One day in, one day out!

To be honest I dont think you can get around either the Caples/Greenstone or the Rees/Dart in 2 days unless you are doing 12+ hour days. I have done Caples carpark to Lake Howden hut in one day and that took 11 hours, McKellar hut is about the same distance South as Howden is North. McKellar to the carpark would be another 11 hours. You can fish in the Greesntone river for trout but you need to purchase a liscence. Im not sure about DoCs camping policy in these valleys as it is actually Maori land. Dart hut to the Muddy Creek carpark via Snowycreek would easily be 10+ hours. I havnt tramped the Dart so cant comment on that. I tend to harp on about it but I would reccomend the West Matukituki valley. You can easily reach either Liverpool hut or French Ridge in one 7-8 hour day, or theres plenty of camping spots in Shovel and Pearl flats.

Of course you can get around the Rees -Dart in two days. A friend and i took 4.75hrs from Muddy ck to Shelter Rock Hut. Another 3 + hrs to Dart Hut. About 5 -6 hrs to Daleys Flat Hut and its only a couple of hours out to Chinamans Bluff. The trouble would arise for some in coordinating transport to and from the track ends. Also, for such times it is purely an exercise driven outing and there is virtually no time to smell the flowers.

Another posibilty in that area is to start from end of the Routeburn Road and cross the Sugarloaf in to the Rockburn, then go down the Rockburn gorge to the Dart and out via Lake Sylvan. A good track was put in a few years ago and people have done the whole circut in a day. You probably won't find fish in the Rockburn but the Dart would be worth a go. I havn't done this since the track was put in so more information might be required but it would be much more leisuely then trying to yun the Rees Dart or Greenstone Caples.

3 hours from Dart hut to Shelter rock? Wow you must have been motoring. Granted, I did stuff around at the Rees saddle for a while, but theres fantastic views there if you are prepared to drop your pack off and climb either the Eastern or Western hills above the saddle.

Granted. Three hours for that leg is not wasting time. I can recall doing it in the rain one time. Little incentive to stop then. It is downhill all the way from Rees saddle to Shelter rock. On that particular trip two out of three of us were carrying 27kg each which included climbing gear we took for Dart Glacier. The next day we sent our third (inexperienced guy) on ahead an hour earlier from Shelter Rock and found him sitting down with blisters on his feet when we were only 30mins out from Shelter rock ourselves. We relieved him of about 12kg of gear and split it between the two of us. Needless to say we were a bit pissed off when he was skipping on ahead by a km or so nearer to Muddy ck talking to an older Israeli women who had been handed to us by the hut warden and her two Israeli friends who didn't want the responsibility of looking after her following their way up valley the day before.

You can walk a day in and a day out on any number of tracks. It sounds like you want your cake and to eat it too. Is it the solitude of a wilderness experience with a walk and camp and a chance to fish that's important? Do you have to say you completed a track or circuit as well? Perhaps you could walk up the Rees from Muddy Ck. Fish in the river and take it up to Kea basin on Mt.Earnslaw.I really don't know what the fishing is like. There is a lovely rock bivvy at about 1000m which is easily accessible and it relieves you of the need to take a tent. Return the same way next day. Or go and camp and fish at Junction flat on the East Matukituki, leaving from Cameron flat. Take a side trip up Glacier burn or Kitchener stream to use up some time.

Yarmoss is correct i did the Caples\Greenstone in March and it took me 5 days as i stayed at all 4 huts,if you miss out Mid Caples hut you could do it 4 days. But you have to watch the weather as i nearly got caught out between Greenstone hut and Mc Kellar hut it took 9 hours i had never walked in rain and wind like that.and a rescue helecoptor flew up the Caples river and they hoverd over me and i gave them the thumbs up and they flew off,the caples river floods very quickly Lindsay

Thanks for the feedback everyone, but there is a little confusion as my initial message isn't that clear. I really want to go in one way and back out THE SAME WAY. Therefore maybe walking 6-8 leisurely hours (smelling the roses), then a fish and camp, then walk back out to where we started. So I was wanting to know which of these is prettiest for the initial 6-8 hours (or any other track in the area) as that's all we'll see! Thanks, josh

I think the Wakatipu ends of the Greenstone and Caples are a little dull. Have you considered Earnslaw Biv or the Whakaari Reserve by Glenorchy?