Backcountry huts that are maintained by the Department of Conservation are an enormous resource for New Zealand, and they can be used by the general public. With the unpredictable nature of the weather, the huts provide adequate shelter. The newer ones are double-glazed and well insulated, most have a woodburner or open fire, and they mean that trampers are not required to carry a tent, unless you are heading to popular huts in peak season.
How good is that?
They say there are “over 950” backcountry huts managed by DOC in New Zealand—so many they haven’t been able to count them all. Many were built to provide accommodation up valleys for deer cullers in the 1950s and 60s, before the realisation that using helicopters was much more efficient.
This website won’t document all 950, but it will indicate what you might expect of the accommodation. Currently there are more than 600 webpages for the documented huts. Access these directly from the menu.
How to pay: tickets & passes
DOC hut tickets & passes
You can’t just pay cash at the hut! For first-come, first-served huts, you must buy physical DOC Hut Tickets or a Backcountry Hut Pass in advance from a DOC Visitor Centre or outdoor retailer (like Macpac or Bivouac). Once at the hut, drop your ticket into the honesty box and sign the hut intentions book. For popular bookable huts or Great Walk huts, you must reserve and pay online via the DOC website before setting off. Basic bivvies and simple huts are free.
What you’ll find at a hut
toilet
Almost always, at least a long drop toilet at each hut site. Serviced huts can have two or more. Occasionally, a bivvy or basic hut doesn’t have one, so bury your, umm, whatever. People may not come through often, but remains tend to remain for a long while.
water
Something NZ doesn’t generally lack. Many huts have rainwater tanks that collect water from the roof. In serviced huts, there are often taps inside the sinks; in the more standard-issue huts, you may have to go outside to the tap. Then again, sometimes there’s the old plastic bucket and a walk to the creek. Because the water rarely stagnates, many do not bother to sterilise it, but if you feel the need, you can filter, boil, or chemically treat it.
heating
Usually serviced and standard huts have some method of heating, either a woodburner that needs some initial skill to get going, or, less frequently now, an open fireplace. The firewood is supposed to be supplied at a serviced hut—that’s what you are paying for, to avoid people hacking down the nearby foliage—but at a standard hut you find your own (dead and fallen wood only!). And leave enough dry wood for the next party so they can start their fire. Many bivvies have no fireplace.
verandah
Good place to leave boots and dripping raincoats, particularly if there’s a full house.
mattresses
An individual foam mattress covered in fire-resistant plastic may not sound like much, but when it comes time to move to the horizontal, you immediately appreciate the full luxury. The plastic ain’t so bad and is useful for removing evidence of other hut inhabitants, including the occasional rodent. Helps demarcate personal space when the hut is nearing capacity. Claim your territory by laying out your sleeping bag.
benches
It’s rare that huts do not have a bench with a stainless-steel benchtop (the newer ones) or an ancient galvanised steel sheet. But space is limited, so try not to colonise the full surface. Others may need to use it as well.
What you don’t get
cooking equipment
There are some huts in alpine areas or on Great Walks where there may be gas stoves provided, but in general you need to carry your own stove and cooking equipment. The woodburners are constructed from thick plate steel, designed for heating, and take considerable fuel, time, and skill to start cranking out heat—ie, they are not at all convenient for cooking. You usually don’t get any pots or pans either.
Wi-Fi or cell phone coverage
Forget about checking your emails or scrolling social media. Most huts have no mobile reception and definitely no Wi-Fi. Consider it a mandatory digital detox. If you need navigation or communication for safety, bring offline maps and a personal locator beacon (PLB) or satellite messenger.
showers
Nah. If you want to wash, you head down by the nearby stream. But don’t soap up the water.
toilet paper
Remember to take your own. That could be awkward.
rubbish collection
Take all your leftovers with you when you leave. Yeah, everything, including paper. It ain’t nice to have to deal with the previous people’s rubbish, particularly after mice have had a hack at it.
cleaning service
Okay, maybe some of you bring your mothers along, but in general, as an adult, you tidy up after yourself—ie, wipe benches, sweep the floor, etc.
