1/0

Hump Ridge Track Self-Guided Walk

4 days / 3 nights

|

A 60-kilometre loop on Fiordland's south coast: beaches, a ridge above the tree line and the old logging tramline, with a backcountry lodge and a hot shower at the end of every day.

Starting Point

Tuatapere

Finish Point

Tuatapere

Fitness Level

4/5

Technical Level

2/5

Season

From October to April

Accommodation Level

Basic / Comfort

Tour Type

Hut-to-Hut

Daily Distance

12 – 12 mi

Daily Elevation

525 – 3215 ft

Highlights

  • Walk New Zealand's newest Great Walk, a 60-kilometre loop with a roof every night
  • Climb from the beach to Ōkaka Lodge, 835 m up and above the tree line
  • Watch the sun set over Stewart Island from the boardwalk loop of tors and tarns
  • Follow the old logging tramline and its viaducts to the ghost town of Port Craig
  • Walk Blowholes Beach at low tide with Hector's dolphins in the surf
  • Sleep in two backcountry lodges with hot showers and a licensed shop
PricePrice on request
Send an inquiry
Anja Travel Agent
Book a call

What’s included in the price?

Accommodation levelBasic / Comfort

Combines a motel night with a private en-suite room and two nights in backcountry lodges on the track, with shared bunk rooms of four and shared bathrooms. The lodges have hot showers, gas cooking and a shop that sells meals; porridge for breakfast is included.

These are examples of the type and standard you can expect. Actual properties may vary depending on availability.

What to bring to the tour

  • Hiking shoes/boots
  • 25 to 45-liter backpack
  • Base layer
  • Sports T-shirts
  • Hiking shorts
  • Hiking water-repellent pants
  • Waterproof jacket
  • Midlayer
  • Sports socks and underwear
  • Leisurewear for evenings
  • Down jacket
  • Gloves
  • Shade hat/cap
  • Warm headwear
  • Sunscreen
  • Sunglasses
  • Headlamp
  • Hiking poles
  • ID card or passport
  • Snacks
  • Cash
  • Water bottles or hydration pack
  • Sleeping liner
  • Toiletries
  • Toilet paper
  • Small first aid kit

The Hump Ridge Track became New Zealand's eleventh Great Walk in 2024, and it is the one the others are not: bookable for the coming season, a loop with two lodges that have hot showers, a licensed shop and bunk rooms instead of a hut floor. It starts and ends at the same car park on Te Waewae Bay, at the bottom of the South Island where the road runs out.

The three days are three different walks. The first follows the beach and the forest edge, then climbs 900 m to Ōkaka Lodge above the trees, which stands in a bowl of granite tors and tarns, with Stewart Island on the horizon and a boardwalk loop for the evening light.

The second runs south along the ridge and drops to the old logging tramline, where the walking is flat and the history is in the timber: the 1920s wooden viaducts, two of them closed and seen from the bypass, one still walked, and at the end the ghost town of Port Craig with its lodge above the beach.

The third is the coast home. Blowholes Beach at low tide, Hector's dolphins in the surf most days, and the same ten kilometres of beach and bush you walked out on, back to the car park and the shuttle.

This is a real tramp. You carry your pack, sleeping bag and three days of food, about 10–14 kg, and the first two days are seven to nine hours. On Mondays and Thursdays a helicopter can fly a bag to the first lodge. Distances and climbs on this page are approximate, measured on our own route lines.

We book the lodges, the motel in Tuatapere and the shuttles to and from the track, and give you route and tide times in your guidebook. The pride of the walk is that the rest is yours.

Frequently Asked Questions

This is the hardest of our New Zealand walks. Three days of about 20 km, the first with a 900 m climb and seven to nine hours, all with your own pack. The track itself is well made, with steps and boardwalk and nothing technical. Fitness 4 of 5, technical 2 of 5.

Yes. There is no road and no boat, so you carry your sleeping bag, clothes and three days of food, about 10 to 14 kg. On Mondays and Thursdays a helicopter can fly one bag to the first lodge; you carry it from there.

Backcountry lodges, not hotels. Bunk rooms of four, shared bathrooms, hot showers for a small fee, gas cooking and a shop that sells meals and drinks. Pillows and blankets are provided; bring or hire a sleeping bag. There is no drying room and little phone signal.

Porridge for breakfast at the lodges. Dinners come from the lodge shop or your own pack, and Tuatapere has a restaurant and a small supermarket for track food.

Late October to mid-April, the lodges' season. December to March is best. In winter the track lodges are closed.

Shuttles run from Invercargill and Te Anau in about an hour and a quarter, and from Queenstown in under three hours. They must be booked in advance; we can arrange them as an extra. There is no public bus.

Two of the big wooden viaducts on day 3 are closed for repairs. The track goes round them on a bypass path with a new swing bridge, and you still see them; the third, Sand Hill, is open and crossed on foot.

Yes. The bunk rooms are shared in any case, and the track is busy in season. A room of your own in Tuatapere costs a single supplement.

HASSLE-FREE

We handle itineraries, accommodations, and anything else you prefer not to deal with, so you can enjoy a carefree hike.

BOOK WITH CONFIDENCE

We are a financially protected company, fully bonded and insured, keeping your money safe and allowing you to travel with confidence.

TRIED & TESTED ADVENTURES

We picked each walk only after checking it stage by stage, from the boat timetables to the lodge at each stop.

SUPPORT ON THE TRACK

Our support number is in the guidebook we give you, for a missed boat or a change of plan. In an emergency, dial 111, free from any phone.

Price on request