Last Week in NZ: Greenstone-Caples and Welcome Flat

This post is several months late, but seeing as this past quarter has run me over like a bus, I am happy to be making it now. In my last week in New Zealand, I went on one more incredible trip, which I still think about all the time.

The group for this trip included Noah and Halley, Noah’s flatmate who is also named Noah and his girlfriend Trinity, two other American exchange students named Oscar and Gibson, and Travis, who had been on the Hollyford with me. After a bit of a hectic start we divided up into our cars, with the Noahs and their girlfriends in my car that Noah had already bought half of (and the other Noah was committed to buying the other half from me), and Travis and I sharing the driving in his car, with Oscar and Gibson in the backseat.

The first day, we drove to Lake Pukaki and had the salmon I had been dreaming about since April for lunch, and then drove to Kidd Bush Campsite near Wānaka (actually pretty far away from Wānaka – we could’ve stayed somewhere closer but let someone not as familiar with New Zealand plan that part of the trip). The campsite was beautiful but cold, and we packed up and left around sunrise.

The next day (August 28th) we drove to Queenstown and had breakfast there before driving out to the Greenstone Trailhead. We started hiking around noon. We hiked 12 km up the beautiful Greenstone Valley before reaching Greenstone Hut. At the hut, we were surprised to find it already full of people – also mostly Americans, with one token Kiwi, just like we had.

Here is the route we took:

Day 1: Trailhead to Greenstone Hut, 12km. Day 2: Greenstone Hut to McKellar Hut, 19km. Day 3: McKellar Hut to Mid Caples Hut over Greenstone Saddle, 22km. Day 4: Mid Caples Hut to Trailhead, 11km.

The next day, we hiked up to McKellar Hut. I had some good conversations with Gibson and Travis that day – Gibson is from the South, and I asked him all about it and learned to appreciate it a little more – he studies forestry and knew lots about the nature there. Tramping gives you time to really get to know people and talk about anything and everything – it’s easy to connect with people when there’s not much else to do.

We arrived at McKellar Hut around 3:30, and part of our group went swimming in the lake (I refused – it was cold!). That evening, Travis, Noah and Oscar decided to hike up the mountain while the rest of us had a casual dinner and traded shoulder massages. Halley was worried and we made a whole series of plans about what to do if the group did not get back by a certain time – luckily, they returned (in the dark) around 7:30 and none of those plans had to be put into action.

The next day (August 30), we got going fairly early. Starting out it was sprinkling a little bit, but eventually cleared up to give us some beautiful views. Today was our longest day and we had to cross the saddle into the Caples Valley. My lungs were still healing from the bout of allergies I’d faced on the Banks Peninsula, and I climbed the saddle very slowly at my own pace.

After crossing the saddle we walked through beech forest for quite a while. We saw several kākā, which are native parrots, in the trees, and watched them for a while. It was really special to see them – they’re pretty rare in most parts of the country. Unfortunately I couldn’t get any great pictures of them.

Travis and I walked most of the way down together and had some great conversations. There were some deer hunters already staked out at Mid Caples Hut when we arrived around 3:30 – they had some of the thickest Kiwi accents I’d ever heard, but were quite friendly. That afternoon we swam in a beautiful pool in the river (well, others swam, I took pictures of them). We then spent the afternoon exploring the valley before having dinner together. Noah and I had a long talk and took a walk in the moonlight before going to bed around 11 – much later than our 8-9pm bedtime on previous nights.

The next day (August 31) we hiked back to the cars after breakfast. There was much discussion on whether to drive straight back to Queenstown or stop in Glenorchy for dumplings (the same dumpling restaurant Anja and I had eaten at after our first tramp way back in February) – in the end, Travis, Oscar, Gibson and I stopped for dumplings while the Noahs, Trinity, and Halley went straight to Queenstown.

After checking into the hostel and taking a shower we went into Queenstown to do a load of laundry and get some dinner before splitting into smaller groups to explore the city. That evening we all went into the hostel’s hot tub together and were joined Nick (he had also been on the Hollyford), who happened to be in town – it was great to see him again one more time before I left (which I was still strongly in denial about).

The next morning (September 1st) we drove 4 hours from Queenstown to Copland Track Trailhead on the West Coast. It was a beautiful but very curvy drive, and it poured rain on us for a good bit of it. Thankfully it was dry when we started hiking around 1:30. The hike in was 16 km and quite technical in certain parts, which became challenging when the sun set at 6pm – we finally arrived at Welcome Flat Hut around 7:30.

This hut is a very well-developed and popular – we had to make reservations in advance, there were several bunk rooms, and it even had solar-powered lights. The reason it’s so popular is that right next to the hut are an amazing set of hot pools. The water in them is clean – no Sulphur smell – and boiling hot when it comes out. In fact, it runs through small channels before reaching the pools, and we were warned not to step in them because they are hot enough to severely burn your skin. Once the water flows into the bigger pools it cools to a temperature a human can tolerate – just barely. It was amazing.

We were staying at the hut for two nights, which meant that the next day (September 2nd), we could just relax. After a slow morning, Travis and I decided that we wanted to hike up to Douglas Rock Hut, which was another 8 km up the track (so 16 km there and back). I think I’ve never been more in shape in my life – you know things are going well when a rest day is an opportunity for more hiking.

The weather could not have been better that day, and without heavy packs it only took 2.5 hours to get to Douglas Rock Hut. It was warm, and we were sweaty, and so swam in the freezing cold mountain stream – I was in it for less than 30 seconds but that’s more than my average swimming time of 0. Meanwhile, Travis spent several minutes sitting in the small pool. Afterwards we ate lunch, laid in the sun, and enjoyed the stunning views of the mountains. We saw several groups of kea (native New Zealand alpine parrots) fly through the valley. This trip was the first time I actually got to see them in the wild, and it made the day all the more special. When I think back to my time in New Zealand, this is one of the moments that stands out as my favorite.

We had planned to drive back to Christchurch the next day, but it would have meant hiking the 16 km back out and then driving 6 hours. I was in no particular rush to get back – I was set to fly out on the 5th and was not ready to face that fact. That evening we spent some time discussing our options and finally decided that Noah, Halley, Travis, and I would camp an extra night while the other four went straight back to Christchurch. This meant we could take our time the next day on our hike out. Halley’s ankle was injured so we hiked as slow as we needed to and stopped for lunch and a swim (and I actually did get in the water again!). We arrived back at the car around 2:30 and from there drove to the town of Fox Glacier, which is indeed close to the actual Fox Glacier. We got milkshakes there, which was more sugar than I’d had in a long time and threw my body for a loop – I felt very silly for the next 1.5 or so hours. We took a trip to see the Franz Joseph Glacier, which is an impressive patch of snow that nevertheless used to be much bigger than it is now. After dinner in town we drove about an hour to a campsite by a lake and spent the night there.

The next day (September 4th) we took our time and started driving around 9. We stopped by Hokitika, a touristy little town on the West Coast that I hadn’t made it to before then, and then drove over Arthur’s Pass before stopping at Castle Hill. I knew Noah would love it, and he did; we could hardly get him off the rocks when it was time to go. We stopped by the Sheffield Pie Shop and had a pie (my last one) before arriving in Christchurch in the late afternoon.

Being back in Christchurch meant facing the fact that I was leaving the next day, which I absolutely did not want to do. Nevertheless, Noah and I took a trip to the grocery store where I bought last-minute gifts for people back home (TimTams and Mānuka honey of course).

The next morning, I packed up my bags – I was leaving New Zealand with a second checked bag that I had not arrived with (oops). An effort was made at organizing the contents of the bags, but ultimately everything was just shoved in because I was too distraught to do a better job. Anja came over to say goodbye (and offer me a shoulder to cry on) – after nine months of being in the same country (she came to California in December 2022 and then we flew to NZ together) it felt weird to say goodbye without knowing when I would see her again. Finally, it was time to go to the airport – I said goodbye to Noah, Halley, and Anja, and Travis picked me up and drove me to the airport. I was a mess but I managed not to cry (again) until I boarded the plane. I had a window seat and row to myself, which was good, because I cried half the flight to Auckland.

Many other places I’ve traveled and spent significant amounts of time in (Germany, Brazil, Peru) I’ve enjoyed while I was there but was ready to leave when the time came. This time was different – I loved the landscapes, the weird mammal-less ecosystems, the cultures, and the people. I had begun to feel like I really had a community there, and people that missed me when I left. I felt like there were still so many places I hadn’t been that I wanted to see – so many valleys, mountains, and huts still left to tramp to. I still haven’t seen a kiwi (bird) in the wild. I liked the weird city of Christchurch, and how few people there are on the South Island. I loved seeing Te Reo Māori everywhere, and learning how Māori were integrated into political structures at many different levels. Of course, there were things I didn’t like as much as well – I missed having good Mexican food, the weather could be a bit wet and unpredictable, and the public transport infrastructure was lacking (not that the US is any better, though).

Even before leaving New Zealand I was making plans to come back. Now, over 3 months after leaving, I have decided that I am going back for a working holiday year after I graduate in June. Maybe it’s an irresponsible decision, but before I jump into a career that will take me who knows where or anchor me firmly in one place, I want to use this natural pivot point to temporarily move back to somewhere I love.