Hiking the South Island is made significantly more comfortable by the existence of DOC huts. I sleep pretty badly on trails no matter what, but significantly worse in a condensation-soaked tent. Some huts are bright and new, whilst others are fit for demolishing. Regardless of whether you are too fussy to sleep in the dark & spider-infested ones, you will need to carry a tent/shelter. Some stretches between huts are far too long to be made in a day, and huts may be full by the time you arrive. This is a particular concern for those hiking in peak season (typically hikers who did both islands and hike in the middle of that year’s “class”), or on busy sections like the Nelson Lakes.

You can buy your (ridiculously cheap) 6-month backcountry hut pass in DOC offices, I bought mine in their Wellington office on Manners Street 18/32. Make sure to buy your Queen Charlotte Track permit at the iSite in Picton, you need it to camp on the QCT where there are no huts.

Hut standards vary from “basic”, which generally means pretty crappy – to “standard”; these huts are newer and usually bigger.

There are no huts on the Queen Charlotte Track, but the campsites are beautiful

Hut etiquette: It is – needless to say – important to keep huts clean for hygienic reasons, but also to avoid vermin. Taipo, Boundary and Carey’s Hut on the Mavora Lakes section were infested with mice. Trust me, having a mouse run across your hair in a dark hut at night is not an experience to covet.

In each hut you will find an intentions book. Write down your details even if you are not staying in the hut, it serves a safety function to state your last known location if you go missing.

Clean up after yourself and use hand sanitizer whenever you have been to the toilet/before you eat! There are frequent gastro outbreaks in very busy huts like Blue Lake Hut. Be considerate and smart!

Hut trends by section: On the Queen Charlotte Track there are no huts, but very good & spacious campsites in great locations. The Richmond Ranges offer frequent and a varied mix of huts, I camped outside half of them. The Nelson Lakes section is highly trafficked, and the huts that intersect with the Travers Sabine Circuit are the biggest on the TA. The whole track provides spacious and new huts, but be sure to get there on time! The “middle” section from Boyle to Lake Coleridge has mostly large and decent huts. From Lake Coleridge/Methven the huts are very run down, we didn’t stay in any of them. But the Two Thumb Range is so beautiful, you’d never want to miss camping beneath those starry skies! From Twizel to Wanaka the huts go from 100-0 and back again. On the Motatapu track to Queenstown you are in for a real treat! All three huts are brand new and in gorgeous locations. Mavora Lakes is generally a good mix of great locations, decent huts, but some unfortunate factors (in Taipo Hut, a mouse ran over my hair…). Once past Te Anau there are fewer huts, but some private options and small towns once you get to the coast.

Here follows a selection of some huts & camps that stood out, one way or another…

Favourite hut:

Red Hills Hut, Richmond Ranges. Red Hills Hut was just so small abd clean and neat and… perfect. A nice porch outside to enjoy the sunset. The last hut on the end of TA’s longest & toughest stretch, a sweet treat!

Nicest hut:

Hamilton Hut, after Arthur’s Pass. Big and new, it was Toby’s favourite. Several bedrooms and a cosy fireplace.

Nicest hut we didn’t stay in:

Rocks Hut, Richmond Ranges. One of the nicest huts on this stretch, would have loved to sleep there! Big and clean in a great location close to the treeline

Worst hut we didn’t stay in (we never stayed in any bad huts):

Stody’s Hut, Breast Hill Track. The hut book read “Beware of the giant rat, it ate my toothbrush!!!” Enough said.

Hut with best location:

Highland Creek Hut, Motatapu Track. One of the shiny new huts, squeaky clean with a great lookout porch and a swimming hole in the nearby river.

Huts it was the greatest salvation to reach:

Hunter’s Hut, Richmond Ranges/Pakituhi Hut, Breast Hill Track. Hunters Hut was my best sleep on the trail, I was smashed. Pakituhi Hut is new, light and perfectly situated. Reached after my longest day on the trail (13 hrs), it felt like a 5 star hotel.

Most crowded hut:

Blue Lake Hut, Nelson Lakes. Busy, frequented by both hikers and stomach viruses according to the reports. Stunning location with the world’s clearest lake nearby.

Most pleasant surprise:

Waiau Hut, Nelson Lakes, new of 2017. Small, brand new and just perfect after a very long and dramatic day over Waiau Pass. A world away from neighbouring Caroline Creek Bivvy…

Strangest hut:

A Frame Hut, between the rivers. This tiny, oddly shaped hut ended up being our shelter in a massive rainstorm that forced us to turn around between the rivers. It can barely fit the three people it’s designed to house, but was cozy and easy to warm up.