Child friendly rating: 3.5 stars

Distance: 6.5km

Signposted time: 3 hours

Bookings Required? No

Suitable in Winter? Yes

Camping Available? Yes

4wd required? No, but useful.

Parking: Park at the end of Makahu Road. The road to get there does cross a concrete ford about 4km before the carpark, so it can't be accessed after heavy rain. During normal flows it's fine for a 2wd, though there are a few potholes towards the end of the road. But it's a popular location, so it's relatively well maintained.

There's a campground just before the carpark too, so you can hit the track nice and early in the morning if you stay there before your hike. There are hot springs here at the campground, so you can have a soak before and after your tramp too!

The Track: At the start, the track drops down into the valley to the river from the carpark.

Then, though the track is generally flat following the river, there are many up and down sections where the track climbs high up above the river where the river has eroded the riverbank. The sections are steep, exposed, and have big drop-offs. If you have a toddler or preschooler with you, I'd recommend carrying the toddler on these sections for safety reasons.

There are some nice spots to stop for a break and explore near the river.

Once you reach the steps on the track, you're only 2km away from the hut!

Solo with a 5 year old and a 17 month old (who walked large sections, but also was carried large sections and during his nap), it took us 5 hours 30 minutes to get to the hut, including our lunchbreak and all other breaks.

Hut: Some older info still says the hut has gas supplied. Unfortunately this is no longer the case, and you will need to bring your own gas.

From the hut: The Mangatainoka Hot Springs are 45 minutes walk (2.4km) past the hut. There are 3 tubs which you fill with a tap straight from the hot stream!

The walk to/from the hot pools is along a flat track (No more climbing up and over) and it took us the signposted time there and back with a 5 year old walking and the 17 month old in the carrier the whole way.

Returning from the hot pools with a headlamp in the dark is not an issue due to how easy the track is, so this can be a fun adventure. (As long as your kids will cope and enjoy it)

After dark, you might spot glow worms from the hot pools.

Recommendations: This track can be a great first time trip as there is plenty to keep the kids excited - a hut, hot pools at the start, hot pools at the end, enough variation in the track. But you do need to be aware of the drop offs. If you have kids who are runners, you need to brief them on safety before getting to the exposed sections, or pop them into a carrier. Kids under 5 who've never been on a tramp before will likely need to be carried, but an experienced 3 year old could walk the whole way if you took all day and they were determined. (To be honest a 2 year old would likely be more determined than a 3 year old!)

It is worth staying at the hut 2 nights, especially if you've got younger kids with you, or if your kids are having their first overnight experience. This is so that you have plenty of time to visit the hot pools without exhausting the kids too much walking both to the hut, and then to and from the hot pools in the same day. If your kids are older (10+), then they may have the stamina to walk into the hut in the morning, and then to/from the hot pools in the evening without feeling like the trip was too rushed.