From Te Anau, Wendy and myself had headed to The Divide and from there set off along the start of the Routeburn Track around Key Summit heading towards the Greenstone Valley.
I was familiar with the Caples – Greenstone area, having walked the loop – up the Caples and then down the Greenstone back in 2009 (see photos here) and on a much earlier trip up along the Routeburn Track from the eastern side and then back via the Upper Caples and Kay Creek. On both those trips I was really impressed by the wild beauty of the Upper Caples Valley. Particularly the river and the overhanging beech trees. On both those previous trips, the weather for that section had been quite bad – constant rain, which had made photography very difficult. This was a major reason I was keen to return – so I could see the river again.
We set off from The Divide around midday. The weather was not real good – cold and rainy. However the forecast was for it to improve and the next few days should be fine. This turned out to be correct. The bad weather of the start of our walk made the forest along this section particularly attractive. The beech tress are covered with a mat of moss and in mist and drizzle they took on an eerie beauty. Continue reading →
