Caples - Greenstone Circuit
Day 4 - McKellar Hut to Key Summit and Return
All images © David Noble. No image can be used for any purpose without permission.
On this day - we did a very nice sidetrip to Key Summit - just
off the Routeburn Track. There was a bit of rain during the day - but
it was quite fine when we where on he summit.
Above - dawn - is that fresh snow on the peaks?
Above - yes!
Above - we set off
Above - forest
Above - ferns
Above - an orchid?
Above - on the track
Above - forest
Above - at Lake McKellar
Above - at Lake McKellar - Rob
Above - at Lake McKellar - John and Chuin Nee
Above - at Lake McKellar
Above - at Lake McKellar
Above - at Lake McKellar
Above - at Lake McKellar
Above - Chuin Nee just past Lake McKellar
Above - Chuin Nee at Lake Howden
Above - forest
Above - Chuin Nee photographing - this time on the Routeburn Track
Above - forest
Above - View from near Key Summit - towards peaks above Lake McKenzie on the Routeburn Track
Above - on Key Summit
Above - tarn
Above - John - with the Darrans behind
Above - Chuin Nee
Above - peaks of the Humbolt Mts
Above - peaks of the Humbolt Mts
Above - peaks of the Humbolt Mts
Above - the Darrans
Above - sundews
Above - tarns
Above - Chuin Nee
Above - Rob
Above - stunted bush
Above - enjoying the views
Above - sundew
Above - sundews
We then set off down the Routeburn Track towards the Divide - looking for kakas
Above - ferns
Above - looking for a kaka
Above - a kaka - they were pretty shy!
Above - forest
Above - forest
Above - a strange fungus
Above - ferns
Above - forest
Above - back at the hut. There were plenty of sandflies despite their being plenty of cobwebs
Back at the hut - we met two girls from Bavaria - that set off the
hut's smoke alarm - when they tried to run their borrowed trangia stove
with shellite. And also a "little green man" turned up - who was
looking for Dan. An hour and half later - he turned up again - quite
distressed, he had been wandering around outside in the rain without
finding Dan. He wanted to use the hut radio (it was locked up - there
was no hut warden) or to talk to our guide(!). We told him Dan was
probably in the commercial hut - 150 metres up the river (where we had
sent him the first time) He set off again - and I hope he found Dan
this time. Another couple came in - quite wet from down the valley and
tried to light the fire. They tried for about an hour with no success!
A lot of people on the tracks seem to have no firelighting skills.
Continue to Day 5 - when we walk down the Greenstone Valley to Greenstone Hut
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