http://doc.govt.nz/about-doc/news/media ... ccessible/
a few changes going on on various tracks in the area
interesting about a day shelter being put in at routeburn flats.
when i stayed at the hut cant say i was happy at paying $50 to stay in a hut where lots of day walkers could come in and use the facilities for free and go wandering the bunk rooms full of gear... so problem should be solved there,.
dont quite understand why they are demolishing the upper caples hut eventually, its more midway between the carpark and the next huts than mid caples...they say they want to make the track easier for newbies but that will make for a longer walk over the mckellar saddle.
major upgrade to the track over the saddle though, it was pretty rough with endless tree roots and boulders to negotiate, its now a benched metalled / boardwalked highway the whole way now..
new bridge across 25 Mile Creek will be a major improvement on the rees track, the creek is a major obstacle becoming impassable in rain