One section of Te Araroa, New Zealand's long trail, in the Te Araroa Trust's 22 legs: from the Ahuriri Valley over Breast Hill to Lake Hāwea and Wānaka, the Motatapu Track to Arrowtown and Queenstown, then, past Lake Wakatipu by road shuttle, up the Greenstone valley and along the Mavora Walkway into Southland to the Mavora Lakes.
Best season: October to April. Most walkers go between spring and autumn. The shuttle round Lake Wakatipu runs scheduled trips only from November to April; outside that season it offers private charters. DOC says avalanches can cross the Motatapu Track, usually from May into November. Greenstone Hut takes the Backcountry Hut Pass only from 1 May to 30 September. At Taipo, Boundary and Careys huts the water supply is turned off from May to October, and the Mavora Lakes campsite has no tap water in winter. Before you go
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Plan your days
Your dates
Checking the seasons, closures and current conditions for today…
Twenty-two legs, the Trust's own, between huts, road ends and towns; the plans end each day at a hut, a campsite or a town. One day is long: Top Timaru Hut to Stodys Hut takes 7.5 to 10 hours in the Trust's times, and no hut or campsite stands between them, so no stay can shorten it. From Queenstown the next day starts with the road shuttle round Lake Wakatipu, which counts no walking time. Most huts are first come, first served, so carry a tent; Greenstone Hut must be booked. Choose a plan, or pick your own start, finish and nights below.
Hut seasons as published. 2026: 9 of 10 huts have published dates, all open 1 January to 31 December; 2027: 9 of 10 huts have published dates, all open 1 January to 31 December.
15-day plan
Crossed by bus, train, ferry or car
Loading topographic map…
Flat (<5%) Gentle (5–10%)
Each day in its own colour, numbered where it starts; the rest of the Te Araroa: Otago and Southland in grey. Select a day for its elevation and 3D flyover.
Make your own plan
Changing where you stay suggests a new number of days: the fewest that keep each day under 8 h of walking and in daylight, where a place to stay allows.
Choose your nights (14 nights)
Days end where the route has a stay, a camp or a village.
7 h 30The Te Araroa Trust time 7 h–8 h; measured on the mapped line 7 h 56
Stage 1: From the Birchwood Road carpark in the Ahuriri Valley up the Breast Hill Track, by Tin Hut and Martha Saddle, to Top Timaru Hut: 22.5 km and 7 to 8 hours, the Trust's notes say (DOC: 22 km, 6 to 8 hours); 23.3 km on our line. Tin Hut, a private six-bunk hut 9.8 km in on our line, can break the day.
Overnight
Top Timaru Hut
Mountain refuge · Department of Conservation (DOC)
Pick a date to check the season.
Season
2026 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2026 Open all year, DOC's hut page says, first come, first served.doc.govt.nz, read 13 October 20262027 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2027 Open all year, DOC's hut page says, first come, first served.doc.govt.nz, read 13 October 2026
Places
6 places in total · Self-catering 6 bunks, DOC says, as the Trust's notes do.
Booking
No bookingNo booking: first come, first served. Adult NZ$15, youth $7.50 a night, paid with a Backcountry Hut Ticket or the Backcountry Hut Pass. From 1 November 2026 DOC sells the hut tickets for huts like this one on its online booking system.
8 h 45The Te Araroa Trust time 7 h 30–10 h; measured on the mapped line 5 h 31
Stage 2: Down the Timaru River to its junction with the Timaru River track: 11.5 km and 6 to 8 hours (DOC: 12 km, 6 to 7.5 hours), with about a dozen river crossings. Stay on the marked track: DOC says not to take unmarked routes along the river or through the riverbed. The Lower Tīmaru River Track, which the trail does not follow, is rough and washed out in places, DOC says (alert last reviewed 2 June 2026). Never cross the river in flood. The junction has no hut: the stage end is placed by the notes' leg length, and the night is at Stodys Hut, 2.2 km on.
Stage 3: The steep climb from the junction to the tree line and Stodys Hut: 2.2 km, 1.5 to 2 hours. Stodys Hut is the last reliable water until Pakituhi Hut.
Overnight
Stodys Hut
Unstaffed bivouac · Department of Conservation (DOC)
Pick a date to check the season.
Season
2026 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2026 Open all year, DOC's hut page says, first come, first served.doc.govt.nz, read 13 October 20262027 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2027 Open all year, DOC's hut page says, first come, first served.doc.govt.nz, read 13 October 2026
Places
6 places in total · Self-catering 6 bunks, DOC says, as the Trust's notes do.
Booking
No bookingNo booking: first come, first served, and free.
4 hThe Te Araroa Trust time 3 h 30–4 h 30; measured on the mapped line 4 h 04
Stage 4: Over Breast Hill (1,578 m), high and exposed, to Pakituhi Hut: 11.2 km and 3.5 to 4.5 hours (DOC: 4 to 5 hours). There is no reliable water on the ridge. The hut stands about 200 m off the trail.
Overnight
Pakituhi Hut
Mountain refuge · Department of Conservation (DOC)
Pick a date to check the season.
The Grandview Mountain Track, another way down from the hut, is closed for lambing from 5 October to 16 November 2026 and open again on 17 November; the Nook Road gate is locked. Te Araroa goes down to Timaru Creek Road instead. doc.govt.nz, read 13 October 2026
Season
2026 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2026 Open all year, DOC's hut page says, first come, first served.doc.govt.nz, read 13 October 20262027 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2027 Open all year, DOC's hut page says, first come, first served.doc.govt.nz, read 13 October 2026
Places
8 places in total · Self-catering 8 bunks, DOC says, as the Trust's notes do.
Booking
No bookingNo booking: first come, first served. Adult NZ$15, youth $7.50 a night, paid with a Backcountry Hut Ticket or the Backcountry Hut Pass. From 1 November 2026 DOC sells the hut tickets for huts like this one on its online booking system.
A DOC hut on a side track about 200 m off the trail, the Trust's notes say. The way down to Gladstone Reserve drops about 950 m with no water. In spring there is no way out by the Grandview Mountain Track: it is closed for lambing from 5 October to 16 November 2026.
5 h 15The Te Araroa Trust time 4 h 30–6 h; measured on the mapped line 3 h 43
Stage 5: The steep descent of about 950 m to Gladstone Reserve on Timaru Creek Road: 4 km and 3 to 4 hours (DOC: 2 to 3 hours), with no water. Gladstone Reserve has no beds; the stage end is placed by the notes' leg length. The Grandview Mountain Track, another way down, is closed for lambing until 16 November 2026.
Stage 6: The Gladstone Track along the shore of Lake Hāwea to the village: 6.8 km, 1.5 to 2 hours. The stage end, where the track ends in the village (the notes name Capell Road), is placed by the leg length.
Lake HāweaTown or village
The village on the shore of Lake Hāwea. We have not checked a stay here; our search lists a hotel and a hostel in the village. Albert Town, with a campground and a lodge, is 12 km on.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 2 places to stay within about 1000 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
6 h 30The Te Araroa Trust time 5 h 30–7 h 30; measured on the mapped line 6 h 19
Stage 7: The Hawea River Track, with a swing bridge, to the Clutha River bridge at Albert Town: 12 km, 2.5 to 3.5 hours; 13.3 km on our line. The Albert Town campground is just over the Hāwea River bridge.
Stage 8: The Outlet, Beacon Point and Bremner Bay tracks along Lake Wānaka to the Ardmore Street carpark on the Wānaka lake front: 12 km, 3 to 4 hours. DOC has closed Pawsons Bridge on the Upper Clutha River Track, which the trail does not use.
WānakaTown or village
A lake-front town with shops, and coaches to Queenstown and beyond. The leg ends at the Ardmore Street carpark. We have not checked a stay here; our search lists a hotel and hostels near the lake front.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 3 places to stay within about 1000 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
Stage 9: The Glendhu Bay Track along Lake Wānaka to Glendhu Bay: 17 km, the notes say, with no time given, so the time shown is our estimate; 16.4 km on our line.
Stage 10: Along Motatapu Road to the Fern Burn carpark: 2.5 km of road, with no time in the notes, so ours is shown. The carpark has no beds; the stage end is placed by the leg length.
Stage 11: Up the Fern Burn to Fern Burn Hut, the first hut on the Motatapu Track: 6.5 km and 3 hours (DOC: 7 km, 3 to 4 hours). DOC says the Motatapu Track is for experienced trampers only, and avalanches can cross it, usually from May into November.
Overnight
Fern Burn Hut
Mountain refuge · Department of Conservation (DOC)
Pick a date to check the season.
Season
2026 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2026 Open all year, DOC's hut page says, first come, first served.doc.govt.nz, read 13 October 20262027 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2027 Open all year, DOC's hut page says, first come, first served.doc.govt.nz, read 13 October 2026
Places
12 places in total · Self-catering 12 bunks, DOC says, as the Trust's notes do.
Booking
No bookingNo booking: first come, first served. Adult NZ$15, youth $7.50 a night, paid with a Backcountry Hut Ticket or the Backcountry Hut Pass. From 1 November 2026 DOC sells the hut tickets for huts like this one on its online booking system.
4 hThe Te Araroa Trust time 4 h; measured on the mapped line 3 h 06
Stage 12: Over Jack Halls Saddle (1,275 m) to Highland Creek Hut: 6 km and 4 hours (DOC: 3 to 5 hours).
Overnight
Highland Creek Hut
Mountain refuge · Department of Conservation (DOC)
Pick a date to check the season.
Season
2026 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2026 Open all year, DOC's hut page says, first come, first served.doc.govt.nz, read 13 October 20262027 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2027 Open all year, DOC's hut page says, first come, first served.doc.govt.nz, read 13 October 2026
Places
12 places in total · Self-catering 12 bunks, DOC says, as the Trust's notes do.
Booking
No bookingNo booking: first come, first served. Adult NZ$15, youth $7.50 a night, paid with a Backcountry Hut Ticket or the Backcountry Hut Pass. From 1 November 2026 DOC sells the hut tickets for huts like this one on its online booking system.
7 hThe Te Araroa Trust time 6 h–8 h; measured on the mapped line 5 h 16
Stage 13: The hardest leg of the Motatapu Track, with two big climbs and a river ford, to Roses Hut: 10 km and 6 to 8 hours (DOC: 11 km, 6 to 8 hours).
Overnight
Roses Hut
Mountain refuge · Department of Conservation (DOC)
Pick a date to check the season.
Season
2026 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2026 Open all year, DOC's hut page says, first come, first served.doc.govt.nz, read 13 October 20262027 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2027 Open all year, DOC's hut page says, first come, first served.doc.govt.nz, read 13 October 2026
Places
12 places in total · Self-catering 12 bunks, DOC says, as the Trust's notes do.
Booking
No bookingNo booking: first come, first served. Adult NZ$15, youth $7.50 a night, paid with a Backcountry Hut Ticket or the Backcountry Hut Pass. From 1 November 2026 DOC sells the hut tickets for huts like this one on its online booking system.
4 h 30The Te Araroa Trust time 4 h–5 h; measured on the mapped line 4 h 01
Stage 14: Down to the Arrow River and its fords (the high-water track still needs one) to the campsite at Macetown: 10 km and 4 to 5 hours (DOC: 4 to 6 hours).
Overnight
Macetown
Camping spot · Department of Conservation (DOC)
Pick a date to check the season.
DOC has closed Macetown Road below Macetown to walkers, bikes and four-wheel drives after slips in a storm in late August 2026. The Big Hill Track to Arrowtown starts on this road. doc.govt.nz, read 13 October 2026
Season
2026 2026 dates not published We have not read the campsite's own page. The road from Arrowtown is closed after slips (DOC, since 2 September 2026).ttama.teararoa.org.nz, read 13 October 2026
Booking
Booking method not published A DOC campsite in the Macetown historic reserve. We have not read its fees or booking rules: check DOC's campsite page.
The campsite in the Macetown historic reserve. The road down to Arrowtown is closed after slips: read DOC's alerts before you leave Roses Hut.
4 h 30The Te Araroa Trust time 4 h–5 h; measured on the mapped line 4 h 30
Closed: km 3.38–3.56 of stage 15. DOC has closed Macetown Road to walkers, bikes and four-wheel drives since slips in a storm in late August 2026, with no end date and no detour published. Our line still crosses it: it follows 183 m of the road to the start of the Big Hill Track. Ask DOC before you walk from Macetown to Arrowtown. Do not enter a closed section.
Stage 15: The Big Hill Track over Big Hill Saddle (1,060 m) to Arrowtown: 13 km, 4 to 5 hours. It starts along Macetown Road, which DOC has closed to walkers, bikes and four-wheel drives since slips in a storm in late August 2026 (first published 2 September, last reviewed 6 October 2026), with no end date and no detour published. Our line still crosses it: it follows 183 m of the road, about 3.4 km from Macetown, to the start of the Big Hill path. Ask DOC whether you may walk from Macetown to Arrowtown before you leave Roses Hut.
Stage 16: The Wakatipu Track, a formed cycle trail by Millbrook, Lake Hayes, the Shotover footbridge and the Frankton walkway, to Marine Parade in Queenstown: 29.5 km, with no time in the notes, so ours is shown; 29.9 km on our line. The trail follows the western side of Lake Hayes, where DOC is repairing storm damage with a digger from 12 to 14 October 2026: expect delays. DOC also says the Mill Creek footbridge at the north end of the Lake Hayes Walkway stays closed, with no detour published. We have not confirmed whether the trail uses that bridge: read DOC's alert before you go.
The Wakatipu Track ends on Marine Parade, on the lake front. Stock up here (Glenorchy, on the shuttle road, is the last place to buy food) and book the shuttle round the lake to the Greenstone carpark.
Or a room in the village. Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
4 hThe Department of Conservation times where published
By bus, train, ferry or car: 27.1 km with no walking route (see the stage's notes), not in the walking distance or time.
km 0.0–27.1: No walking route here: the official route crosses by bus, train, ferry or car. See the operator's description.
Stage 17: The Lake Wakatipu Bypass, a road shuttle and not a walk. The Trust's notes take walkers round the lake by road from Queenstown, through Glenorchy and Kinloch, to the Greenstone Station Road carpark; DOC puts the carpark 86 km from Queenstown by road. Our map draws the shuttle as a straight dashed line across the lake and counts none of it as walking. Glenorchy Journeys, the shuttle the notes name, runs scheduled trips from November to April and only private charters outside that season. If you hitch or walk the road instead, take great care. Glenorchy is the last place to buy food. The Greenstone carpark has no beds: the walk goes on from there.
Stage 18: Up the Greenstone valley, past Slip Flat Hut, to Greenstone Hut: 12 km and 3 to 5 hours, DOC says (the Trust's notes give no time for this leg); 11.6 km on our line. Greenstone Hut must be booked with DOC. Slip Flat Hut, free with three bunks, is 3.5 km before it.
Overnight
Greenstone Hut
Mountain refuge · Department of Conservation (DOC)
Pick a date to check the season.
Season
2026 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2026 Open all year and booked all year, DOC says; the fee and the Backcountry Hut Pass rule change with the season.doc.govt.nz, read 13 October 20262027 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2027 Open all year and booked all year, DOC says; the fee and the Backcountry Hut Pass rule change with the season.doc.govt.nz, read 13 October 2026
Places
20 places in total · Self-catering 20 bunks in a serviced hut, DOC says, as the Trust's notes do.
Booking
Book onlineBook on DOC's booking system: DOC keeps no bunks for walkers without a booking. Same-day online bookings are taken until 8 pm while bunks are left; booking by phone or in person costs $10 more. Adult a night: NZ$28 on weekdays and $32 at weekends from 1 October to 30 April, $29 and $34 from 1 December to 29 February, $25 from 1 May to 30 September. The Backcountry Hut Pass is accepted only from 1 May to 30 September. The Trust's notes give Trail Pass holders 20% off. Tent sites by the hut, $10 a night, are booked the same way. Bookings are open to 30 June 2027.
A serviced DOC hut on the Greenstone Track, where the Mavora Walkway begins. It must be booked: DOC keeps no bunks for walkers who arrive without a booking.
4 h 30The Te Araroa Trust time 4 h–5 h; measured on the mapped line 2 h 59
Stage 19: The Mavora Walkway over the Pass Burn saddle (728 m), from Otago into Southland, to Taipo Hut: 10 km, 4 to 5 hours. Never cross a stream in flood.
Overnight
Taipo Hut
Mountain refuge · Department of Conservation (DOC)
Pick a date to check the season.
Season
2026 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2026 Open all year, DOC's hut page says, first come, first served.doc.govt.nz, read 13 October 20262027 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2027 Open all year, DOC's hut page says, first come, first served.doc.govt.nz, read 13 October 2026
Places
4 places in total · Self-catering 4 bunks, DOC says; the Trust's notes say 8. We show DOC's figure, the operator's. The water supply is turned off from May to October.
Booking
No bookingNo booking: first come, first served. Adult NZ$15, youth $7.50 a night, paid with a Backcountry Hut Ticket or the Backcountry Hut Pass. From 1 November 2026 DOC sells the hut tickets for huts like this one on its online booking system.
3 h 30The Te Araroa Trust time 3 h–4 h; measured on the mapped line 3 h 21
Stage 20: Down the Mararoa valley, over two swing bridges, to Boundary Hut: 12 km, 3 to 4 hours.
Overnight
Boundary Hut
Mountain refuge · Department of Conservation (DOC)
Pick a date to check the season.
Season
2026 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2026 Open all year, DOC's hut page says, first come, first served.doc.govt.nz, read 13 October 20262027 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2027 Open all year, DOC's hut page says, first come, first served.doc.govt.nz, read 13 October 2026
Places
4 places in total · Self-catering 4 bunks, DOC says; the Trust's notes say 8. We show DOC's figure, the operator's. The water supply is turned off from May to October.
Booking
No bookingNo booking: first come, first served. Adult NZ$15, youth $7.50 a night, paid with a Backcountry Hut Ticket or the Backcountry Hut Pass. From 1 November 2026 DOC sells the hut tickets for huts like this one on its online booking system.
4 hThe Te Araroa Trust time 4 h; measured on the mapped line 3 h 43
Stage 21: On to Careys Hut: 6 km, 2 hours.
Stage 22: To the DOC camping area at the south end of North Mavora Lake: 10 km and 2 hours in the notes' heading, though their kilometre markers make it 13.4 km; 9.5 km on our line. DOC says the campsite must be booked.
Days end at a stage end with a refuge or a village, or in a village the route passes through. Walking times are the times published by the Te Araroa Trust and the Department of Conservation where a stage has one, with the time measured on the mapped line beside it; a day that walks part of a stage gets a share of the stage's time by distance and climb.Outside Switzerland our walking times often run short of the times route operators publish; treat them as optimistic. Running times use 7.5 km/h plus one hour per 700 m of climb: a steady reference, not a prediction. Daylight is sunrise to sunset where the day starts; the time left is for breaks, meals and delays.Refuge dates come from the operator's own pages; when they are not published, we say so. For villages we count the places to stay OpenStreetMap lists; we have not checked which are open. A plan is not a booking: reserve every night before you commit to these day lengths.
Huts and stays, stage by stage
Where each stage ends, the 2026 and 2027 seasons the operator publishes, and how to book. Read from the operators' pages on 13 October 2026; each stage page shows the sources and the grade profile.
Loading the forecast for low point (276 m) and high point (1,687 m)…
Weather by month
Typical weather on this trail: at the lowest point (276 m) and the highest point (1,687 m). Select a month to see why it is rated as it is.
Monthly climate averages and daylight
Month
Weather
Good
Good
Good
Mixed
Mixed
Mixed
Mixed
Mixed
Mixed
Mixed
Mixed
Mixed
Stages rated good on typical weather
19/22
22/22
17/22
15/22
7/22
1/22
0/22
2/22
6/22
7/22
15/22
15/22
High point, day / night
16°/4°
16°/3°
14°/2°
9°/-1°
5°/-3°
1°/-5°
0°/-6°
2°/-5°
5°/-4°
9°/-2°
12°/0°
15°/2°
Low point, day / night
24°/10°
24°/10°
21°/8°
17°/5°
13°/2°
9°/-1°
9°/-1°
12°/0°
15°/3°
17°/5°
20°/7°
23°/9°
Rain, mm
241
128
169
232
184
163
201
196
289
324
270
248
Snow at high point
–
–
Frost
Possible
Possible
Likely
Likely
Likely
Likely
Likely
Possible
–
Daylight
15 h 11
13 h 55
12 h 29
10 h 54
9 h 35
8 h 51
9 h 07
10 h 14
11 h 43
13 h 15
14 h 43
15 h 31
Source: TerraClimate 1991–2020 monthly averages. Averages for the area at each point’s elevation (4 km grid, corrected for height). Not a forecast or a report of current trail conditions. Snow at the high point is estimated with a simple snowpack model from these temperatures and precipitation, not observed; steep islands and high summits can hold more snow than it shows. Daylight is for the 15th of each month. Hut, transport and park seasons are separate: check them for your dates.
Before you go
Prepare for Te Araroa from Birchwood Road to the Mavora Lakes
Arrange your stays, food and travel first, then check conditions again near departure.
Carry a tent, book Greenstone Hut
Most huts on this section are DOC huts that cannot be booked: first come, first served, NZ$15 an adult night (youth $7.50) by Backcountry Hut Ticket or Pass. Stodys and Slip Flat huts are free. They fill with Te Araroa walkers in summer and some sleep only four, so carry a tent. Greenstone Hut and the Kinloch and Mavora Lakes campsites must be booked with DOC. The Trust's notes list many of these huts and campsites as included in its Trail Pass, which its registration page says is required to walk the South Island; otherwise DOC's fees apply.
Macetown Road is closed
DOC has closed Macetown Road to walkers, bikes and four-wheel drives since slips in a storm in late August 2026 (first published 2 September, last reviewed 6 October 2026; read 13 October 2026). No end date or detour is published. The Big Hill Track to Arrowtown starts on this road, and our line still crosses it for 183 m on stage 15. Ask DOC before you walk from Macetown to Arrowtown. The road's access manager shows it closed to vehicles too.
On DOC's Otago alerts, read 13 October 2026: on the Lake Hayes Walkway (stage 16) DOC is repairing storm damage on the western side with a digger from 12 to 14 October 2026, and the Mill Creek footbridge at its north end stays closed. The Lower Tīmaru River Track beside stage 2 is rough and washed out in places: stay on the marked Breast Hill Track and out of the riverbed. The Grandview Mountain Track by Pakituhi Hut is closed for lambing until 16 November 2026.
DOC's huts here are first come, first served, except Greenstone Hut, which must be booked and keeps no bunks for walkers without a booking. From 1 November 2026 DOC sells the tickets for huts that cannot be booked on its online booking system. DOC and the Trust's notes disagree on three huts: DOC gives Taipo and Boundary huts 4 bunks (the notes 8) and Careys Hut 6 (the notes 7); we show DOC's figures, the operator's. Greenstone Hut page read 13 October 2026.
The Breast Hill Track crosses the Timaru River about a dozen times, the Motatapu Track fords the Arrow River, and the Mavora Walkway crosses the Mararoa by swing bridges: never cross a river in flood. Breast Hill is high and exposed, with no reliable water between Stodys and Pakituhi huts. DOC says the Motatapu Track is for experienced trampers only, and that avalanches can cross it, usually from May into November (Motatapu Track page, read 13 October 2026).
The Te Araroa Trust's registration page, read 13 October 2026, says its Trail Pass is required to walk the South Island (Te Wai Pounamu) and is priced apart from North Island and section walks. Its notes list many of the huts and campsites here as included in the Trail Pass.
Google Maps journey searches, not confirmed services. A mountain endpoint may need a booked transfer or an additional walk.
To the start at Birchwood Road
No public transport reaches the Birchwood Road carpark in the Ahuriri Valley: take a shuttle or a car from Wānaka. The Trust's notes name Alpine Coachlines, based in Wānaka.
Long-distance coaches, InterCity among them, serve Wānaka and Queenstown. Shuttles link Lake Hāwea with Wānaka, and Wanaka Bike Tours will carry packs for $25 a person, the Trust's notes say. In the Queenstown basin, Orbus route 2 runs from Arrowtown to the Frankton hub, route 4 from Arrowtown through Queenstown, and route 5 from Lake Hayes Estate to Queenstown.
From Queenstown the Trust's notes take walkers by road shuttle past Glenorchy and Kinloch to the Greenstone Station Road carpark (86 km by road, DOC says). Glenorchy Journeys, the shuttle they name, runs scheduled trips from November to April; outside that season it offers only private charters (its page, read 13 October 2026). By the road, DOC's Twelve Mile Delta campsite is first come, first served, its Kinloch campsite must be booked (NZ$18 an adult), and Mrs Woolly's Campground in Glenorchy is open until May 2027.
No scheduled service reaches the lakes: 39 km of gravel road lead to State Highway 94 at Centre Hill or Burwood Station, and drivers must register with DOC to take a vehicle in. Glenorchy Journeys offers private charters. Te Araroa itself goes on south by the Mararoa River Track.
Prepare every leg while you still have a connection in Wānaka, Arrowtown or Queenstown: the huts are remote.
Keep your route and maps on your phone for places without a signal. For multi-day trips, prepare them in the installed TrailSplits app.
Open this trail in the app.Install TrailSplits, then open this trail there. On iPhone, downloads in a browser may not be available in the installed app.
Choose your route or stages. Choose Prepare offline above. Wait for the route and maps to finish downloading.
Try it before leaving coverage. Switch offline, close and reopen the app, then use My Hikes to start navigation. Repeat for every part you will need.
Saving a bookmark is not a map download. Storage can be cleared by your device; keep a backup map for remote trips.
Te Araroa: Otago and Southland — frequently asked questions
How long is the Te Araroa: Otago and Southland, and how many days does it take?
The Te Araroa Trust's notes give this section as 22 legs: about 227 km of walking, plus the road shuttle round Lake Wakatipu (86 km by road, DOC says). Our map has it in 22 sections. The guide's day planner offers a 15-day plan on the overnight stops, and you can choose your own nights.
When is the best time to walk the Te Araroa: Otago and Southland?
October to April. Most walkers go between spring and autumn.
How do you get to the start of the Te Araroa: Otago and Southland, and back?
No public transport reaches the Birchwood Road carpark in the Ahuriri Valley: take a shuttle or a car from Wānaka. The "Connect your journey" section has the travel details, with 3 more travel notes.
Do you need to book on the Te Araroa: Otago and Southland?
Most huts on this section are DOC huts that cannot be booked: first come, first served, NZ$15 an adult night (youth $7.50) by Backcountry Hut Ticket or Pass.
Can I download the GPX of the Te Araroa: Otago and Southland?
Yes: the route on our map and every section, free, for a GPS watch or a phone. The guide also saves your plan for offline use in the app.
Is the Te Araroa: Otago and Southland open? Where are closures announced?
Closures we know of are shown on the days and sections they affect, in the day planner and on the stage pages. We watch 9 official notice pages (DOC: Lake Hayes Walkway repairs; DOC: Macetown Road slips; DOC: Otago alerts on the line; DOC: Southland alerts on the Mavora Walkway; DOC: Tīmaru River tracks; Glenorchy Journeys: shuttle season; Macetown Road managed access; Te Araroa Trust: trail alerts; Te Araroa Trust: trail notes); the date we last read them is shown with the notices on this page. Check them again before you set off.
Route & sources
Route map & sources
This page covers one section of Te Araroa, not the whole trail from Cape Reinga to Bluff: from the Birchwood Road carpark in the Ahuriri Valley, where the Breast Hill Track starts, to the Mavora Lakes, crossing from Otago into Southland at the Pass Burn saddle. The Te Araroa Trust publishes its trail notes by region, as legs between huts, road ends and towns, with no day plan. This guide follows its 22 legs, with an official stage time for each stage but 9, 10 and 16, for which the notes give only a length, and 17, the road shuttle; the time for stage 18 is DOC's. The legs add up to about 227 km of walking, plus the shuttle round Lake Wakatipu (86 km by road, DOC says). The line here is the route on OpenStreetMap (relation 10992549, "Te Araroa - 10 Otago", from the planet of 11 October 2026): 228.8 km of walking, cut at the 22 leg ends. Most stages are within 0.6 km of the notes' figures; on our line stage 1 is 0.8 km longer and stage 7 1.3 km longer. For stage 22 the notes' heading gives 10 km and their kilometre markers 13.4 km; our line is 9.5 km. Five stage ends have no place of their own: the Timaru River junction, Gladstone Reserve, the end of the Gladstone Track in Lake Hāwea, the Fern Burn carpark and the Greenstone Station Road carpark. They are placed where the notes' leg lengths put them. Stage 17, the Lake Wakatipu Bypass, is a road shuttle in the Trust's notes, not a walk: the map draws it as a straight dashed line across the lake and counts none of it as walking. On stage 15 the line still crosses the closed Macetown Road for 183 m. Our climb is measured on terrain heights, so short steep rises are smoothed out.
Official guidance and mapped-source comparison checked 13 October 2026. Map data is a route reference, not confirmation of today's path, weather or accommodation availability.
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