This is Big River territory, with the Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana to the west and the Canterbury Plains to the east.
Whereas the huts to the north tend to be old New Zealand Forest Service deer cullers huts or DOC recreational huts, once you get into the midsection of the South Island, they can have more varied origins.
Old musterers’ huts. Serviced Alpine huts. Privately owned huts from the Canterbury Mountaineering Club or Canterbury University Tramping Club, as well as the Forest Service or DOC varieties.
The big rivers like the Rakaia and Rangitata Rivers can be difficult to cross due to the water volume and the flow’s steepness. The ranges between them may require high pass crossings.
Some huts, like Mueller Hut, are very popular, and the ones on Te Araroa, like Crooked Spur Hut, are regularly visited, but others, such as Back Basin Hide or Dog Kennel Bivvy much less so.
So, here is a representative sample.
