No DOC backcountry hut has a car park at its door, but several are an easy walk of two to three and a half hours from the road end and can be booked, so everyone has a bunk when they arrive. DOC's own list for families and first-time trampers names seven: Lane Cove, Mt Heale, Atiwhakatu, Haurangi, Lakehead, Bushline and Anti Crow. Adults pay $15 a night at the standard huts and $25 to $34 at the serviced ones, and children under five stay free. We read each hut's DOC page on 3 November 2026.
Seven easy bookable huts
DOC published this list as first-hut options for inexperienced trampers and family groups. Every hut on it must be booked online before you go, and bookings are open for stays up to 30 June 2027. The walk times are one way from the road end, at an easy family pace.
Check the notes before you choose. Atiwhakatu has a high wire swing bridge for one person at a time and a slip to scramble across, Anti Crow needs a crossing of Jordan Stream that you must not attempt in high water, and Bushline sits on the bushline at 1,280 m, where snow and ice make winter access hard.
| Hut and region | Walk from road end | Bunks | Adult fee per night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lane Cove Hut, Whangaroa, Northland | 2 hr, or by water | 16 | $25 to $34 |
| Mt Heale Hut, Great Barrier Island | 3.5 hr | 20 | $25 to $34 |
| Atiwhakatu Hut, Tararua Forest Park | 3 hr | 26 | $15 |
| Haurangi Hut, Remutaka Forest Park | 3 hr | 10, whole hut | $127 to $229 for the hut |
| Lakehead Hut, Nelson Lakes | 3 hr, or water taxi | 26 | $25 to $34 |
| Bushline Hut, Nelson Lakes | 2.5 hr | 14 | $25 to $34 |
| Anti Crow Hut, Arthur's Pass | 3 hr | 8 | $15 |
- Book every one before you go
- One-way walks of 2 to 3.5 hours
- Read each hut's warnings
What the fees cover
Atiwhakatu and Anti Crow are standard huts at $15 a night for an adult, $7.50 for a youth of 5 to 17, and free for children under five. Atiwhakatu also accepts the Backcountry Hut Pass. The serviced huts, Lane Cove, Mt Heale, Lakehead and Bushline, cost $25 a night for an adult from May to September, $28 on weekdays and $32 at weekends from October to April, and $29 and $34 from December to February.
Haurangi Hut is booked as a whole hut for up to 10 people: $127 a night from May to September, rising to $200 on weekdays and $229 at weekends from December to February. It is locked, and the access code comes with your booking. Backcountry Hut Passes and tickets cannot be used there.
- Standard huts: $15 an adult
- Serviced huts: $25 to $34
- Under fives stay free
287 DOC campsites, 927 huts and 262 dump stations in one app
Which hut for which trip
For the shortest walk, Lane Cove can be reached by water as well as on foot, and Lakehead by water taxi across Lake Rotoiti, which suits young children. Bushline gives the biggest view for the effort, over Lake Rotoiti and the St Arnaud Range, and is 2 hours 30 minutes from Mount Robert Road.
Atiwhakatu, three hours from the Mt Holdsworth road end near Masterton, is the easiest from Wellington, with 26 bunks and heating. DOC recommends it from October to April. Anti Crow, a 7 km walk up a flat valley from the road end in Arthur's Pass, was renovated in 2025 and is DOC's suggestion for a first family tramp from Christchurch.
- By water: Lane Cove and Lakehead
- From Wellington: Atiwhakatu
- From Christchurch: Anti Crow
What to bring
Serviced huts have mattresses, water and toilets, and some have heating, but not all supply cooking gas: at Lane Cove DOC says to bring a portable stove, food, cooking utensils and a sleeping bag. Lakehead has no firewood supplied from May to September. Boil or treat the water where DOC says to.
Check the weather and DOC's alerts the day before. DOC says it is easy to cancel or change a booking if conditions are not right, and a booking cancelled 15 or more days ahead costs 10% of the booking.
- Bring a stove where gas is not supplied
- Check alerts the day before
- Cancel early if the weather turns
Huts you can walk to without booking
Most of DOC's more than 900 huts work on a first come, first served basis and cannot be booked. They suit a family that starts early and carries a tent in case the hut is full. From 1 November 2026, the hut tickets for these huts are sold through DOC's online booking system, so you can buy them before you go.
If a bookable hut is full on your dates, our guide to booked-out huts and Great Walks covers how cancellations come back on sale.
- First come, first served huts need a tent
- Hut tickets now sold online
Finding huts in KiwiCamping
KiwiCamping lists DOC huts with their category, fee and whether they take bookings, so you can find an easy bookable hut near your route, or the campsite at its road end, and save both to your trip.
Book the hut itself on DOC's site, because KiwiCamping does not show live hut availability. Each hut you save keeps its details on your phone at the road end, where coverage often stops; the map, directions, weather and photos need it.
- See which huts take bookings
- Save the road-end campsite too
Places along the way
Check before you go
Rules and conditions change. Recheck the official source and the page for your exact park or campground before departure.
Common questions
Can you drive to a DOC hut?+
Not to the door. DOC's easiest bookable huts are a walk of two to three and a half hours from the road end, and two, Lane Cove and Lakehead, can also be reached by water. For a night beside the car, book a DOC campsite instead.
What is the best first DOC hut for a family?+
DOC lists seven bookable huts for families and new trampers. Atiwhakatu, three hours from the Mt Holdsworth road end near Masterton, and Anti Crow, three hours up a flat valley in Arthur's Pass, are its picks near Wellington and Christchurch.
How much does a DOC hut cost per night?+
At the easy bookable huts, $15 an adult at standard huts such as Atiwhakatu and Anti Crow, and $25 to $34 at serviced huts such as Bushline and Lakehead, depending on the season and day. Children under five stay free.
On the map
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KiwiCamping is an iPhone app. There is no Android version.
