Source: Department of Conservation, data as of 11 August 2026. Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Data credits
Manawatū/Whanganui at a glance
| DOC huts | 43 |
|---|---|
| Marked closed in the data | 2 |
| Bunks across all huts | 308 |
| Most bunks | John Coull Hut (24) |
| Free huts | 6 |
| Huts with a fee | 36 |
| Adult nightly rates listed | $10 to $35 |
| Must be booked through DOC | 4 |
| Hut categories | Standard hut 28, Basic hut or bivvy 7, Serviced hut 6, Great Walk hut 2 |
| Great Walk huts | 2 |
| Heating | 40 |
| Mattresses | 42 |
| Water from a stream | 13 |
| Within 3 hours of a road (where DOC lists it) | 5 |
| Most huts in | Ruahine Forest Park 33, Whanganui National Park 7, Waitōtara Conservation Area 3 |
| DOC campsites in the region | 20 |
Tramping to DOC huts in Manawatū/Whanganui
The 43 DOC huts in Manawatū/Whanganui fall into two quite different groups. Ruahine Forest Park holds 33 of them, mostly standard huts at $10 a night. Whanganui National Park holds 7, among them the region's 2 Great Walk huts and 4 serviced huts. The Waitōtara Conservation Area has the other 3.
In the Ruahine, Waipawa Forks Hut has 12 bunks and Iron Gate Hut 10, while Barlow Hut, Cattle Creek Hut, Colenso Hut and Kelly Knight Hut have 8 each. Alice Nash Memorial Heritage Lodge is a standard hut with 8 bunks and lighting. Rangiwahia Hut is the park's serviced hut in the list, with 13 bunks at $25. Waikamaka Hut shows a fee but no rate.
Whanganui National Park has the two biggest huts. John Coull Hut has the most bunks in the region with 24, and Tīeke Marae/Kāinga has 20; both are Great Walk huts at $25 to $35 for adults, the top of the region's $10 to $35 range, and both list cooking facilities. The park's serviced huts, Pouri Hut with 12 bunks, Ngapurua Hut with 10, and Omaru Hut and Puketotara Hut with 8, all charge $25.
Across the region the 43 huts hold 308 bunks. The category count is 28 standard huts, 7 basic huts or bivvies, 6 serviced huts and 2 Great Walk huts. Only 6 huts are free and 36 carry a fee. Heating appears at 40 huts and mattresses at 42, so most have both. The 13 huts on stream water need it treated or boiled.
DOC bookings apply to 4 huts, 5 are listed as within 3 hours of a road, and 2 are marked closed in the data. DOC also runs 20 campsites in Manawatū/Whanganui.
Huts
25 of 43 huts. The full list is on the map in the app.
| Name | Type | Bunks and facilities | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Coull HutWhanganui National Park | Great Walk hut | 24 bunks · Heating, Mattresses, Cooking facilities | Adult $25 to $35 per night |
| Tīeke Marae/KāingaWhanganui National Park | Great Walk hut | 20 bunks · Heating, Mattresses, Cooking facilities | Adult $25 to $35 per night |
| Rangiwahia HutRuahine Forest Park | Serviced hut | 13 bunks · Heating, Mattresses, Non-flush toilets | Adult $25 per night |
| Pouri HutWhanganui National Park | Serviced hut | 12 bunks · Heating, Mattresses, Non-flush toilets | Adult $25 per night |
| Waipawa Forks HutRuahine Forest Park | Standard hut | 12 bunks · Heating, Mattresses, Non-flush toilets | Adult $10 per night |
| Iron Gate HutRuahine Forest Park | Standard hut | 10 bunks · Heating, Mattresses, Non-flush toilets | Adult $10 per night |
| Ngapurua HutWhanganui National Park | Serviced hut | 10 bunks · Heating, Mattresses, Non-flush toilets | Adult $25 per night |
| Alice Nash Memorial Heritage LodgeRuahine Forest Park | Standard hut | 8 bunks · Heating, Mattresses, Lighting | Adult $10 per night |
| Barlow HutRuahine Forest Park | Standard hut | 8 bunks · Heating, Mattresses, Non-flush toilets | Adult $10 per night |
| Cattle Creek HutRuahine Forest Park | Standard hut | 8 bunks · Heating, Mattresses, Non-flush toilets | Adult $10 per night |
| Colenso HutRuahine Forest Park | Standard hut | 8 bunks · Heating, Mattresses, Non-flush toilets | Adult $10 per night |
| Kelly Knight HutRuahine Forest Park | Standard hut | 8 bunks · Heating, Mattresses, Non-flush toilets | Adult $10 per night |
| Omaru HutWhanganui National Park | Serviced hut | 8 bunks · Heating, Mattresses, Non-flush toilets | Adult $25 per night |
| Pourangaki HutRuahine Forest Park | Standard hut | 8 bunks · Heating, Mattresses, Non-flush toilets | Adult $10 per night |
| Puketotara HutWhanganui National Park | Serviced hut | 8 bunks · Heating, Mattresses, Non-flush toilets | Adult $25 per night |
| Waikamaka HutRuahine Forest Park | Standard hut | 8 bunks · Heating, Mattresses, Non-flush toilets | Fee applies |
| Crow HutRuahine Forest Park | Standard hut | 6 bunks · Heating, Mattresses, Non-flush toilets | Adult $10 per night |
| Forks HutRuahine Forest Park | Standard hut | 6 bunks · Heating, Mattresses, Non-flush toilets | Adult $10 per night |
| Iron Bark HutRuahine Forest Park | Standard hut | 6 bunks · Heating, Mattresses, Non-flush toilets | Adult $10 per night |
| Maropea Forks HutRuahine Forest Park | Standard hut | 6 bunks · Heating, Mattresses, Non-flush toilets | Adult $10 per night |
| McKinnon HutRuahine Forest Park | Standard hut | 6 bunks · Heating, Mattresses, Non-flush toilets | Adult $10 per night |
| Ngamoko HutRuahine Forest Park | Standard hut | 6 bunks · Heating, Mattresses, Non-flush toilets | Adult $10 per night |
| Otukota HutRuahine Forest Park | Standard hut | 6 bunks · Heating, Mattresses, Non-flush toilets | Adult $10 per night |
| Parks Peak HutRuahine Forest Park | Standard hut | 6 bunks · Heating, Mattresses, Non-flush toilets | Adult $10 per night |
| Purity HutRuahine Forest Park | Standard hut | 6 bunks · Heating, Mattresses, Non-flush toilets | Adult $10 per night |
Check before you go
Fees, closures and access change. The DOC page for each place, current DOC alerts and signs on site take priority over this summary.
The full map is in KiwiCamping
All 43 huts on one map
KiwiCamping shows every DOC hut in Manawatū/Whanganui on the map with bunks, fees and DOC alerts, next to the campsites and tracks around them. Bookable holiday parks, stays and tours are free in the app. DOC campsites, huts, dump stations and the guides open with the Pass.