Lane Cove Hut

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What people say

Sonia Barrish

"Child friendly rating: 4.5 stars Distance: 5.6km Signposted time: 2 hours Bookings Required? Yes Suitable in Winter? Yes Camping Available? Very Limited, but could squeeze a tent in. 4wd required? No Parking: For walking, park at the end of Wairākau Road, in Tōtara North. The last section of the road is steep gravel, so park lower down if you think this might be an issue. Other options: You can also take a water taxi to and/or from this hut from either Tōtara North or Whangaroa. This must be booked in advance. If taking the water taxi one way, it is around 1.5km along the road between the Tōtara North marina and the Wairākau Road trailhead. You can also pay to have your overnight bags delivered by the water taxi to make walking to the hut easier. A sea kayak or packraft is another option for getting to the hut. It's around 8km to the hut along the water. Be confident in your navigation, and watch the wind levels if taking this route. Track: There are two rivers to cross, which can flood. Don't attempt this walk after heavy rain. In summer however, they do make great spots to stop and have a dip. The Hut: This hut is actually kept locked. Make sure you've booked in advance, and have the door code saved somewhere handy so you can get in. From the hut: The Kaiaraara Rock (Duke's Nose) is well worth a visit, as long as you're not afraid of heights. Young kids under 2yo will need to be in a carrier. 3yo+ should be able to manage, however you'll need to be right behind them. Swimming near the hut in summer is lovely, however you'll need water shoes. The beach is full of shells, and a bit muddy. It's more pleasant at high tide when you don't have to go out as far. Recommendations: I would recommend walking in, and taking the water taxi out for a fun different experience. This walk is short enough and flat enough that most kids can manage even for a first overnight trip. It's not THE easiest, but definitely one of the easier overnight trips. "

Mentioned in these guides

Back to the Wild

Child-friendly Overnight Hikes of New Zealand

*please note price is in USD and I can’t change the currency* And please note the guide is IN PROGRESS. Purchasing gives you all updates, and I’m spending a lot of time to update most days. Currently you can view the waypoints. Track descriptions are being added daily. Not all tracks have descriptions yet. Descriptions include info on track conditions and terrain and how our kids of various stages found it. A guide to the Hut of New Zealand, with children in tow! Get reliable information on which hikes (With a focus on overnight) are great for kids, as well as specific child-friendly information on them. This is designed to be a parents guide and works great as an accompaniment to our My Overnight Adventure Journal, available in both Te Ika-a-Māui and Te Waipounamu, in hard print for the kids to take with on your adventures. Map Key: STAY symbol -DOC or other hut. GO symbol - Drive-to DOC or similar hut. (May be 4wd accessible) DO symbol - Walk-to camp ground. Either wild camping, or proper DOC tramping campground with toilets. Child friendly ratings explained: 5 stars: Easy shorter track, simple enough that most first timers can visit, and kids of all ages can visit (with some carrying needed for younger ages) Suitable for beginner/ never ever tramped before parents to take never ever tramped before kids. 4 stars: Easy spot to visit, however caveats exist. Eg. Big river crossing, not having a 4wd makes the track harder, there is a dodgy section, or track is on the longer side. Sometimes it is because despite the hut being very easily accessible, it’s in poor condition, and you’d need a tent to stay here, making it a less than ideal trip. 3 stars: Might not make a great first trip, but is a track kids will enjoy. Still relatively child friendly, but will need adults that have overnight hiked in a variety of terrain before, and are capable of decision making on the trip. Kids under 4 will likely need carried for sections. 2 stars: Not super child friendly, but still enjoyable for capable kids. Kids under 5 will likely need to be carried for sections. 5 year olds would need to have done several trips to be capable. But could be a first time trip for average 10yo+ 1 star: Older and fit kids 8-12+ will enjoy these. They’re not great first trips, but if you’re experienced, you could take an older more capable kid here as a first trip if you’re prepared to take all day. 0 stars: I likely won’t add these to the map, but these would be huts not recommended even for experienced kids. At the start, this map will have a bunch of locations that are child friendly, and I will add descriptive text as time goes on. For now some are missing descriptive text. Buying the guide now ensures you will get all the updates. This includes text and images, as it is updated in real time. Your support of the guide in these early stages ensures that I can continue writing the content. It will also be published in a hard copy physical book once ready.

$16.00

4.2

(5)

Map

Bailey Selland

Kid-friendly New Zealand

This is a map of all my favorite spots to explore, eat, and stay in Aotearoa New Zealand after a year and a half of living in the land of the long white cloud with my two kids. Nearly all the pins are child friendly and they are noted if not. I update this periodically as I travel to new places so keep an eye out and enjoy New Zealand's incredible country!

$29.96

$39.95

25% off

Map

About Lane Cove Hut

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