Bag several huts in a quiet part of the northern Ruahine over a solid weekend. 

The northern part of Ruahine Forest Park is remote and wild, and there’s a good chance you won’t see anyone else. 

Start the circuit with a night at 5-bunk Herricks Hut, built in 1960 by the NZ Forest Service and maintained by volunteers. Contact Thorn Flat Station for permission to drive through the farm. A 4WD is required – there are many gates and a steep section of road. The hut is not signposted and can be hard to find.

From the hut, a track sidles Big Hill Stream for about 75min. When the track ends at Pt494, walk up the stream and through some tight, gorge-like sections for 1.5hr to Dead Dog Hut, a good stop for morning tea. The stream is okay in normal flow. Watch for whio, which have been doing well thanks to the predator trapping in the area. The name ‘Dead Dog’ appears to be based on the death from distemper of several dogs owned by deer cullers using the hut in its early days.

The track from the hut to No Mans Road climbs steeply through beech forest for about 2.5hr. From here you have a choice. To do the circuit clockwise (uphill), turn left and walk for 2km to where the road peters out on the Ruahine tops, passing six-bunk No Mans Hut on the way. This used to be a DOC hut but was found to be just inside the Te Koau A block Māori freehold land. It is now private and not in great condition.

Turn west at the top of the road and follow the track to the trig at 1389m, passing another private hut (Hinemanu, or White Hut). Navigation can be tricky from here all the way to Taruarau Biv in poor visibility as there are no obvious markers or poles and only an occasional ground trail to follow, despite a track being shown on most maps. The route turns northwest near the featureless Ikawetea and passes the route down to Ikawetea Forks on the left. 

A few minutes later turn northeast (make sure you don’t continue north on an old vehicle track) and stay on top of the ridge as best you can, heading in a north or northeasterly direction for about 6km. Extensive views unfold along this ridge. 

After about 3.5hr from No Mans Hut, a short track on your left leads down to crawl-in Taruarau Biv. Upgraded by Backcountry Trust volunteers in 2022, it would be a good place for two people to stay to shorten an otherwise long day.

Back on the ridge, after 15min a track leads steeply down for about 1hr to the recently renovated Dianes Hut near Koau Stream. The hut was built by the Tressider family in memory of their daughter Diane, who tramped frequently in the area.

Leaving the hut, there’s a 15min grovel in the stream before markers lead steeply up to the right. The track in pleasant beech forest leads to No Mans Road. A 2.5km walk up the road to the turnoff to Dead Dog Hut completes the circuit and from here it’s mostly downhill to Herricks Hut. 

An alternative way to explore the area is via No Mans Road (access permit obtained via the DOC online booking system), a 22km 4WD road that provides access to the huts and tracks described here, as well as Ruahine Hut.

Further information Contact Thorn Flat Station for access to Herricks Hut. Details available from DOC Palmerston North.