Day 137: Queenstown to Greenstone Hut (2676-2690)

Saturday, April 15

Around 6, I woke up and made breakfast. Once I had eaten I tried to carry all my stuff out of the room as quietly as possible and pack it up so I wouldn't wake the other people in the room.

I waited a bit for the sun to rise. There was no specific way to get to the next TA section, so I was planning on hitch hiking. The trail notes suggest taking a boat across the lake (but that's expensive). Everyone I've talked to hitchhiked. The trailhead is at the end of the road headed to Glenorchy.

I checked out of the hostel around 8 and walked to the fork in the road after a roundabout. The nice thing about the Lakeside YHA was that it was close to this roundabout. Where I was standing, anyone driving by was headed in the right direction.

It was Easter weekend, so I wasn't sure how many people would be going to the end of the road. I put my thumb up for all the cars going by and tried to look as friendly as possible with a big smile.

After about 15-20 minutes a really nice Kiwi couple picked me up. I actually didn't see them stop because they pulled so far past me, but the lady walked back and got my attention.

They told me they don't normally pick up hitchhikers, but I was a girl and when they saw my backpack they figured I was going the same place they were. It was amazing! I figured I'd need to take 2-3 hitches and road walk to get to the trail. It was hard to believe I was so lucky.

The man worked for DOC and knew all kinds of interesting things. I think he planned where to put trails. We got to the Greenstone trailhead around 9:45. The drive made me very carsick but I tried really hard not to let it show. I was just happy for the ride.

I hit the trail soon after we got to the carpark. But I'd see them at Greenstone Hut. They were planning on staying there too.

The trail to the hut was really nice. It only took about 3 hours to get there. I ate lunch and set up my bunk. There was one NOBOer there.

After a bit, a couple showed up and then the couple that gave me a ride showed up. A lady from Japan arrived too. I was talking with the couple that gave me a ride at a table. While we spoke, I was looking out a window and all of a sudden I saw Alex walking up to the hut. I went out to say hello. She, Jen and Jeremy had done the Rothburn Track. They were just behind her.

They came in and ate. It was about 2:30, but they were planning on walking to the next hut. That would get them there really close to dusk. I changed back into my hiking outfit and quickly packed while they ate. I hate hiking in the dark on trails I don't know, so I left as soon as I packed. They were faster than me, so they'd catch me.

About 2.5 kilometers in, I realized I had left my spot tracker at Greenstone Hut. The spot doesn't usually work from under a roof, so I had placed it in a hut window or on the porch. In my quick packing I hadn't remembered to grab it.

I was pretty frustrated with myself and turned around. Alex was the first person I saw. As I was telling her what I did, Jen and Jeremy showed up too. By the time I got back to Greenstone Hut, I knew I'd waste about an hour total, so I wouldn't make it to the next hut before dark. I told them I'd wake up extra early and try to catch them tomorrow.

When I made it back to Greenstone Hut, a few people jokingly clapped. They weren't sure why I was back so I explained what I'd left behind. They had just started wondering what it was.

Since I left, 3 new people had arrived at the hut and 4 more ladies showed up shortly after. I set up the same top bunk I had before and made some tea and talked to people in the hut.

It was a really nice hut. It even had flushing toilets in the summer and some outside sinks by them. What a luxury!

As I was sitting, talking, and looking out the window, 2 families with 2 young kids each showed up. Now every bed in the hut was taken.

I made dinner and it started to get dark. As twilight was fading, a hunter showed up and said he had a sick friend coming. He dropped his stuff at the hut and went back to help his friend.

Some people sleeping on mattresses next to each other scrunched together and put the extra one out in the common area. Then the tables got moved a bit to make space for the sick hunter. He was cold and had thrown up a lot in the woods. His friend put lots of layers on him and put him in a sleeping bag or two.

While all this was happening, even more people showed up at the hut, along with another hunter or two with the one that was sick. There were three tents outside by the time all was said and done. Once the hunter was warmed up, everyone settled down and went to bed.

A nice bridge on the Greenstone Track.

And another waterfall.

A pretty area of river.

A flushing toilet!

A view from the hut.

Greenstone Hut. It had two bunk rooms and a nice big sitting area.