An Ode to Backcountry Huts

Te Araroa Trail Days 12-15 (206km - 300km)

Day 12: December 15 (24.5km)

Te Anau to Kiwi Burn Hut

Two things that don’t go well with rain: paper bag groceries and hitchhiking. We started off the morning with both.

Spent most of today chasing a virtually nonexistent trail, trying to connect the dots between trail markers through thick bush.

After an exhausting day of hiking, the best feeling in the world is rounding the corner to see a quaint hut inviting you right in.

We don’t have the equivalent in the US, widespread backcountry huts for public use. Each one has its own personality and always equipped with a water tank and some bunk beds.

In addition to offering a cozy shelter for hikers/hunters/wanderers to sleep, the huts create a beautiful mixing pot of strangers. People of all ages and backgrounds, off the grid, cooking, sharing stories, enjoying life. And nobody is in a rush to be anywhere else.

We stayed in Kiwi Burn Hut for the night, a little cottage nestled in a meadow. We were joined on the sun deck by the pairs of Kiwi and French girls, our little trail family of the moment.

Day 13: December 16 (28.4km)

Kiwi Burn Hut to Carey’s Hut

Great trail day. Beautiful maintained path, no guesswork. We meandered through forest, past lakes and rivers. The forest floor was bouncy! Spongy mossy marshmallow ground.

Today was our first day passing by swimmable bodies of water. We finished off the walk with a dip in the lake. Then we spent the rest of the day with our dear friend the sandfly.

Unlike its comrade the mosquito, whose prime time of attack is at dusk, the sandfly knows no time. Its favorite time to swarm you is right after you dip in the lake, after a long day of walking, when you just want to lay in the sun in peace. The sandfly always wins.

We left the water to check out our hut for the night, and met the four friendly hunters who were tailgating outside.

There are tramping huts and then there’s Carey’s hut. There were more sandflies inside the hut than outside. The walls had several fist sized holes and every inch of the wooden table was either carved or burned. In the hut log, under the trip intentions column, some earlier guests had written “4WD/fishing/sex” and “motor biking sex.” Two mice watched us longingly as we made dinner. We ended up sleeping in the tent.

In classic New Zealand fashion, a cloudless summer day turned into a night storm. And in classic Anna and Maddie fashion, our tent collapsed on us. But we still stayed dry! Once again, woke up to one hundred sandflies trapped along with us. They stayed dry too :)

Day 15: December 17 (18.7km)

Carey’s Hut to Taipo hut

Rain soaked day. We left the lake and entered a golden highland valley. Expansive and covered in desert shrubs. However, the rain transformed this dry looking landscape into a giant bog. A few lone cattle roamed the range. We felt a bit like lone cattle ourselves.

We found refuge after a full day of rain in a magical little hut. Taipo hut sits across a lovely swing bridge and has 360 views of mountains and valley.

It feels illegal that we have access to these perfect little wilderness houses all summer long! We’re currently savoring our final night with our girl group before we split ways for the holidays.

Day 16: December 18 (22.3km)

Taipo Hut to Greenstone Carpark

We made it to Queenstown! More to come

Until next time!

Anna and Maddie