Tuatapere Overview

Thanks to the creation of the Tuatapere Hump Ridge Track in 2001, Tuatapere (tu-a-TAP-ery), situated halfway between Invercargill and Te Anau, has gone from a small logging town (pop. 650) to a destination in its own right. While the track has yet to draw Great Walk-level traffic and the town is still adjusting to its newfound tourist status, the top-notch tramping and expanding jetboat options hint at a more adventurous future for a town previously renowned for its sausage. The sausage is still good, too.

Transportation And Practical Information. Tuatapere lies along the Southern Scenic Route with most shops clustered south of where SH99 crosses the Waiau River. Scenic Shuttle (☎249 7654 or 0800 277 483) goes to Invercargill and Te Anau (1 per day, $30). The Tuatapere Information Centre, south of the bridge where SH99 turns, is also the Hump Ridge Track Office and Bushman’s Museum and sells hut passes for DOC tramps. (☎226 6399. Open Nov.-Mar. daily 7:30am-7:30pm. Apr.-Oct. W-Su 10:30am-3:30pm. Museum entrance with donation.) There are no banks or ATMs in Tuatapere. Local services include: the police, 16 Orawia Rd. (☎226 9020), across from the Mobil gas station, 20 Orawia Rd. (☎226 6475); the Medical Center, 69 Orawia Rd. (☎226 6123); Internet at the visitors center ($2 per 10min.). Tuatapere Health and Gift, 16 Orawia Rd., doubles as the post office. (☎226 6999. Open M-F 9:30am-5:30pm.)

Accommodations And Food. The best budget option in town is the two-story Shooters Backpackers Holiday Park , with modern, spacious facilities frequented by buspackers. (☎226 6250; shooters.backpackers@xtra.co.nz. Reception across the street at Highway 99 Cafe. Dorms $24; doubles and twins $55; singles $35. Tent sites $10 per person, campervans $30. $5-6 BBH discount. More expensive motel units next door: singles $60; doubles $90, extra person $20. MC/V.) Five Mountains Holiday Park and Hump Track Backpackers , 800m north of the bridge, has clean, crowded dorm rooms, as well as cheap two-room twins with kitchenettes. (☎226 6667. Linen $5. Reception 8am-8pm daily in the on-site Cookhouse Cafe; takeaways under $5. Dorms $10; twins $40. Tent sites $10; powered caravan sites $15. Cash only.) The historic Waiau Hotel , 47 Main St., offers well-appointed rooms for reasonable, breakfast-inclusive prices. For free entertainment, try the sheep-adjacent suites, but there’s also TV in every room. (☎226 6409; www.waiauhotel.co.nz. Wi-Fi. $35-45 per person with shared facilities, $50-55 ensuite. MC/V.) For a wee bit of homespun luxury, try the Kiwi Haven B&B 4, 58 Clifden Hwy., just as you start heading out of town. The homestead sits on 5 acres with connection to DOC short walks. (☎226 6244 or 027 625 4533; kiwihaven@paradise.net.nz. Single $60; doubles $110. Cash only.) The restaurant at the Waiau Hotel , see above, has meals from $14. (Open daily 6:30am-8pm. Bistro open from 5:30pm.) In the same building, 4 Square has groceries. (Open M-F 7am-8:30pm, Sa-Su 8am-8:30pm, Apr.-Nov. until 7:30pm.) The Highway 99 Cafe and Bar , across the street from Shooters, grills country meals ($15-22) as well as burgers ($5). (Open Dec.-Mar. daily 7am-8:30pm.) The Western Foodmarket, north of the river, has a smaller selection. (Open M-F 7am-6pm, Sa 8am-4pm, Su 9am-4pm.)

Sights And Outdoor Activities. Though the Tuatapere Scenic Reserve no longer shelters ancient tuataras, it’s now home to towering beeches. Ask the visitors center for information on the DOC walks in the area. Mountain biking along the old logging roads allows access to the lakes of eastern Fiordland; bikes can be rented in Te Anau or Manapouri. Fourteen kilometers north of Tuatapere, follow signs for Lake Hauroko from SH99 for the dirt roads leading 32km to the water’s edge. There are toilets and a DOC campsite ($10 honesty box). Farther north, Borland Rd. leaves SH99 halfway to Manapouri and brings cyclists to hiking trails and Lake Monowai. The Giant Totara Tree Loop (15min. round-trip), 37km northwest of Tuatapere on the edge of Dean Forest, hosts a 1000-year-old tree. Take Clifden Lake Hauroko Rd. via Motu Bush Rd.

Jetboat companies fly over Lake Hauroko and down the rapids of the Wairaurahiri River. The river drops more rapidly than any other jetboat-accessible river in New Zealand. Some people love to claim that it’s New Zealand’s “longest” waterfall, making the high-speed rush all the more intense. Full-day tours generally include extensive time on the river, nature walks, and pickup from Tuatapere. Wairaurahiri Jet (☎226 6845 or 0800 376 174; www.wjet.co.nz) has full-day trips with lunch included for $199. Hump Ridge Jet (☎225 8174 or 0800 270 556; www.humpridgejet.com) offers full-day tours without lunch for $180 (lunch $15). South Coast Jet (☎226 6328; www.southcoastjet.co.nz), offers custom fishing, hunting, and wilderness exploration that extend beyond the river and along the coastline. Daytrips from $250. Book ahead. Jetboats are also an option for combining tramping on the Tuatapere Hump Ridge Track with more aquatic activities. Call for details. For those who’d rather experience the thrills and spills of an active sheep farm, the  Waiau Downs Sheep Shearing and Farm Tours, on SH99 just to the south of Tuatapere toward Riverton, is the best opportunity you’ll find in all of New Zealand. Farmer Ray Horrell and his trusty team lead clumsy novices through the fast-paced process of working the farm dogs, sheep shearing, and throwing a fleece of wool. The full farm tour also includes a 4WD tour of the sheep paddocks, as well as a visit to a dairy farm and hosts of other animals. (☎0508 226 662; www.farmadventures.co.nz. 1hr. tour $20, children $5; 2hr. tour $45/10. Overalls and boots provided. Call ahead.)

Tuatapere is a gateway to the rugged forests of southern Fiordland. In addition to the Hump Ridge Track and Dusky Track , the South Coast Track offers a path into the Fiordland wildlands. It begins at Bluecliffs Beach, 19km south of town along Papatotara Rd., and follows the same coastal route as the Hump Ridge Track (in the opposite direction) to the Percy Burn Viaduct, the largest of its kind in the world. Reaching this feat of engineering requires a two-day walk. Two hours before the viaduct, the Old Port Craig Schoolhouse (now a DOC hut) makes for a pleasant place to stay both nights on this trip. Trampers wishing to continue further on the track should note that it becomes extremely challenging and muddy after its departure from the Hump Ridge track, and it’s best to speak to someone at the Tuatapere visitor center or a local DOC office before traveling further.

Completed in 2001, the track traces its namesake, the Hump Ridge, from sea level to subalpine terrain along the untamed border of southern Fiordland, returning to its starting point via a coastline walk of railroad beds and paths over towering wooden viaducts. Privately built by a local foundation, the Hump Ridge Track is the only major tramping experience not run by the DOC. And though it lacks the celebrity flash of other Fiordland tracks, its variety of environments and views make it well worth a visit.

• Length: 53km, 3 days.
• Trailheads: The track is hiked as a loop, beginning and ending at Rarakau Carpark above Bluecliffs Beach. The trailhead and parking lot are about 19km southwest of Tuatapere, along Papatotara Rd.
• Transportation: The Tuatapere Information Centre runs a shuttle to the trailhead (Nov.-Apr. daily 7:30am; round-trip $40). The shuttle also runs to the Track Burn, cutting 6km from the hike (Tuatapere to Track Burn round-trip $80). South-West Helicopters (☎226 6206) provides helicopter lifts for hikers who don’t want to make the climb with their packs, an especially popular option for the first day’s steep ascent ($135 or $50 per sector of the 3-day trip).
• Seasonality: The track is open year-round; however, May-Oct. the huts are stripped of all amenities and prices are halved. The South Coast Track (see above) to the DOC Port Craig Hut is open year-round.
• Huts: The Hump Ridge Track Trust maintains 2 well-stocked huts ($45, children $22.50) with live-in wardens, gas cookers, flush toilets, tables, and 6-bed dorms. Showers $10. Morning porridge free. Bush camping is permitted—but strongly discouraged—200m away from the track.
• Bookings: Bookings are required and should be made in advance; call the Tuatapere Information Centre or check www.humpridgetrack.co.nz . Track briefing 5:30pm the day before hiking.
• Storage: Local accommodations are very track-friendly and will store gear for trampers.
• Parking: An unattended parking lot is located just past Bluecliffs Beach.

Bluecliffs Beach To Flat Creek.  8km, 2-3hr. From the parking lot, the track begins with a nature walk, complete with labeled flora, before descending a staircase to the beach. Trampers have the option of continuing along the beach for 3km or staying on firmer ground along an old coastal road. Crossing several streams on swing bridges, including the Track Burn, follow signs for the Hump Ridge Track and, after crossing Flat Creek, for Okaka Hut.

FLAT CREEK TO OKAKA HUT. 11km, 5-6hr. The first hour or so after the Okaka Hut turn-off consists of a gradual inland ascent that takes you over three bridges. Be sure to make use of the helpfully labeled “water” jug at the last creek, as the climb from here to the top of the ridge is truly brutal, covering the better part of a vertical kilometer in a few hours. The fascinating shift from fern-drenched coastal forest to subalpine moss, fairy-land mountain daisies, and a view of the still-distant hut is a good excuse to stop and tend to the crippling pain in your lungs at Stag Point. Thirty minutes of relatively easy climbing leads to a junction to day two’s track to Port Craig; veer right for another 30min. to reach the well-provisioned Okaka Hut (40 bunks) and a welcome cuppa. At sunset or sunrise the next day, be sure to make the easy 1hr.  Summit Loop, a boardwalk through strange rock formations and nonstop panoramic views.

Okaka Hut To Luncheon Rock.  6km, 2-3hr. The excellent facilities at Okaka rest on a perch often called the “Gateway to Heaven,” which affords arresting views of both the tumultuous South Pacific and the southern boundary of Fiordland National Park. The trail toward Port Craig follows the Hump Ridge and the trail to Luncheon Rock lies above the treeline, featuring stupendous views but also weather exposure. Perhaps better situated along the trail for a mid-morning snack, Luncheon Rock has toilets, water, and a view of the Percy Burn Viaduct.

Luncheon Rock To Percy Burn Viaduct.  6.5km, 3-4hr. Past Luncheon Rock, the track gradually drops below the treeline. At the Edwin Burn Viaduct, the track splits, heading east (over the viaduct) toward the Port Craig Hut, and west to the South Coast Track. Following the old railway line, the track soon reaches the Percy Burn Viaduct, the world’s largest still-standing wooden viaduct.

Percy Burn Viaduct To Port Craig Hut.  6.5km, 2-2hr. After crossing the valley on this historic walkway, the track crosses a third viaduct and changes from a promenade across soaring architectural wonders to a long, straight, and uneventful slog. After what seems like hours of plodding, the track enters the historic sawmill town of Port Craig Village. Home to over 200 people and New Zealand’s largest sawmill before succumbing to its isolation and a plague of fatal accidents, it is now a welcome stop for weary backpackers. The DOC-run Port Craig Hut has 40 bunks; the Hump Track Hut lies 50m beyond. Beyond both buildings is an excellent beach, occasionally rewarding visitors with dolphin encounters.

Port Craig Hut To Parking Lot.  17km, 5-7hr. The hike out barely rises above sea level, shadowing the coast back to the trail beginning. The track splits between an inland route and a rocky coastal path only accessible at low tide. Due to the relatively high danger of getting stuck when the tide comes back in, the Hump Track Foundation no longer recommends taking the low road. The track then runs across three more beaches. On the way, keep an eye out for artifacts of a 1920s settlement, Hector’s dolphins, and tidal blow holes. Shortly before the creek, the path re-enters the bush and backtracks along the first part of the tramp.