DOC huts in Otago

Tramping to DOC huts in Otago

Otago's 78 DOC huts are spread across many areas. The three with the most hold only 12, 12 and 9: Hāwea Conservation Park, Mount Aspiring National Park and Oteake Conservation Park. Basic huts and bivvies make up 34 of the total, standard huts 27, serviced huts 10, serviced alpine huts 5 and Great Walk huts 2, with 670 bunks between them.

Routeburn Falls Hut has the most bunks at 48. It and Routeburn Flats Hut, with 20, are the 2 Great Walk huts in Mount Aspiring National Park, listed at $30 to $88 a night for NZ residents and $30 to $132 for international visitors, the top of Otago's $10 to $132 adult range. In the same park, Dart Hut has 32 bunks at $10 to $25, and Shelter Rock Hut, Daleys Flat Hut and Young Hut are serviced huts at $25.

The serviced alpine huts are their own category. Aspiring Hut in the Matukituki Valley area has 32 bunks at $25 to $50, French Ridge Hut has 20 at $20 to $40, and Liverpool Hut has 10 at $35. Brewster Hut in the Makarora area has 12 bunks at $50. Of these, only Aspiring Hut lists heating.

Heating is listed at only 46 of the 78 huts, while mattresses appear at 67. In the Wānaka area, Fern Burn Hut, Highland Creek Hut and Roses Hut are standard huts with 12 bunks at $10, mattresses and untreated tap water, with no heating listed. Big Hut in the Rock and Pillar Conservation Area sleeps 16 at $12. In the Greenstone and Caples Conservation Areas, McKellar Hut, Mid Caples Hut and Greenstone Hut are serviced huts at $25 with flush toilets.

Fees apply at 46 huts and 26 are free, and 14 have to be booked through DOC. At 38 huts the water comes from a stream and should be treated or boiled before drinking. Just 5 Otago huts are listed within 3 hours of a road. The region also has 30 DOC campsites.