Queens Birthday weekend is the first long weekend of winter here in NZ and typically not one to go outdoors and explore. But there is nothing normal or typical about us Jubb's. So we ventured out the big one, little one and me (James).
The Greenstone Valley is a stunning piece of the Fiordland National park and one to put on your bucket list. The Routeburn track traverses the valley on its way from the Divide to Glenorchy. Essentially a walking track between two of the worlds top attractions in Milford Sound and Queenstown.
Anyway it turned out to be a beautiful weekend with clear skies, frosty mornings and frozen pipes on the agenda.
We set off from the Divide and made it to Mckellar hut by mid afternoon. It was already shrouded in a low fog rolling in and doesn't look to get much vitamin D in the winter. It made for spectacular viewing but not much warmth. A firewood mission to warm the hut kept the blood flowing, followed by some serious last card action. I'm not sure how many games we played but loved every minute.
On nightfall we cranked up the jetboil and got the Back Country cuisine on the go. Roast Chicken is the kids fav but I went for something more exotic. Back country is great, super tasty and so easy to pack on a light tramp. We never leave it behind on any overnight adventure. We decided to sleep by the fire to keep as warm as possible and it paid off when we awoke the next morning to a wicked frost and frozen pipes.
A very cool start to the walk but were soon greeted y the sun and more spectacular views. We finished off the walk with a visit to Key Summit and it was totally worth the extra hike. Ditch your bag at the start of the summit trail but make sure you take your camera. Definitely a highlight of the trip.
Back home to Invers and getting sorted for school. But plan for the next hut to explore are on the agenda.
You can check out the Routeburn track and Greenstone Caples Track on the DoC website and check the conditions before you head in.
James.
