Advice hiking in Queenstown / Wanaka area
I am coming to New Zealand for a week or so at the start of January next year and was hoping to do a 1 or 2 night hike whilst there. For the hike looking for great scenery and the fewer people the better. Very happy to camp as opposed to stay in huts. I am flying into Queenstown and planning on driving from there up to Christchurch to fly out. I will be with a companion and have done a fair bit of hiking before and are reasonably fit. I have listed some thoughts below on potential hikes and would appreciate any comments on these and any other suggestions of other hikes.
- I had initally thought to do the routeburn track(I realise this wil be crowded but thought the spectacular scenery would make it worthwhile) but unfortunately the hut and campsites at Lake Mackenzie are booked out for the week i am there. One option would be to stay at routeburn flats and walk to lake howden in a day, would this be possible for a reasonably fit person to do without killing themselves? Would another option be to stay at the non DOC campsite at the head Lake Mackenzie that I read about on this site? Is it generally easy to find spots 500m+ off the track to camp at?
- Hump Ridge track. I know this is not that close to Queenstown but thought that the scenery looked pretty good and they have availability
- Gillespie Pass circuit. thought trhis looks good with the added excitement of a jet boat ride.
Any advice about what would be the best option would be appreciated.
Gillespie Pass.... terrific location. The first hike i did in NZ. More than a 1 or 2 day hike though. Public transport is easy. No need to hire a car and have it sit there. Lots of other things to do around Makarora too. eg Brewster hut and Mt.Armstrong. Makarora valley or the McKerrow Range.
Not a Great Walk such as the routeburn. That's good. It'll be a Great Walk soon though. It only needs the numbers for that label. I heard Siberia hut burnt down ????. Better to use a tent anyway. Good campsite at the corner of Gillespie stream and Siberia stream which is the turn off point for Lake Crucible (Hanging Lake).
yup you can get from the flats to howden in a day, its a good quality track so you can cover a reasonable ground, you could cruise it easily in eight hours i'd say, mackenzie is a great spot for a break and a swim on a hot day before continuing on to howden, fit in the side trip up key summit on hte way out, its worth it for the views.
dont know about camping off the track, it's generally a steep mountainous area, possibly passt the head of lake makenzie might be a poissibility, but the thing is, if no one can see you then know one knows where you're camping. even if you're within the 500m wouldnt be hard to be out of site within 500m of the track if you can find a level enough spot. don't count on doc advising you where you could camp, theres a ban on them advising people on anything other than official DOC tracks due to a fatality a few years back, Personally I wouldnt advise straying off into the bush unless you ahve a lot of experience in thick bush in areas with big bluffs, there are a lot of bluffs there, someone was taking a shortcut on the routeburn a few years back and fell over a bluff. you'll also have to make sure you take not of the direction you're moving if you go off the track, it's easy to get lost.
the kepler track is another must do trip, in good weather the views are the next best thing to the routeburn. book a night at the luxmore hut for an in and out trip if you only have a couple of days, theres usually space avaiable doesnt book out till a couple of weeks out. it is possible to get there and back in a day, if you're going to the hut overnight go up to mt luxmore for 360 degree views, i'ts posible to get up there for along day trip as well.
Its about 1 hour from Routeburn Flats to Routeburn Falls hut, then about 4 hours from Falls hut to Lake MacKenzie, then about 3 hours from MacKenzie to Howden.... so yes, about 8 hours for a fit person. From Howden, about 30 minutes down the Greenstone will get you (free) rough campsites near Lake Mackellar.
Ive always thought you might be able to camp between Routeburn Falls hut and Harris Saddle, either on the far side of the flats beneath Lake Harris, or tucked away out of site beyond the head of the lake, but Ive never investigated to find out if you would be out of sight from the track there.
Ive talked to people who said the Hump Ridge isnt a particularly interesting track, but I havnt walked it myself so cant confirm. The Gillespie Pass circuit is my favourite short trip in the area. Scenery is awesome. The Siberia hut burnt down back at the start of the year so you will nead to take a tent. The Siberia valley is one big grass flat so theres camping spots all along its length.
Thanks guys thats very helpful.
Think I am probably leaning towards the Gillespie pass track where I was thinking of taking two nights to do it - Makarora to Young Hut (overnight) - then on to Siberia Hut or the campsite at the crucible lake turn-off (overnight) - then hike to Kerin Forks and jetboat out.
Only thing that worries me is a report that said the sandflies are vicious on this route. The girlfriend is very anti insect having being eaten alive on the John Muir Trail a few years back.
Sandflies are an issue on many hiking tracks. Their lifecycle relies on running water and there's lots of that in NZ. On the coast (Mi;ford Sound) there are gnats -- like no-see'ums in North America.
watch the gillespie pass in wet weather, the seepnes of the slope and the tussock can make it pretty slippery....
you jsut need to get a regime going to protech yourself agains the insects, NZers usually have a regime to minimise the problems with them, but overseas people tend to get caught out. decent insect repellent, preferably not the type that disolves plastic but there is a less harsh one on the market now the outdoor shops stock that work, have long sleeves and trousers on when you stop for any length of time, possible net over your face, clear your tent of them when you close it up., dont sit in your tent with the bug screen open. they dont like smoke , so a fire can help. sandflies arent out after dark. they dont like direct sunlight so pitching your tent in sunlight can avert them a bit. they love shade.
then tend to hover below knee level. so if you're sitting on the ground all of you becomes fair game.....
the higher you go the less of them there are , you dont get them at the higher huts. dont see them at routeburn falls or mackenzie but.
they are worse on the western side of the ranges. but even then i dont consider them that bad. i think people have too long to magnify the problem in their heads. look on the bright side, its hard to find dangerous animals and plants in NZ. the biting insects dont carry diseases...
i cant say i've ever found them that bothersome
Hey guys, just bumping the thread for some similar advice.
I'm fairly newly arrived to Queenstown from Tasmania, and looking to do some good tramps over the Summer period.
I'm wondering if anyone has some recommendations for good 3-4 day walks that aren't going to be as over-crowded as the great walks and their siblings? We were thinking of doing the Rees-Dart, but have heard that it gets pretty ridiculous as far as numbers go.
I'll be walking with friends/housemates who don't have heaps of gear, so tramps that have ok huts (ideally with mattresses and stoves, but not essential) would be ideal. We're all of moderate fitness level.
Just super keen to explore the area and any hot tips would be much appreciated.
Cheers!
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| Forum | Tracks, routes, and huts |
|---|---|
| Started by | sjosha |
| On | 8 December 2011 |
| Replies | 31 |
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