentle climb to
Pass Burn Saddle
, reached two hours (6km) from the hut.
The saddle is the highest point of the tramp, but at 728m is only 400m above the level of
Lake Wakatipu, making it easy to miss. When the walkway drops into a gully to cross Pass
Burn, you'll know you're on the descent.
Within 1km of crossing the creek, you arrive at a junction marked with orange-tipped
poles. Admire the sweeping view of upper Greenstone Valley and then head right (the fork
to the left leads to a private hut). The next 2km is a descent into the
Greenstone Valley
to
the new Greenstone Hut (20 bunks), with the first half being a steep drop through the forest,
where footing can be tricky at times.
You reach the hut in four to five hours, about 10km from Taipo Hut, making it the ideal
stop for lunch if you're pushing on. The hut is in a clearing above the confluence of
Sly
Burn
and the
Greenstone River
, and under the rocky pinnacles of Tooth Peak. It's a five-
minute descent to the swing bridge across Greenstone River and its impressive gorge. On
the other side you quickly climb out of the gorge to a junction with the Greenstone Track.
From Greenstone Hut it is around four hours (11km) to the Greenstone car park. If your
plan is to return to Te Anau, you can head west on the
Greenstone Track
. It's 4½ to 6½
hours to McKellar Hut and then three hours out to the Divide, where you can catch a bus
along with all the Routeburn Track trampers.
