{"id":14213,"date":"2025-11-16T23:59:12","date_gmt":"2025-11-16T10:59:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edwinov.com\/edwininnz\/?p=14213"},"modified":"2025-11-24T09:36:29","modified_gmt":"2025-11-23T20:36:29","slug":"casey-hut-loop-track","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/edwinov.com\/edwininnz\/2025\/11\/casey-hut-loop-track\/","title":{"rendered":"Casey Hut Loop Track"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Saturday morning and time for another hike! I’m doing the Casey Hut Loop Track. I’ve done this loop before but in the opposite direction and back then there was no hut (Casey Hut was burned down<\/a> in October 2015). This is at the Andrews Shelter and Campsite<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

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Looking west<\/p><\/div>\n

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Sugar Loaf straight ahead, Purple Hill to the left of and behind it<\/p><\/div>\n

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The first half an hour of the track is along the road<\/p><\/div>\n

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And soon the Binser Saddle Track<\/a> will start on the left and take me over the saddle below those clouds on the left<\/p><\/div>\n

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Another look towards Purple Hill, where I fly so often. It’s still early but already quite a lot of cumulus clouds, it’s supposed to overcast today and come with some nasty weather, at least further to the east<\/p><\/div>\n

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Start of the Binser Saddle Track, it should be 6.6km \/ 3 hr to the other side of the saddle and 19.6km \/ 7.5 hr to Casey Hut<\/p><\/div>\n

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The track climbs steeply, this is looking back towards the west, some cloud coming in<\/p><\/div>\n

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The Waimakariri River, looking upstream<\/p><\/div>\n

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Quite a few of these little stream crossings, I don’t like getting my feet wet, luckily these stream are small enough to step over<\/p><\/div>\n

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Great weather for a hike, love the sunshine through the trees, the terrain is rather steep though<\/p><\/div>\n

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Getting closer to the Binser Saddle, it’s flattening<\/p><\/div>\n

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Grassy patch at the very saddle, nice place for a rest<\/p><\/div>\n

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From here on it’s all downhill again, lots of beech trees (right?)<\/p><\/div>\n

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I’m starting to see Peveril Peak throught the trees<\/p><\/div>\n

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Yep, there it is. I was here yesterday<\/a> when I was flying and I had a low-ish save here<\/p><\/div>\n

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Interesting landscape at the foot of Gray Hill<\/p><\/div>\n

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The Poulter Range<\/p><\/div>\n

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Looking back<\/p><\/div>\n

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I’m really tired now and still have got a few km to go<\/p><\/div>\n

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Almost at Casey Hut! Should be 20 more minutes now<\/p><\/div>\n

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After the previous photo I arrived rather exhausted at the Casey Hut<\/a> where I had my dinner and not long after that went to sleep as I was exhausted. This photo is Sunday morning, around 8 in the morning and my backpack (at the table) and I are ready to go<\/p><\/div>\n

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But first a photo of the other side of the hut where 12 of us spent the night, I think it was a snore fest<\/p><\/div>\n

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Casey Hut<\/p><\/div>\n

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Casey Hut and the Poulter River, Snow Cup Range in the background<\/p><\/div>\n

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And I’m on my way again! Another lovely day<\/p><\/div>\n

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I was already tired and the track turns out to be brutal: it only goes up and up and up and up with no end in sight<\/p><\/div>\n

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Every few minutes I need to take a short rest, just to catch my breath<\/p><\/div>\n

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Eventually I make it to some clearing and it looks like it will be going downhill from here on, at least for a while<\/p><\/div>\n

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Drone photo looking back. Casey Hut should be just to the right of where the Casey Stream (flowing downhill) meets the Poulter River<\/p><\/div>\n

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Drone right above me looking down<\/p><\/div>\n

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Hi!<\/p><\/div>\n

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A welcome easy bit<\/p><\/div>\n

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And I continue<\/p><\/div>\n

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Approaching Casey Saddle<\/p><\/div>\n

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Lots of this stuff on the trees again, I forgot if this is ‘Old Man’s Beard’ or not<\/p><\/div>\n

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Brown Hill<\/p><\/div>\n

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Hallelujah Flat<\/p><\/div>\n

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Hi Again<\/p><\/div>\n

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A lot of the track is blocked by fallen trees, at least in the photo it’s clear where the track continues but often you simply have no idea and just have to see if you can find the track again<\/p><\/div>\n

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After another last and intense climb I finally see the Waimak again, that means I’m getting close to the end. I can’t wait to get to the car, I’m exhausted and know there’s food and something to drink in my car!<\/p><\/div>\n

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Another 20 minutes or so through forest like this<\/p><\/div>\n

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And here I am as good as back at the car (just to the left of the bridge). It was an exhausting 40km hike, but in the end it’s always worth it!<\/p><\/div>\n