Another Walk in the Park

By Richard Roe | Posted: Thursday October 9, 2025

A small yet hardy group of Duke of Ed participants spent four days this week exploring the Greenstone and Caples Valleys on the border of Fiordland National Park.

Despite a not-so-promising weather forecast, morale was high during the five-hour journey to our starting point. We were even happier to reach Greenstone Hut for our first night with just a touch of drizzle — and to find we had the entire hut to ourselves.

Day Two began with similar weather conditions — low cloud and a little drizzle. This lifted during the afternoon, and we were treated to some sunshine, enjoying the clearing views of snow-capped mountains during the 18km walk. There was never quite enough sunshine to reach for the sunscreen, but it was very pleasant nonetheless. We shared the well-positioned McKellar Hut that night with a group of three Australians.

An early start on Day Three ensured we reached the top of Caples Saddle before the ominous rain predictions came true, allowing us some great views of the surrounding peaks before descending into the Caples Valley. The rain reached us mid-afternoon and made sure we didn’t overheat during the final stages of our 22km trek to the Mid Caples Hut. We thought we had the hut to ourselves again until a group of seven bedraggled souls from OGHS arrived later in the afternoon.

We woke on the final day to fresh snow well down the mountains around us and a distinct chill in the air. It was just a three-hour stroll out to the van, where our final challenge awaited — crossing the three fords that stood between us and civilisation. Fortunately, they were still low and clear, so we had no difficulty getting through, arriving home in good time for dinner.

The boys worked well together as a team, made sensible decisions, and coped admirably with the conditions we encountered. Overall, it was a very successful trip, and thoughts are already turning to where our next adventure might take us…

Image Gallery