A Routeburn & Greenstone Family Tramping Adventure

5 days 4 nights 3 sons 2 great walks 1 week before Christmas The Routeburn is one of Aotearoa's most popular Great Walks. The hut bunks typically book out at the start of the ticketing season. The track can be accessed from the Queenstown/Glenorchy side or the Divide/Milford/Te Anau side. This presents a bit of a logistical problem around getting transport at either end (well served by the likes of TrackNet). In our case we decided to extend the Routeburn tramp by going up the nearby Greenstone track and joining the Routeburn near the Divide. The Greenstone is follows the gentle slope of a river valley. The bucolic walk starts along farmland then passes through beech forests, tussock, and finally gives way to low lying alpine vegetation. Two days of steady rain mean we get a forceful display at Earland Falls. We enjoy a refreshing dip most afternoons, including in the alpine Lake McKenzie. We see the occasional glimpse of kea though the low cloud, but their chorus is a reminder of their presence. Another dip, this time in an alpine fault line that has created the powerful Routeburn Falls. 0:19 A short drive from Glenorchy on a gravel road fording streams to the start of the Greenstone walk. The hike starts off along Lake Wakatipu and surrounding farmland. 0:36 Shortly you arrive in Red Beech forest. The track is carpeted with beech leaves. 0:50 Red Beech forests are home to invertebrates feasting on decomposing trees. And the birds like the South Island Robin who love to snack on them. 1:06 A dip at Greenstone Hut 2:10 A rainy start to day two of the tramp 2:40 Climbing up the Greenstone Valley through tussock, past cattle, near ducks, and over suspended wire bridges. 3:26 Arriving at McKeller Hut 4:18 Embracing wet boots and water on the track 4:55 Joining onto the Routeburn track. For those that cannot book the Routeburn Track huts, the Caples walk gives you a good loop return option. 5:20 Earland Falls in full force after the last couple of wet days. 5:45 Arriving at Lake McKenzie 6:03 A dip in Lake McKenzie 6:55 Day four above the treeline, amongst the clouds and alpine flora 7:35 At the Lake Harris Saddle for a lunch stop 7:47 Descending down the Routeburn valley to the Routeburn Falls Hut 8:06 Routeburn Falls dip. The falls straddle an alpine fault line. 8:50 Day 5 of the tramp, heading home down into Routeburn Flats.