Mt Turiwhate, West Coast
A big climb with a big view would describe Mt Turiwhate, 1373m, on the West Coast above the banks of the Taramakau River. Though the route is tracked and…
- Distance
- 4km
- Time
- 8-9hrs
- Grade
- Difficult
Find your trail
Westland
Whakarira Gorge, West Coast
This river gorge is set amid the legendary grandeur of Westland and is readily accessible from Mid Branch Road, beside the Kokatahi River (permission is required from the local…
- Distance
- 9km return
- Time
- 3hr return
- Grade
- Easy/Moderate
Ces Clark Hut via Mt Watson, Paparoa National Park
A carved arch welcomes visitors onto the Paparoa Track Great Walk, a meticulous gravel highway beckoning beyond. But turn left instead, where the sign indicates the Mt Watson Route. …
- Distance
- 21.6km
- Time
- Car park to Mt Watson, 3hr; To Ces Clark Hut 3-4hr; To car park, 3hr
- Grade
- Moderate
The Paparoa Track
Smoke-ho car park to Ces Clark Hut 10.3km, 4-5hr The first section has been in use for years. Known as the Croesus Track, it leads steeply past gold mining ruins…
- Distance
- 55km
- Time
- 3-4 days (1-2 days mountain biking). To Ces Clark Hut, 4-5hr; To Moonlight Tops Hut, 3hr; To Pororari Hut, 5-7hr; To Punakaiki, 4-5hr
- Grade
- Moderate/Difficult
Roberts Point Track, Westland Tai Poutini National Park
For the closest vantage point of Franz Josef Glacier, walk this five-hour return track with a stop at a hut on the way. By Chris Munn The Roberts Point…
- Distance
- 4.2km each way
- Time
- 4-5hr return
- Grade
- Moderate
Pinnacle Bivouac, West Coast
This is a tough trip for the fit and determined as the track climbs 1200m through demanding terrain dominated by a big river and numerous side streams. Beginning in…
- Distance
- 9.96km to biv
- Time
- To Boo Boo Hut, 3-4hr; To Pinnacle Biv, 2-3hr
- Grade
- Difficult
Buckland Peaks, Paparoa National Park
Buckland Peaks Hut is one of only a handful of huts in the Paparoa Range. While it makes a good day trip, it’s the perfect location for an overnight…
- Distance
- 11.5km
- Time
- To Buckland Peaks Hut, 4-5hr; To Buckland Peaks, 2hr
- Grade
- Moderate
Welcome Flat Hut, Westland Tai Poutini National Park
The trip to Welcome Flat Hut along the Copland Track is a bucket list walk for any Kiwi tramper: it’s a quintessential South Westland valley, with natural thermal pools…
- Distance
- 15.7km
- Time
- 7hr
- Grade
- Easy/Moderate
Mt Fox tarns, Westland/Tai Poutini National Park
It can take a bit of effort to find peace and solitude while travelling through the West Coast’s glacier country, but it can be worth it. Even in the…
- Distance
- 4.54km
- Time
- To tarn campsite 4-6hr
- Grade
- Moderate/Difficult
Ivory Lake Hut via Whitcombe Valley, Westland
Hike the Whitcombe Track to Frew Hut and then spend another valley day hiking to four-bunk Wilkinson Hut. An hour downstream from the hut, the route veers up a…
- Distance
- 75km
- Time
- Allow 8-10 days. Whitcombe Valley Rd to Frew Hut, 7hr; To Wilkinson Hut, 10hr; To Price Basin Hut, 9hr; To Ivory Lake Hut, 6-7hr; To Top Tuke Hut, 9hr; To Dickie Spur Hut, 7hr; To Mikonui Flat Hut, 4hr; To Explorer Hut, 3-4hr; To Whitcombe Valley Rd, 7hr
- Grade
- Difficult
Stag Creek waterfall, Waitaha Valley, Westland
As the thunder of a thousand white hooves hammered the rocks below this impressive 60m waterfall, we stripped off our clothes and plunged into the deep glacial green pool…
- Distance
- 20km
- Time
- 2-3 days
- Grade
- Difficult
Alex Knob, Westland Tai Poutini National Park
Like most glaciers in New Zealand, Franz Josef is retreating fairly quickly. From the valley floor, it is now impossible to get a sense of the sheer enormity of…
- Distance
- 7.1km to Alex Knob summit
- Time
- 4hr to summit
- Grade
- Moderate
Point Elizabeth Track, Greymouth
The Point Elizabeth Track is an old water race built by 19th-century miners to sluice their gold claims. It’s now one of the most popular walking and running tracks…
- Distance
- 4.98km
- Time
- 1.5-2hr one way
- Grade
- Easy
The Old Ghost Road, West Coast
Because of the nature of the climbs and descents, the Old Ghost Road is best done from Lyell to Seddonville. From Lyell, the track immediately crosses a swingbridge and…
- Distance
- 85km
- Grade
- Moderate/Difficult
Kirwans Hut via Montgomerie Hut, Victoria Forest Park
There’s something of a wild west feel to this rewarding two-night circuit in the South Island’s Victoria Forest Park, starting and finishing near the town of Reefton. The highlight…
- Distance
- 36.8km
- Time
- Gannons Road bridge to Montgomerie Hut, 3-4hr; To Kirwans Hut, 4-5hr; To Capleston, 4hr
- Grade
- Easy/Moderate
Tara Tama, Westland
For all that, March provides a period when rivers are low, the weather is more settled and a little cooler for high, open tops travel. From SH73, the easy…
- Time
- 2-3 days. Taipo Valley flats to Seven Mile Creek, 2hr; To Scottys Bivouac, 6-7hr; To Tara Tama 2-4hr; To Duns Creek Hut via Pt1612, 4hr; To Seven Mile Creek 4-5hr
- Grade
- Moderate/Difficult
Dillons Homestead Hut, West Coast
I’ve been trying to put my finger on what it is that some modern huts lack, something that makes them cold of spirit, hard and unwelcoming. A trip to…
- Distance
- 8.78km
- Time
- 2-3hr
- Grade
- Easy
Mt Wakefield, Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park
When most people visit Mt Cook Village for the first time, their attention is directed firstly at Mt Sefton, towering spectacularly overhead, then at the big guy, Aoraki/Mt Cook,…
- Distance
- 5.87km
- Time
- 9-12hr return
- Grade
- Moderate/Difficult
Newton Range Bivouac via Mt Brown, Hokitika
Perched high above Lake Kaniere on the West Coast, Mt Brown Hut is a cosy four-bunker with sublime views to the Tasman Sea and the Hokitika mountains. If you…
- Distance
- 22.9km
- Time
- Car park to Mt Brown Hut 3-4hr; Hut to Newton Range Biv, 5-9hr; Biv to car park, via Styx Valley, 6-8hr
- Grade
- Difficult
Arahura-Styx circuit, West Coast
This three-to-four day loop heads up the Arahura River and down the Styx River to the bottom end of Lake Kaniere. It’s a relaxed affair and a doable trip…
- Distance
- 38.5km
- Time
- Road end to Lower Arahura Hut, 2.5-3.5hr; To Mudflats Hut, 4.5-5hr; To Grassy Flat Hut, 3-4hr; To road end, 4.5-5hr
- Grade
- Moderate
Scamper Torrent Hut, West Coast
Nestled in a beautiful basin on the lower slopes of the Smyth Range on the West Coast, Scamper Torrent is a four bunk Forest Service hut. Although infrequently visited,…
- Distance
- 11.1km to hut
- Time
- Road end to Morgan Gorge Swing Bridge 4hr; Swingbridge to Scamper Torrent Hut 4hr
- Grade
- Difficult
Klondyke Valley Track, Victoria Forest Park
First steps are never easy. After a long, involuntary break from tramping, we were desperate to get back into the mountains. As we browsed our maps, Klondyke Valley Track…
- Distance
- 4.56km to upper tarns
- Time
- 4.5hr to upper tarns
- Grade
- Easy/Moderate
Kelly Range tarns, Arthur’s Pass National Park
A break in the storm Summer had not been good to us and we were itching to get out again. With one stormy weekend after the next, we had planned, attempted…
- Distance
- 3.45km
- Time
- 4-5hr toters
- Grade
- Easy/Moderate
Camp Creek Hut, West Coast
The pick of them Emerging from a tunnel of dense bush into a small clearing, I was expecting to see a dilapidated corrugated iron hut. But to my surprise,…
- Distance
- Camp Creek Hut, 3km; Pt1795, 6.05km
- Time
- Car park to Camp Creek Hut, 2.5hr; hut to Pt1795, 3-5hr
- Grade
- Moderate/Difficult
Edison Glacier Camp, Hooker Landsborough Wilderness
Secreted in the wild heart of South Westland, the upper Edison River provides epic views of the Strachan Range and its outlying summits. Sheer-sided ridges, gorges, impenetrable subalpine scrub,…
- Distance
- 24.8km
- Time
- Three days to campsite
- Grade
- Difficult
Toaroha-Kokatahi Circuit, West Coast
Start by heading up the Toaroha River to Cedar Flat Hut. From the hut, travel up the valley for a while longer, where the track passes through striking cedar…
- Time
- Road end to Cedar Flats Hut 3-4hr; Cedar Flats Hut to Adventure Ridge Biv, 3-4hr; Adventure Ridge Biv to Top Kokatahi Hut, 3-4hr; Top Kokatahi Hut to Crawford Junction Hut, 3-4hr; Crawford Junction Hut to BooBoo Hut, 6-7hr; Boo Boo Hut to Kokatahi Road end, 3-4hr (allow extra time in winter conditions)
- Grade
- Difficult
Rapid Creek Hut, Westland
Get ready for a real ride on this trip. Rapid Creek Hut can only be accessed via a cage attached to a flying fox – one person and pack…
- Time
- 2-3hr each way
- Grade
- Easy
Manson-Nicholls Memorial Hut, Lewis Pass Scenic Reserve
With low-altitude (topping out at 580m), an easy forest walking track, little elevation and a jewel of a lake, this trip makes for an ideal winter tramp in all…
- Distance
- 7.87km
- Time
- 3hr
- Grade
- Easy
Arahura to Whitcombe Traverse, West Coast
For a classic backcountry hut-bagging trip, traverse the Arahura to the Whitcombe Rivers over Styx Saddle, Lathrop Saddle, the Toaroha Range, Toaroha Saddle and Frew Saddle. An ‘extended mix’…
- Distance
- 86.6km
- Time
- 7-9 days, but many options exist to shorten the trip
- Grade
- Difficult
Lake Morgan Hut via Cone Creek Hut, West Coast
Tarn-dotted tops on West Coast loop After browsing the Remote Huts website I grew intrigued by Cone Creek Hut, deep in the headwaters of the upper Ahaura catchment on the…
- Distance
- 30.4km
- Time
- 20-22hr
- Grade
- Difficult
Big River Hut, Victoria Forest Park
A worthwhile speculation A 1931 advertisement in The Dominion newspaper inviting readers to invest in Big River Goldmines Limited, described it as ‘a worthwhile speculation’. This was somewhat of…
- Distance
- 24,6km
- Time
- Waiuta to Big River Hut, 4-5hr; Big River Hut to Inangahua River, 7-8hr
- Grade
- Easy/Moderate
Pororari River Track, West Coast
If you’re at Punakaiki and want to escape the crowds at Pancake Rocks, a short walk along the Pororari River Track will do the trick. The track passes through a...
- Distance
- 6.06km return to Inland Pack Track
- Time
- 2.5hr return to Inland Pack Track junction
- Grade
- Easy
Browning Range Bivouac, West Coast
The Styx River on the West Coast boasts a population of the only duck in the world hard-core enough to spend its days surfing turbulent white water in its…
- Distance
- 14.9km
- Time
- Car park to Grassy Flats Hut, 4-5hr; Grassy Flats Hut to Browning Range Bivouac, 2-2.5hr
- Grade
- Difficult
Mt Brown Hut, West Coast Stewardship Land
The track starts from the edge of Lake Kaniere and eventually leads to Mt Brown Hut on the Newton Range, overlooking the Styx and Arahura rivers. The climb up the…
- Distance
- 3.94km one way
- Time
- 3-4hr
- Grade
- Easy/Moderate
Mungo Hut, West Coast
Mungo Hut is not an easy place to get to, but once there you’re in the heart of some spectacular country. The easiest way is up the Toaroha Valley…
- Distance
- 24.2km
- Time
- 17-21hr
- Grade
- Difficult
Kirwans Hut, Victoria Forest Park
To go tramping on the West Coast is to explore history. Everywhere you turn there are monuments to miners who carved a living from the earth. In their search…
- Distance
- 12.1km
- Time
- 4-5hr to hut
- Grade
- Easy/Moderate
Toaroha Circuit, West Coast
The Toaroha to Lower Whitcombe track is typically hiked from the Cedar Flat end, up the Toaroha River and out via the Hokitika and Whitcombe rivers. This description, elevation…
- Distance
- 48.8km
- Time
- 4-5 days
- Grade
- Difficult
Mt Haast, Victoria Conservation Park
At 180,000ha, Victoria Conservation Park is New Zealand’s largest conservation park. It’s reminiscent of Fiordland with reasonably easily traversed tops surrounded by fearsome battlements consisting of forest floor to…
- Distance
- 2.35km
- Time
- 3-4hr
- Grade
- Moderate
Dillon Hut, Stewardship Land
For those wanting an easy overnighter to get back into tramping or who still haven,t quite got the strength for a long overnight tramp, the Taipo Valley is for…
- Distance
- 9.31km
- Time
- 3hr
- Grade
- Easy
Hole in the Hill, Charleston
The West Coast is renowned for its dramatic karst scenery, especially its limestone arches. In the upper Oparara Basin near Karamea, tannin-stained rivers, the colour of tea, wind their…
- Distance
- 4.2km
- Time
- 2hr return
Ballroom Overhang, Paparoa National Park
An easy track follows the true right of the lower Fox River for a while before eventually getting wet feet on the numerous river crossings. After half an hour,…
- Distance
- 5.2km
- Time
- 3-4hr
- Grade
- Easy
Mid Robinson Hut, Victoria Forest Park
The first section of the walk passes through impressive red beech forest but before long follows the perimeter of a fence line. Once past the farm, a short muddy…
- Distance
- 9.82km
- Time
- 4hr
- Grade
- Easy/Moderate
Lake Morgan Hut Loop, Greymouth Stewardship Land
The Crooked River is tucked away on the West Coast, near Greymouth. Its tracks and huts see few visitors and make a good place to escape for a while.…
- Distance
- 37.2km
- Time
- 3-4 days
- Grade
- Difficult
Mt Mantell, Victoria Forest Park
Starting out from Maruia Saddle Road, the track climbs through the bush towards the tops. The lower part of the track is marked but the forest has been damaged…
- Distance
- 5.33km
- Time
- 8-9hr
- Grade
- Moderate
Harihari Coastal Walk, Westland Tai Poutini National Park
The Harihari Coastal Walk is an easy trail between the Wanganui and Poerua rivers. The walk forms a loop from the car park, along the Wanganui River to the…
- Distance
- 6.6km
- Time
- 2-3hr
- Grade
- Easy
Douglas Rock Hut, Westland National Park
This is a journey up one of the most spectacular valleys in Westland.The track begins by following the true right of the Karangarua River, sidling through dewy flats and…
- Distance
- 23.2km one way
- Time
- 7hr to hut
- Grade
- Easy/Moderate
Lake Stream Hut, Victoria Forest Park
Immerse yourself in this isolated sub-alpine area with a relatively easy jaunt up to Lake Stream Hut. Situated on the bushline, the hut is reached after several hours padding…
- Distance
- 6.6km one way
- Time
- 3-4hr
- Grade
- Easy
Croesus Track, Roaring Meg Ecological Area
The Croesus Track offers some of the best scenery the Paparoa Range has to offer, with stunning panoramas across old gold-mining country. If you’re into a relatively easy overnighter…
- Distance
- 20.4km
- Time
- Two days
- Grade
- Easy
Top Olderog Biv. Ahuriri Conservation Park
Take the steep track to the top of Mt Kerr (1438m) before traversing 3km of ridge top to Top Olderog Bivvy. Crampons and ice axes required in winter and…
- Distance
- 7.2km
- Time
- 3-6hr
- Grade
- Difficult