opinion on combining a few Great Walks into one holiday?

[sim1oz]

We did Routeburn Shelter to Routeburn Falls Hut return one day last year in winter (after a conference in Queenstown). We had a great time and it was so, so beautiful. We find it hard to actually get away much because of our kids, so I have just starting thinking of trying to do some of the NZ Great Walks in early 2015 - at this stage I thought we would do the Routeburn Track, divert to do the Greenstone-Caples circuit, then finish off the Routeburn Track, spend a day or two in Te Anau, and finish of with the Milford Track. If we do it at a leisurely pace, that would be 5-7 days for the first walk combo, then rest up and resupply before doing the Milford Track (4 days). That would probably be all we can fit into a 2-week getaway. I'd welcome any thoughts and suggestions on whether this would work and be worthwhile?

[wayno]

whats is you planned route..

[sim1oz]

I was thinking:

Routeburn Shelter
Routeburn Falls Hut (Night 1)
Lake Mackenzie Hut (Night 2)
Howden Hut
McKellar Hut (Night 3)
Greenstone Hut (Night 4)
Upper Caples Hut (Night 5)
The Divide Shelter

Go to Te Anau for 1-2 nights, then Milford Track (3 nights)

[wayno]

i think howden hut is a pain.. if you're going to stay there delay your departure from mackenzie or find a quiet place up on key summit if the weather is ok,, lots of people stop outside howden during the day. and its only a couple of hours from mackenzie hut to get there, the track is being continutally upgraded to a metalled footpath, so the track times are becoming worthless, if you have much fitness at all its easy to meet or cut the times a fair bit... its a two hour stroll from howden to mckellar hut, but good luck, in summer the hut is overrun with people. they've doubled the size but i'm not certain it will be big enough still to cope with all the people,. they used to sleep all over the floor and under the hut.. and now they've turned the track to the caples into a footpath, i wouldnt hold out much hope of space at caples hut, remember you don't have to book the huts once you're off the routeburn, first in first serve... i prefer to just go and walk the routeburn both ways to extend the walk, and enjoy the scenery twice over and double your chances of seeing the track in decent weather, because you can get bad weather through there throughout summer, anti cyclones over aus drag in fronts from the south west that obliterate visibility... i've seen them come through consistently every other day in summer.
all the huts in that area that don't need booking get hammered over summer. the hollyford is pretty bad and the rees dart which is getting a booking system either this summer or the next... and remember theres no cookers in the greenstone and caples huts..
hopefully the weather isnt too bad, the huts get rather cozy with 50 people jammed in them... in good weather people spread themselves out nicely and its a pleasant stay.... be generous if bevan the hut warden at mackenzie ask for a donation to trap predators, he has almost single handedly turned around a very low bird population on the hollyford side of the routeburn tracks,
in five years i've seen a big difference in the bird life, like you can actually hear them on a lot of the track in the bush now where before you heard nothing and you can actually see birds especially at lake mackenzie, and that has happend because of donations from trampers so bevan can buy more traps... stoats are extremely nasty, they are killing and breeding machines.. they don't wait for hunger they just kill anything they can, all they do is sleep breed and run around looking for food (birds and birds eggs).
the only good stoat is a dead one.
key summit is well worth a visit if the visibility is good.
book early because the huts fill up fast now.

[sim1oz]

Thanks, Wayno. I think you are scaring me off! While the walks themselves sound lovely, we're used to doing walks where there are very few people around so we will need to think about whether we want to do any of the more popular Great Walks in the summer season. Things already look booked-out for 2014, which was why I was thinking ahead to 2015. When we walked Routeburn Shelter to Routeburn Falls Hut and back July 2013 we only bumped into a few people who had weekended at the hut and an Australian couple (small world!) when were coming back down. We enjoyed the serenity! I just thought before we did some of the more remote and quieter NZ walks we should do some of the Great Walks because people seem to rave about them. And since NZ has a great system of huts, I was thinking of just taking a tarp for emergency shelter. We always take our stove anyway so we can stop to have a hot drink or eat whenever we want, and have warm food if we don't get to a hut for any reason. Which months are the tracks less busy but still walkable?

[wayno]

theres no end of day walkers on the routeburn in summer as well, they just built a day shelter near the flats hut... they'd come in and take over the hut for lunch during the day and wander through teh bunk rooms having a nosey.
the key summit end is flooded with a constant stream of day walkers on a nice day in summer.... if you've read a lot of publicity about a track in nz beforehand especially on the popular websites then expect it to be busy in summer. at least on the great walks the no over people overnighting are fixed and you're guaranteed a bunk

[wayno]

you'll probably be looking towards mid march or later for the quieter period, i did the dart at the end of march, huts were still reasonably full but not overloaded, Eion buckley the shuttle driver, (plug for buckleys transport far better than info and track who do a stupid stop at glenorchys because they get kickbacks from the shop) does the routeburn in may i think after the bookings have closed and the gas has been turned off and the flush toilets shut down. and its cheaper, less people willing or bothering to go then, but you could get a big snow dump from may, hit and miss.

[forest]

I think your plan is feasible. Like Wayno said though it can get aweful busy in Dec / Jan / Feb. The great walks will be busy but at least you get a bunk as it's booked. Haven't been on the greenstone / caples so no comment on the walking times. Lake Howden is busy through the day, especially if the weather is nice as you get a few bus groups wander in from the Divide / Key Summit walk.
I'm a real mid to late March NZ fan. Great weather (Generally...it is NZ though) and things seem to be quitening down on the trails, still plenty about but nothing too crazy packed.
It's worth the walk up to the summit of Ben Lomond in good weather too straight above Queenstown. Could be a good way to spend a day walking but not be too remote.
Don't forget the Kepler Track. You could do the Routeburn, Kepler, Milford. Or vice versa.

All amazing country.

[sim1oz]

Thanks everyone!!! The feedback has been very helpful. Mid to late March is sounding like it would suit us best. Now I'm interested in Kepler too. Will have to work out how we can fit that in as well. Mmmmmm

[wayno]

if you cant fit it all in, just do a day trip or overnighter up to luxmore hut

[roysta]

if you cant fit it all in, just do a day trip or overnighter up to luxmore hut

A terrific section up to Luxmore, once you get away from the Brod Bay sandflies.

[apdz]

Hey, my input is book early as possible. I am doing 3 great walks in Jan 2014... Went to book the campsite/huts late Nov and already 2 tracks (Milford and Routeburn) were sold out until April I think.