Hike | Fiordland | New Zealand
Hiking the Tuatapere Hump Ridge Track in Fiordland
Text | Anninka Kraus
Photography | Tobias Kraus
New Zealand Southland
At the very bottom of the South Island, tucked away in a remote corner of south-west Fiordland is one of New Zealand’s best multi-day walks, the 62km Tuatapere Hump Ridge Track.
This is a private track, run and maintained by the Tuatapere Hump Track Charitable Trust, which opened to the public in 2001, after many months of hard work from the residents of Tuatapere, who laid 10km of the track with a hand-build boardwalk to protect the ecosystem.
It is thanks to the local community that we now have this walk that even by New Zealand standards is exceptional in its raw, scenic beauty and the diversity of the landscapes it traverses, from coastal to sub-alpine.
jump ahead.
Hiking the 62km Tuatapere Hump Ridge Track tracing the southern coastline of Fiordland.
Day 1: Rarakau – Okaka Lodge
Day 2: Okaka Lodge – Port Craig Lodge
Day 3: Port Craig Lodge – Rarakau
The enchanted forest with trees that are dwarfish and twisted like misshapen gnomes.
what to expect.
One of New Zealand’s best multiday walks, tucked away in a remote corner of south-west Fiordland
The Hump Ridge Track is exceptional in its raw, scenic beauty and the diversity of the landscapes it traverses, from coastal to sub-alpine
Two beautiful lodges provide accommodation on the track: Okaka Lodge is situated in a sub-alpine environment at almost 1’000m altitude and offers splendid views across the Southern Ocean to Stewart Island, while Port Craig Lodge is at sea-level, mere steps from Mussel Beach
Optional upgrades are available to freedom walkers and add a great deal of comfort like private rooms and hot showers
location & trail information.
How to get to the Hump Ridge Track: The Tuatapere Hump Ridge Track is located in Southland District at the very bottom of New Zealand’s South Island. Driving times to the nearest cities are: 1 hour to Invercargill, 1.5 hours to Te Anau, and 2.5 hours to Queenstown. The Humpridge Shuttle provides scheduled services to/from Te Anau and Invercargill and cooperates with Tracknet for the leg to/from Queenstown. There’s no local public transport to the trail head, but the Trust organises transport from Tuatapere to the start of the track at Rarakau ($45 per person for the return trip/departure time Tuatapere 8am, Rarakau 2:30pm). | Rarakau car park is free of charge but donations to the farmer who owns the property are welcome.
Accommodation on the Hump Ridge Track: This is a private walk operated by Hump Ridge Charitable Trust in a unique partnership between the Tuatapere community and the DOC. The Trust operates two lodges on the track and stays must be booked in advance. There is no other accommodation along the track and camping is strictly prohibited. Lodge stays and optional upgrades (private room, shower, meal etc.) can be booked online.
Food on the Hump Ridge Track: Both lodges have a fully equipped kitchen for you to use, including cutlery, crockery, and tea and coffee making facilities with tea, coffee, hot chocolate, and milk powder provided. You can either bring your own food or buy bangers & mash (Tuatapere sausages x4, peas, mash & gravy (2 serve) for $25), freeze dried meals, and snacks and drinks at the lodge. Guided groups are fully catered.
When to hike: In summer season, between November and April. Hiking in winter season (May – October) is also possible, although the track will be closed for maintenance 29 May – 23 October 2021.
How to prepare: For this hike you want bright blue skies and little to no rain for at least one week before you go, as the trail can get very muddy. Unfortunately, the strict cancellation policy doesn’t allow you to cancel your trip for any reason, including medical, without losing at least 25% of the booking value, but bookings can be transferred to a future date if notice is given at least 7 days before the departure date. The booking value, minus a 10% fee, can then be credited against a new booking within a 12-month period.
Is the Hump Ridge Track a Great Walk? Not yet, but it will be in late 2022. The DOC is currently upgrading the track to Great Walk standard and converting it into a four-day, three-night walk.
Hump Ridge Track walking packages: The Trust offers several walking packages including guided, jet boat, and heli options. We booked the Classic Freedom Walk (3 days / 2 nights) and private room package (twin or double room, all bedding, linen and towels supplied, and hot shower included). | Freedom walk departures are any weekday except Friday and cost $295 per person (multi-share room sleeps 8) in 2020/2021 season and $345 per person (multi-share room sleeps 4) in 2021/2022 season. The cost of the Private Room Package is + $100 per room per night in 2020/2021 season and will increase to + $125 per room per night for 2021/22 season.
It is not its scenic beauty however that makes this hike unique. What sets the Hump Ridge Track and its lodges apart, are small but significant details that other backcountry trails with DOC huts lack.
An overnight tramp in classic “Kiwi” fashion – where any comfort is too much comfort – is perfect for most, who revel in the lack of what I sorely miss. It doesn’t however match everyone’s expectations (mine for instance) of an inviting overnight stay on a hike.
Those of us who’re used to alpine chalets with fluffy pillows, flush toilets, and hot showers, where apple strudel is served with a dollop of whipped cream for afternoon tea – well, we might struggle a little on a “Kiwi” style tramp. And we seek out the small number of multiday tracks in New Zealand that provide upscale amenities for freedom walkers.
While you can book guided premium tours with stays in private lodges on some Great Walks with Ultimate Hikes, those who prefer to walk unguided have only a few tracks available to them – like the Queen Charlotte, Abel Tasman, Nydia, and Humpridge tracks – all of which cross private land and for that reason provide upscale accommodation to independent walkers.
Now, there’s no apple strudel on the Hump Ridge Track, but this trail is a pretty awesome compromise between classic backcountry tramping and a more comfortable experience in that it combines DOC style lodges with optional upgrades like private rooms and hot showers. We loved the private room package, but if you prefer a bunk room and don’t want to pay extra for the shower, that’s fine too. You’ll still have flush toilets, running drinkable water, and hot porridge for breakfast, without compromising on solitude and splendid vistas.
The position of two lodges on the Hump Ridge Track perfectly reflect the variety of scenery the track passes through as it traces the southern coastline of Fiordland. Okaka Lodge is situated in a magnificent sub-alpine landscape at almost 1’000m altitude and offers panoramic views over the Southern Ocean to Stewart Island, whereas Port Craig Lodge is located at sea-level mere steps from Mussel Beach and the remnants of the former Port Craig settlement.
Port Craig or what little of it remains from the 1920s when this was New Zealand’s busiest milling town, demonstrates well how much has changed in our use and conservation of natural resources in the past one hundred years. In 1916, the Marlborough Timber Company had more than 14km of railway tracks laid through the bush and employed more than 200 men in its deforestation.
By the time the mills closed in 1930, 14 square kilometres of native forest had been logged and shipped from Port Craig. 70 years later, in 2001, the Hump Ridge Track opened, yet again capitalizing on this enchanted, lichen draped forest that provides income to the rural communities – only this time in a much more sustainable way. Another twenty years, in 2022, and the Humpridge Track will join New Zealand’s formidable collection of outstanding hiking trails as the eleventh, and newest, Great Walk.
For the moment, the Hump Ridge Track is a quiet alternative to the busy Great Walks in Fiordland (Milford, Kepler, and Routeburn) and due to its remote location will probably remain less crowded even when its track status changes.
The trail was very muddy at the time, but the planned track upgrades in preparation for its opening as Great Walk include drainage work along the former tramway line and will considerably reduce the amount of mud you’ll have to contest with.
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Remnants of historic Port Craig wharf.
Fiordland | New Zealand
Hike | Loop trail | 3 days
track details.
Start/End: Rarakau Farm car park, Bluecliffs Beach in Te Waewae Bay, 20min from Tuatapere
Direction: from the Hump Ridge Track office at 31 Orawia Rd in Tuatapere, turn left onto SH99, left again onto Papatotara Rd, then right onto Papatotara Coast Rd and follow that road to Rarakau car park at the end
Route:
Day 1: Rarakau car park – Waikoau River – Stoney Creek – Track Burn – Flat Creek – Water Bridge Shelter – Stag Point – Okaka Lodge
Day 2: Okaka Lodge – Luncheon Rock Shelter – Percy Burn Viaduct – Shannon’s Gully – Port Craig Lodge
Day 3: Port Craig Lodge – Camp Creek – Blowholes Beach – Flat Creek – Track Burn – Stoney Creek – Waikoau River – Rarakau car park
Distance: 56.8km (official distance: 62km – note that distances for the track vary a little as some trail sections can also be walked on the beach)
Time: 3 days | approx. hiking time per day: 7-9 hr on days 1 and 2, and 5-7 hr on day 3
Elevation gain: +/-1’486m (lowest point: 0m / highest point: 980m)
Difficulty: medium | the track alternates between easy boardwalk sections and path with much tree root and rock that can get very muddy | the altitude gain of 900m to Okaka Lodge on day one is demanding, so is the descent back to sea-level on day 2 | if you’re afraid of heights, please not that there are several swing bridges to cross
Permits: track access is restricted to guests staying at the lodges
Options: after at least two weeks with no rain, the track would be suitable for trail running | If you plan to run the whole circuit in one day, you may still have to contact the Trust concerning track access.
Further information: Official Hump Ridge Track website
Hike | 21km | 7-9 hours
Rarakau - Okaka Lodge
It’s past midday and we’re the last for today to pick up our lodge passes at the office in Tuatapere and start on the hike. The rain of the past days has left the trail muddy that leads from Rarakau car park into native bush, but the slight drizzle at least has stopped just in time. A steep descent from the clifftop down several flights of stairs takes us to sea level and the Waikoau River swing bridge that overlooks a collection of holiday cribs and fishermen’s huts hiding behind the dunes. Soon we spot markers pointing us down to Blowholes Beach and stroll along this expansive sweep of driftwood strewn sand.
At first, we don’t notice the incoming tide much, but then large waves push further and further up the beach and leave us only a narrow strip of large pebbles to walk on. We make slow progress as the tide reclaims almost all of the shore until markers point us back towards the 4WD track behind the dunes. At the loop trail junction at Flat Creek, a large section of the track is washed out and we crawl up a muddy temporary diversion, holding onto thin branches that dangle from the tree canopy like lianas.
After that, the track varies considerably on the steep 900m uphill scramble over ten kilometres to Stag Point – from easy boardwalk sections and fun swing bridges to muddy forest floor with much rock and endless roots. It’s easily manageable for someone with a reasonable fitness level, but no walk in the park. We in any case take what seems like forever to arrive at the lookout.
Not because we’re exhausted (that too), but entranced by the forest, dwarfish and twisted like misshapen gnomes, and in love with the neat boardwalk that carefully navigates through a thick understorey of ferns and gnarled trees and floats beautifully above plump pillows of rain-soaked spongy moss. Fine strands of lichen are bunched up in fuzzy ‘nests’ like candy floss and draped over knotted branches where they flutter softly in the wind.
When we reach Stag Point, the distant shorelines of Te Waewae Bay and Stewart Island are still settled under a fuzzy sea mist or low hanging clouds. It’s hard to tell which with the continuum of grey sky and equally grey sea, but we’re in sight of the lodge at this point and eagerly follow the track around the spur and along the ridge. Okaka Lodge is everything I’d hoped for and more: Clean, private rooms with hot-water bottles and fluffy pillows on our king-sized bed, towels, hot showers (max 4min, but that’s plenty, believe me), a fully equipped kitchen, hot tea and coffee, and a small shop with much appreciated unhealthy snacks and a large selection of sugary fizzy drinks and alcohol.
Later in the evening, when all the lights are turned off, we sneak back outside into the pitch-black night. In this remote corner of Fiordland, with no light pollution, the Milky Way is clearly visible. And indeed, this white ribbon of trillions of stars floating across the velvet-black canvas looks very much like someone spilt a glass of milk on a black kitchen counter.
The Tuatapere Hump Ridge Track is tucked away in a remote corner of south-west Fiordland in Southland District at the very bottom of New Zealand's South Island.
Hike | 21km | 7-9 hours
Okaka Lodge - Port Craig Lodge
The next morning there’s not a cloud in the pale blue sky, but a thin layer of frost covers the ground. My breath forms small misty clouds that slowly disperse in the ice-cold air – inside our room. Without any insulation, it’s as cold inside as it is outside. I grab one of the hot water bottles that are still lukewarm from our body heat and sneak it under my down jacket to keep me warm while I brush my teeth at the outdoor sinks. Just then, the first rays of sunlight break across the mountain silhouette and flood the tussock covered grasslands with a golden glow.
It’s a spectacular sight from an outdoor bathroom, but my fingers are slowly turning numb and I quickly make my way towards the lodge and the blurry images behind its steam-up windows, of hikers in thermals milling about with cups of hot tea and bowls of porridge. It’s warm and cosy in there, but no sooner have we made a cup of tea than the warden ushers us back outside onto the porch from where he’s spotted a magnificent stag sunbathing not far from the lodge. I don’t think I’d have noticed it myself the way it blends in perfectly with the short sub-alpine shrubs.
Hikers are asked to vacate their rooms by nine to ensure everyone makes it to Port Craig before dark, but the lodge empties out well before that time. When we follow the fully boardwalked loop track up the ridge, all the others have already set off towards Port Craig. At the top, I’m truly at a loss of where to walk or look first.
To my left, a semicircle of rugged limestone outcrops sculpted by the tireless erosive might of the weather rises around an alpine tarn and reflects beautifully in the bluish-black water surface. The air is perfectly still, not a breath of wind, nor a ripple on the water, and no sound either. To my right, the boardwalk extends to a viewing platform with brilliant views over the Southern Ocean. When we follow the trail as it swoops behind and around the encircled tarns, equally magnificent views appear over southern Fiordland and the Waitutu Forest.
I’m reluctant to move on, thinking the most scenic part of today’s stretch must surely be over, but I’m wrong. Walking along the undulating Hump Ridge with the boardwalk in front of us zigzagging in a thin line across the green ridge to the backdrop of the sparkling deep blue ocean and impenetrable greenery of the Waitutu Forest, I see why this is, in fact, the most photographed trail section. We take a long time to reach Luncheon Rock, which is the last spot with long views into southwest Fiordland and out across the sea to distant islands before the trail disappears into the forest.
Once more the trees are stunted and almost grotesquely distorted but lavishly decorated with pale green lichen. The early morning sunshine illuminates the pale strands of lichen with a golden glow, but not yet touches the boardwalk or thick cushions of dark green moss blanketing all of the forest floor where the dampness clings. We struggle to capture the magical atmosphere on camera – the different textures, the contrast of sun and shade created by the early morning light, the bountiful palette of deeply saturated greens and browns, and mesmerizing quietness of this enchanted wilderness.
The descent down the ridge to sea level is steep at times and very muddy. When finally, we catch a glimpse of a wooden viaduct through the dense foliage, we know we’ve made it to the flat home stretch along the former tramlines to the old Port Craig sawmill town. We cross three viaducts, beautiful wooden structures dating to the 1920s, of which the largest, the Percy Burn Viaduct, is 125m long and the world’s highest wooden viaduct still standing.
In between the bridges, hundreds of railway sleepers still lie half-submerged in the mud and lead to what little remains of the former Port Craig settlement from the thriving logging era. That is mostly rusted machinery scattered around the only building that is still in use – the little schoolhouse was converted into a DOC hut. Maybe the rotting wooden skeleton of the old wharf on Mussel Beach gives some idea of the former scale of operations, but it too is slowly being devoured by the Southern Ocean.
The fully boardwalked loop track up the ridge from Okaka Lodge extents to a viewing platform with brilliant views over the Southern Ocean.
Hike | 20km | 5-7 hours
Port Craig - Rarakau
We leave at dawn to make it to Bluff in time for the 3 pm ferry to Stewart Island. There’s just enough light filtering through the bush canopy to follow the path without a torch or headlamp and it’s eerily quiet. The sound of our footsteps is swallowed by the soft forest floor and the birds seem to be sleeping still. Only the waves lap faintly at the shore.
When the path spills onto Blowholes Beach, the early morning light has given way to a slightly darker shade of grey sky that looks like it might stay all day until dusk arrives with still darker, bolder grey hues. I watch out for Hector dolphins that often visit the bay, but spot none.
Instead, two fishermen wave back at me from where they stand on a formation of rocky spurs jutting out of the water, engulfed in the spray cast up by the waves crashing into the rock at their feet. For some time, the path meanders up and down as it moves across headlands and along the beach until we reach the junction of the track to Okaka Lodge at Flat Creek and retrace our steps along Bluecliffs Beach and back to the car park.
On the second day on the Hump Ridge Track, you cross three viaducts, beautiful wooden structures dating to the 1920s, of which the largest, the Percy Burn Viaduct, is 125m long and the world's highest wooden viaduct still standing.
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