Johnson Hut | Kahurangi National Park
Many visitors chopper in with their fly fishing rods and have some success. The intrepid lug packs over Kiwi Saddle, fairly cruisey, and make their way down the Johnson River, which at times is not. It’s reasonable going where the track is flagged/Permolatted, and trampers are starting to bash out a ground trail. For two hours downstream, you are currently, in 2025, without markers, and it’s not so easy. The valley is damp and mossy, so it’s not fast travel. You certainly earn your sleep.
The hut is a delight. Set some distance above the river in a small clearing, it doesn’t get a lot of direct sun and none midwinter, but it’s a well-maintained four-bunker with a decent fireplace, no shortage of wood for the woodshed, a fibreglass toilet, and plenty of graffiti on the walls going back 60 years.
A large DOC sign is prominently displayed at the south end of the river flats to direct you the last 50 m as the hut is not visible from the river.
category . . . basic huts/bivvies
hut fee . . . free
booking . . . not required
elevation . . . 385 m
bunks . . . 4 mattresses on bunks
built . . . 1957. 2013, new toilet, bunks replaced; 2015, fireplace restored, new windows, exterior repainted; 2017, new benchtop; 2022, new roof, woodshed, hearth, part painted
heating . . . open fire. It smokes, so you need the door open slightly.
water . . . water from a small stream behind the hut, 40 m each way. There is an obvious path.
toilet . . . longdrop
← Johnson River campsite | Kahurangi National Park