Looking for an easy overnight (or day) hike in Southland?
The 6km hike into Aparima Hut from Dunrobin Valley Road (not far from Mossburn) might be what you’re looking for.
Located in the Takatimu Conservation Area, this is an area that wouldn’t get very little foot traffic if it wasn’t for the Te Araroa Trail going through the Conservation Area. This makes Aparima Hut popular in the summer months.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the walk in from Dunrobin Valley Road via the Aparima River Track. I’ll talk about the and more in this post.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Aparima Hut Details & FAQ’s
2. Aparima Hut Map
3. How To Get There
4. My Aparima Hut Experience
1. APARIMA HUT DETAILS & FAQ’S
QUICK DETAILS:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Distance: 6km each way
- Time: 80 minutes to 2.5 hours.
- GPX File here
How hard is the hike to Aparima Hut?
The hike from Dunrobin Valley Road to Aparima Hut is an easy 6km with minimal elevation.
There’s a couple of spots where you can go the wrong way, so I make sure to have this Topo Map app ready just in case. The swingbridge might worry a few, but it’s no issues.
What is the distance from Dunrobin Valley Road to Aparima Hut?
The DOC signs say it is 6km, and that’s about spot on. My recording had just under 5.9km each way.
What is the elevation gain of the hike to Aparima Hut?
There’s minimal elevation gain, about 130 metres on the way in and 60 metres on the way out. Here’s the elevation profile to the hut:
How long does it take to hike to Aparima Hut from Dunrobin Valley Road?
If you’re a quick hiker, you could get there in 80-ish minutes, we were about 90. On the other hand, you could take upwards of 2.5 hours with little ones as we met some who did. There’s a magical little beach 2.5km into the walk as well that’s worth a wee stop.
How much does Aparima Hut cost?
Aparima Hut is a standard hut and costs:
- Adult (18+): $10/night
- Youth (5–17): $5/night
- Child/Infant (0–4 years): free
Make sure to buy your DOC hut tickets in advance.
Aparima Hut has 12 bunks, which is split between the new hut (8 beds) and old hut (4 beds). The new hut is nicer, but the other hut kept the family of four happy as for the night. The Te Araroa hikers showed up a little after our arrival so we managed a bunk while most camped…this was a Saturday night. If you want a good chance to get a mattress, arrive before 3pm…but you might want to bring a tent just in case.
Can you camp at Aparima Hut?
Yes. If there are no bunks beds and you’ve got to camp next to the hut, it’s free. This will happen a lot during the Te Araroa season.
Will it be okay during the Roar?
As the Takatimu’s allow hunters (with permits), you should wear hi0vis clothing and your pack cover in March and April (the ‘roar’ when hunters go for deer) to make yourself more obvious.
2. APARIMA HUT MAP
The map below is the GPX file overlaid on a map from topomap.co.nz.
There are orange poles and triangles along the track, but they weren’t always super obvious in the overgrowth we walked through. Our noses tended to be right, but I did check to make sure we were following the track.
You don’t need the GPX file downloaded as the track on topo maps is correct.
3. HOW TO GET THERE
The easiest most logical way to get here is by driving. There’s no obvious carpark, and as I write this am not 100% sure where the correct place to park is. We parked here just over Pleasant Creek, as there were two other cars there and the DOC signed seemed to make sense. It’s possible you should park before the bridge about 100 metres before where we crossed.
Once you turn onto Dunrobin Road prepare for a gravel road.
Distances from:
Te Anau: 82km (1 hour-ish)
Queenstown: 137km (a little under 2 hours)
Mossburn: ~23km
4. MY APARIMA HUT EXPERIENCE
This was a last minute decision to head to Aparima Hut after looking around to find where we could avoid the possible rain.
The hike started off with a walk through some long grass for the first 1.5km or so. It was high enough that a couple of the orange poles were hidden, but there was enough of a track patched by other hikers we had no issues with following our nose.
You do get close to the river at times…if there’s much more erosion I can see the track needing to be slightly rerouted…hopefully not.
Once you are through the long grass you enter into the bush which is lovely and more or less follows the river. At the 2.5km mark you’ll pass through a section out of the bush and provided there’s not been lots of rain recently is a nice spot for some snacks, read a book, and take a dip. A beautiful wee beach!
Back on the walk and you go through some more forest before you emerge onto 4WD tracks. Again, I took a quick glance at the topo map to make sure we followed the right track as there were a couple of different ones. It’s nice at this point as you feel like you’re really in the conservation area.
You’ll then potter along and get to the swing bridge…do play it by the rules and cross one at a time. It’s a sturdy bridge. Once you’ve crossed the bridge, you’ve got less than 300 metres to the hut.
What a magical little space. The hut is nice with a little verandah (bring your bug spray), fireplace and plenty of space to put wet clothing. The toilet is a classic backcountry long drop (bring your toilet paper).
If you find yourself muddy like we did, between the hut and the bridge we scrambled down the hill and washed the mud off in the river.
While at the hut, you should also walk a couple of kilometres towards Princhester Hut (unless you’re planning to continue beyond). That track is nice and you get great views. If you’re not in a rush to leave the next day, you could consider hiking to Aparima Forks Hut (15km return).
On the way back from the hut, take your time spotting the orange poles through the 4WD track section as it’s easy to venture down the wrong way. You won’t be far off track, but it’s easy to be careful rather than retracing your steps.
I really enjoyed my night at Aparima Hut (it reminded me of Green Lake Hut)…just don’t forget to bring your insect repellant, the sandflies were out in force.
If you have any questions or comments about the overnight adventure to Aparima Hut, let me know below or email jub@churnewzealand.com.
Chur.
p.s. you can find all the hikes I’ve documented in this map (clicking on the icons will provide more info):
Hey, it’s Jub here. I’m the guy behind Chur New Zealand, helping you have the best time hiking, trekking, walking…whatever you want to call it…in NZ. I’m based in Queenstown and am always out and about exploring trails, old & new. If you have any questions, reach out.