Child-friendly Overnight Hikes of New Zealand

Child friendly rating: 5 stars Distance: 1.8km Signposted time: 40 minutes Parking: End of Mangatepopo Road, Tongariro Alpine Crossing carpark Suitable to visit in winter: Yes Bookings Required? Yes in season, No off-season This is the hut that my child will called "The hut that was so easy I didn't even need a break" The signposted time is very generous. With a baby and a 5yo walking, it took us around 25 minutes to walk the easy well formed very flat track. The track is wide enough that you could even push a stroller the whole way. HOWEVER, this hut is best visited off-season. (1st May - Late October). In season, there is a 4 hour parking limit at the trailhead, meaning that you'll need to find someone to drop you off and pick you back up as you won't be able to park here. There are shuttles available too. There is a fireplace inside the hut, and it wasn't too cold for us South Islanders. In the October school holidays we shared the hut with one single person. As long as you are aware of ice, this hut is suitable to visit in winter time during snowfall. A great entry-level winter hike, as you're not too far from the road and the track is so straightforward. Recommendation: A fantastic first hut for anyone. Visit off season so you don’t have to worry about parking. Pick a better weather day and be aware of ice on the track if it’s freezing or if there’s snow on the ground.

Child friendly rating: 5 stars Distance: 4.2km Signposted Time: 2 hours Parking: Park in Kaituna Valley Suitable for winter? Yes Bookings Required? Yes Camping: Allowed You can also park at Gebbies Pass, however the track is more difficult and exposed coming from this side. There are sections with drop-offs, and the track is narrower. Car parking is also not as safe here. I wouldn't recommend coming from this side with small children, unless you are carrying them. Instead I'd recommend coming via Kaituna Valley as described below. Another option is coming from Orton Bradley Park via Mt Herbert. This is the way I'd recommend if you're planning on visiting with teens or other more capable kids. This is an easy to visit hut for kids, however the track from Kaituna Valley can be quite boring for them. The first section follows the forest, and then you start heading up. It is 4wd track quality the whole way, but some sections are quite steep. There is one section of native forest near the end, but otherwise you are generally on farmland. Climbing up, there are good views to be had, but you'll likely appreciate these more on the walk down when you can see them without turning around. It is a very quaint old cute hut. And while camping is allowed next to the hut, I wouldn't personally recommend it unless you know the wind forecast is going to be extremely mild. Tents have been blown away here! And it doesn't take much wind for it to be funneled across the saddle here. With a 1 year old being carried and children aged 6-9 walking, it took our group just over 2 hours to get to the top, including breaks. The walk back down on the other hand only took 75 minutes. Recommendation: Don’t walk in the heat of the hottest part of the day as this track is very exposed most of the way. Staying in the hut is better than camping here. Don’t load kids backpacks up too much on the uphill.

Child friendly rating: 1 star Distance: 10.9km from Holdsworth / 9.5km from Waiohine Signposted time: 4hrs from Holdsworth / 4hrs 30 from Waiohine Parking: Either at Holdsworth, or Waiohine Campgrounds Bookings Required? Yes Suitable for Winter? Yes This hut has two fairly equal, but both fairly challenging for kids routes to the hut. While it is still a child-friendly distance, I would not recommend it for a first tramp, however if your kids are very determined, keen, and strong, and likely at least 10 years old, it would be ok to do as a first hike. Any child under 5 will likely need to be carried at least for sections of the walk. And be prepared for it to take all day with kids 5-10+. Walk was done with a 2.5yo, 6.5yo, and a 9 week pregnant māmā in the middle of winter. From Holdsworth Road: The track was in better condition as far as Gentle Annies Saddle The downhill section is VERY steep and full of tree roots - hard to walk with a 2yo in the carrier on the front! It wasn't too bad downhill, but if we had done the track in reverse, I would have probably died needing to climb so high uphill, especially carrying a child. You get the climb over and done with in one go. you climb as far as Gentle Annie, and then it's more or less downhill the rest of the way. Gentle Annie is just past halfway. TOTAL TIME IT TOOK US: 7hrs 45mins From Waiohine Gorge: Though the signs suggest this track is shorter, the GPS thought both tracks were about the same and that the distances on the tracks are quite inaccurate. There are numerous slips and gorge sections to climb up and over. You never knew what the track is going to do next. If there are high river levels there is an extra gorge section to climb up and over too, as you have to bypass the section along the river if the flow is too high. The track is also quite tree rooty, which meant my 2yo needed lots of help when walking, and it was tough to see underfoot while carrying him. The last 2km to the hut are walking through grassy flats. Super nice and easy. This section shouldn't take more than 30-60 minutes. TOTAL TIME IT TOOK US: 7hrs 20mins Which way is easier? Mentally, Waiohine Gorge was much harder personally. Never knowing if the track was going up or down was a struggle. Physically, both felt hard at the time, but I did prefer Waiohine Gorge - I am not the biggest fan of uphill walks, esp when carrying a 20kg pack + a heavy toddler + being pregnant - and Waiohine gave many more breaks of flat sections among the uphill sections. Next time I would definitely choose Waiohine Gorge, however it depends on whether you feel the same about uphill sections! If walking in one way & out the other, then in via Holdsworth out via Waiohine is definitely the easier way, and I would recommend this if it is an option. The other thing to take into account is the swingbridge near Waiohine Gorge. This is a whopping 120m long, and my mum nerves were on edge. If you have a fear of heights, this may determine which route you can take. Recommendation: Visit with kids that are older and have already done a few of the easier tracks around. Set aside a full day for the walk in, so you don’t have to rush. If you can, walk in one way and out the other to keep the track more exciting.

Child friendly rating: 4 stars Distance: 8km approx. from 4wd carpark. 12km from 2wd carpark along coastline or 15km approx from 2wd carpark along road. Signposted time: 3 hours from 4wd carpark, or 4 hours from 2wd carpark. Bookings Required? No Suitable for Winter? Yes This is one of my favourite overnight trips. The beach and coastline is just stunning. Windswept, and gorgeous. It's not suitable for swimming, as the coastline is too rough, however upstream at Big River would be a great spot for a dip as long as the river is not in flood. - But if the river is in flood, you wouldn't be able to cross it to get to the hut anyway. There are 4 rivers to cross along the way, and these are all approximately equal distance apart from each other. Anaweka is the first river. This is at the 2wd carpark. The river is not difficult to cross, however if following the coastline, you'll have to make sure the tide is below half-tide. (ie. 3 hours either side of low tide) This is because the first section of the track after Anaweka follows a beach under a cliff with many large boulders. At high tide when the powerful waves are crashing near here, it's extremely dangerous to be walking this way. If you time your visit wrong, or don't want to walk along the coastline, you can also walk via the 4wd road. This is however a much more boring walk. You need to climb up and over around 140m above sea level. It can get hot and exposed. Plus the distance is around 3-4km longer than along the coastline. It is however safer in that you don't need to walk below the cliff or time the tide at this end of the walk. Walking this section along the coastline took us 1.5 hours with a 3yo in tow who was walking around half the time. Turimawiwi is the next river. This is where you start walking if you have a 4wd. There is no more cliff face past here. Turimawiwi to Anaweka took us 1 hour. Anaweka river has soft sinking sand. It's best to cross this near the beach. Anaweka to Big River took us just under 1 hour. Big River is important to cross 2 hours either side of low tide. If you carried a packraft, you could cross this on a packraft too. Or without kids you could walk over with packs above heads. But with children it is definitely best to cross 2 hours either side of low tide. This means if you don't have a 4wd and you're taking the coastal route the whole way, you will need to time the tide both at Anatori and at Big River. Big River is easiest to cross slightly upstream (around 200m) of the beach. At low tide it will only be up to your ankles, but at high tide can be up to your head. If there's been a lot of rain and the river is in flood, you won't be able to cross the river. Follow regular river crossing safety advice around this. From Big River it's 30-45 minutes to the hut - with a 3yo stopping to play it took us an hour. There is a sign on the beach indicating where to turn off the beach to the hut. If you can see the lighthouse, you've walked too far. The hut even has a flushing toilet! It's 4wd and quad bike accessible if you're tough, which means it can be busy with quad bikers hooning around during low tide, especially on long weekends. Overnight visitors are normally only the odd tramper, so you're likely to have most of the 26 beds to yourself. From here, you can explore the sand dunes behind the hut, follow the stream next to the hut upstream, and make your way to the lighthouse. I'd recommend staying for 2 nights as there is so much space to explore around here! An easy trip for kids of all ages if you have a 4wd, or if you know you can make it between the tide times along the coastline (walking 4wd road does make this a much harder trip).

Child friendly rating: 4 stars Distance: 6.2km Signposted time: 2 hours Bookings Required? No Suitable in Winter? Yes Camping? Yes, but see below. Park as far as you can along Te Waiti Stream Road. A 4wd is really best for this road. The road isn't maintained by the council, and has a few river crossings, but if you have a higher clearance 2wd, you'll likely be fine. Bushhaven used to allow you to safely park on their premises for a fee - they didn't let us when we went as said they were in process of selling their property. But worth trying your luck if you wanted. The walk to this hut is spectacular, and really child friendly. The hut however, is not. And talking to locals, it sounds like it is an ongoing issue unfortunately. If it wasn’t for the poor condition of the hut, this would be a 5 star child friendly rated trip. The grass outside the hut is full of rubbish - old empty cans, animal bones. The deck was covered in animal blood when we visited. Inside looked like mice would be likely to get inside. And the fireplace was full of rubbish, including nappies. The toilet was filthy too. It wasn't the kind of place I would want kids running around exploring at all. The track however, was perfect. Slightly overgrowing with big tussock, but very easy to see the track, and almost no elevation change the whole way. It was built as a bike trail, and is very lovely to walk. It took us almost 3 hours to walk in, but this was with a 1 year old walking decent chunks. If wanting to come here, I'd recommend doing this trip as a day walk, or camping instead of staying in the hut. I wouldn't camp near the hut, but the river flats below the hut are a good location, or there are some grassy clearings past the hut too. You need to cross the river just before the hut. It is a very small crossing, but you will likely get boots. One thing to be aware of is when you cross the river, it can be easy to loose the track on the other side. Google maps shows the track as remaining on the other side of the river, and the marker after the crossing is easy to miss. As long as you're aware of this and don't keep following the river down, you'll be fine.

Child friendly rating: 4 stars Distance: 5km Signposted Time: 1 hr 30 mins Bookings Required? No Permission Required? Yes Suitable for Winter? Yes (If you don't mind wet feet) 4wd needed? Yes if you want to park off-road This hut is on private Brooksdale Station land, but they are generally happy for trampers to use the hut. You do need to phone to gain permission first though. (Stu Gunn: 027 6511 422 or Hamish: 027 3583 809) If you have a 4wd, you can hire the key for the gate at the start of the track for a koha. (Suggested amount is $10pp at the sign in book) This will mean you can park off the road, as parking on the main highway overnight is not considered safe. Please note when they tell you that the key is in the red shed, they mean the small house/cottage, not the shed itself. The walk is very easy. In fact I would say it's one of the easiest overnight trips in Canterbury. However, the hut is not the best quality hut. It's very dated, which would not be an issue, but it was very mouse infested, and this seems to be an ongoing issue. The mice luckily stuck to themselves (Unlike some huts mice which are used to people and will try get into all your food!). The track is pretty obvious till you diverge off the 4wd track and need to follow the river. I would recommend having some navigational skills here. Follow the river branch with the power poles. Take a topo map or a GPS with you. You do simply follow the river, however please don’t follow the wrong branch of the river. Recommendations: Visit as a day trip, or sleep in a tent. It is a great easy walk that even toddlers can do most of. Don't visit after heavy rain, as the rivers will be in flood. Shoulder season means the mountains are covered in snow, and can make for stunning views. Visiting in summer is best if still a beginner as you don’t want your wet boots to get cold and uncomfortable from the river crossings. We did manage to keep dry boots the whole way with me carrying kids across to keep their boots dry too, but in heavier flows this would not be possible.

Child friendly rating: 5 stars Distance: 2km Signposted time: 30 minutes Bookings Required? Yes Suitable for Winter? Yes Camping Available? A few spots around the hut. Ask when booking. Cost: Suggested koha - $20/ adult, $0/ kid 4wd Required? Helpful Hut owned by the Josef Langer Charitable Trust. The last 300m of the road requires a 4wd. It's not a rough road, but it is steep, and quite slippery. Even in dry conditions our 2wd didn't make it. There is multiple signs on the road saying 4wd only, but you can definitely keep going to the bottom of the steep section. If your car doesn't make it up the steep section, simply park on the grass near the sign here, and walk the extra 300m. The walk is very straightforward. It follows a 4wd track, so not technical at all. There's some lovely bush, so it's not too exposed or boring either. The hut is well-equipped. Gas is provided, all your cutlery, crockery, etc. You only need to bring your own clothes, food, and sleeping bags. There is space for 7 to sleep. Downstairs is a fold out couch + single bed, and there is an upstairs loft level with mattresses on the floor. Recommendations: The perfect first hut to visit. It's a very short distance, so you can easily return to the car if needed. With crockery etc provided, you don't need to bring or own lightweight options. You don't even need to own lightweight sleeping bags or anything yet, as you're not walking a huge distance so big and bulky gear doesn't matter. We visited this hut as my first hut postpartum with baby number 3, and it was perfect for this.

Child Friendly Rating: 5 stars Distance: 2km Signposted time: 45 minutes Bookings Required? No Suitable for Winter? Yes - Caution Required. This hut is higher above sea level than it feels, so can get snow regularly in winter. It doesn't cross avalanche paths, but just be wary of ice on the track. 4wd Required? No Camping Available? Not too much around the hut. There is a campsite near the river another 30mins along however. This would be a lovely pleasant spot in summer. The walk is very easy through lovely bush, with a beautiful bridge. The track is well graded, and it's easy enough that most toddlers should be able to walk at least decent chunks of the way. If your toddler is unable to walk it, at least it's not far or a hard walk to carry them. The hut itself is a standard hut - not too fancy, but not old and dated either. One large room, so no space to get babies off to sleep separately if that's what you need. Recommendations: This is the perfect first-time overnight hike. The track is short, not difficult, but not boring. There's a river to explore further along the track. It's a fun location for all ages. And visiting in winter is possible, making it a great way to get out of the house in cooler weather.