Sonia Barrish is passionate about taking her kids into the backcountry. Five-year-old Bethany recently bagged her 150th hut, while one-year-old Jordan is likely to smash that record – he has already visited 71.

For Sonia Barrish and husband Menzo, the outdoors is a way of life. They met tramping; they were married in a DOC hut. When the couple decided to start a family, they weren’t about to stop adventuring.

“We always thought it was a priority getting Bethany out there so she enjoys it as much as us,” says Sonia. “Also, if you’re breastfeeding it’s not easy to have time away from your child, so I knew if I wanted to keep tramping, we would have to find ways to take her with us.”

The first trip, with baby Bethany, was a short ramble into Avoca Homestead, in Canterbury. It was tackled on a Christmas Day so they had the hut to themselves.

From there, the couple scaled up the trips until Bethany was four. That was when Jordan came along and they had to choose routes that Bethany could walk. By then, Bethany could manage 16km a day on the Old Ghost Road.

Barrish warns that an average three-hour day may take 10 hours, once walking, feeding, carrying and playtime are factored in. “You’ve got to research a trip much more than you would otherwise.”

She blogs and uses Instagram to let parents know what tracks are really like for kids. She has also published My Overnight Adventure Journal for five-to-12-year-olds, a trip diary packed with information, tips and tricks for 24 of the South Island’s most kid-friendly huts. (The North Island edition went to print in November 2022.)

Two things that worry parents about taking toddlers into huts are disturbing other people and missing out on a bunk. Barrish is strategic about both. She decides whether or not to carry a tent at the car park, based on the number of vehicles, and when Jordan was teething or grizzly they would often bypass the hut and pitch the tent instead. “We also try to leave mid-week. The first two or three years we didn’t bump into people that often because we were picking tracks that weren’t popular.”

The Kaiapoi-based couple are both self-employed – Sonia founded online outdoors shop Back to the Wild – and they home-school Bethany, which makes mid-week missioning easier.

The children have good gear, and they carry a PLB, a tarp and an emergency blanket. She says the home first aid kit gets more use than the tramping one.

As anyone who has tramped with toddlers can attest, trips are not without sleeplessness and hard slog.

Sonia’s advice for parents is to choose routes with children in mind. “It can be really pointless for the kids; they don’t see it from our perspective.” Amazing views are less important than finding a stream to play in or snowberries to pick. Beach walking into Kahurangi Keepers Hut in Golden Bay proved a favourite for Bethany. They also do geocaching to keep the focus off the kilometres.

Sonia suggests day walks for practice but says overnighters are ultimately much more fun for youngsters. “You get to make a hot chocolate, cook your dinner on the fire, stay up after dark – all stuff that kids absolutely love to do.”

Gear to help kids get outside

Patagonia Kid’s Lightweight Synchilla Snap-T Pullover $139.99

Double-faced pullover with a chest pocket and made from soft yet durable recycled polyester. Fair Trade Certified sewn.

Petzl Tikkid 20 $59.90

A compact 20-lumen headlamp for reading or playing. Automatic shut-off after one hour allows it to be used as a night light. www.outdoorestore.co.nz

Merrell Moab Speed Low A/C WP Kids $139

A waterproof hiker / sneaker hybrid with a float foam footbed for cushioning and energy return, traditional lace closure and a non-marking outsole. www.merrell.co.nz