Child friendly rating: 3 stars or 5 stars

Distance: 8km or 0km

Signposted time: 2 hours or 0

Bookings Required? No

Suitable in Winter? Yes

Camping Available? Yes plenty

4wd required? Optional - you can walk or 4WD to the hut

Parking:

Park off SH6 on the Haast -Paringa Track Southern Carpark

The Track:

This track looks like a flat easy 8km walk, but it isn't quite that straightforward.

First you cross a paddock from the carpark, and join into the bush. There is a slip here where the river has eroded the bank, and it is actually quite dangerous to cross for little kids. You have to kind of push into the bushes to stay on the safe side so could be a no-go for kids who have sensory aversions to being brushed up against bushes. It was close to the edge of my comfort zone when I did it by myself with my 1, 4, and 8 year olds.

After this, the track follows a trail through the bushline for 1km till you reach a bridge. It's pretty well marked, flat, and a fantastic track for kids.

However after you cross the bridge, the track becomes less well marked. Markers are very sparse, and the markers that are there are beginning to be overtaken by gorse. The track barely exists past this point. Certain sections it's just hope for the best through gorse, and on muddy track that has become completely pugged by cows. It's completely not suitable for toddlers or preschoolers walking this way. If you're not careful your foot can fall in quite deep into the muddy boggy holes.

And not only are there missing markers, there are markers that have been placed in the bush past where you should be going into the trees. But if you follow these you will end up in the swamp marked on the topo.

But, there is another option. After you cross the bridge, head straight across the grassy clearing, and join onto the river on the far side of the clearing. Follow the river upstream, and you'll link up with the 4wd track. The follow this 4WD track the whole way to the hut. You'll get wet boots and you'll have to keep crossing the river, but it is by far the easiest way, and at least it won't be muddy. It does mean though that you can't do this trail after heavy rain as river levels need to be low. Most the side creeks were slow flowing, or close to stagnant, but I did get wet up to just above my knees.

Around 3km before the hut, the 4WD track heads into the bush. Follow this up Coppermine Creek. This section is very well marked which I found quite funny given the track is pretty hard to loose here. Follow the 4WD track and not the walking track markers where they later split off. The 4WD track, at least is pretty solid underfoot and you don't sink in bog like you do on some of the rest of the track.

If you follow this route, the track can be preschooler friendly. If you try follow the markers, this track is most definitely not toddler or preschooler friendly.

Trying the regular route on the way there meant we were walking for almost 5 hours there and felt absolutely broken and shattered and almost quit. On the way out when we used the better route, it only took us 3 hours 10 minutes at a relaxed pace.

There is cellphone reception when you're walking till just after the bridge.

Hut:

The hut is an older style 8-bunk hut but nice and tidy. Individual bunks, but enough space to put 2 mattresses on floor for co-sleeping if you have the place to yourselves.

From the Hut, you can see an old private hut. It's getting old and dilapidated, with a back wall missing! Plus if you look extra carefully you might see the collapsed hut on the other side of the track to the old private hut.

Recommendations:

If you have a meaty 4WD, you could 4WD the whole way making this very family friendly. If not, if you have adults who are very confident in their abilities, and you've read and screenshotted these instructions, you could do this as a first hut trip, but it does require some navigational skills. I told DOC Haast about the condition of the track and markers, and hopefully the improve it, but they didn't seem too bothered.