Aspiring Hut: Beautiful family friendly hut in Mt Aspiring National Park
Aspiring Hut: Beginners hike
Naturally beautiful landscape, just like it should, be in the incredible Mt Aspiring National Park
Aspiring Hut is a fabulous beginners overnight hike, ideal for families with kids and those who will enjoy an easy walk. The track is still 9km, which is a decent length for kids, so plan on.
It’s a one hour drive from Wanaka to even reach this remote carpark that feels like you’re in the middle of nowhere and this stunning drive will get you excited, even before you’ve reached the hut.
The drive down the valley to the West Matukituki Track which leads to Aspiring Hut feels like you’ve stepped back into the 70s, driving down a lonely road with no one else about, surrounded by mountains and farmland. It’s the Pure New Zealand of your dreams and every time I head down this road I’m filled with innate joy.
And I haven’t even told you how great the hut and the walk is yet!
All I can say is that if you love wild natural spaces, with mountains, rivers and true backcountry beauty, then this hike is for you.
Article Table of Contents
Aspiring Hut Track: The quick details
- Aspiring Hut Track length: 9km
- Time from Raspberry Creek carpark to Aspiring Hut: About 2- 3 hours (it took us 3 hours with kids)
- Elevation gain to Aspiring Hut: about 200m according to my garmin
- Elevation of Aspiring Hut: 411m above sea level
- Difficulty rating: Easy hut walk
- Verdict: Great easy hike, beautiful surroundings, great drive in and a good distance for kids to start to add more kilometres to their hikes without big long hills
How to get to Raspberry Creek Carpark, the start of the Aspiring Hut track
Google maps will tell you it takes 2 hours from Wanaka to Raspberry Creek Carpark, but in fact, it’s around an hour. It’s a 50km drive, but the last 30km are on gravel. There are a number of fords to cross where you drive through the water so a 4WD vehicle is recommended.
Obviously the water level changes based on rainfall, so it’s sometimes passable with a regular car, but a 4WD would be your best bet. Our last visit there were lots of vehicles near Wishbone Falls (probably the two deepest fords) on the side of the road and people had parked and walked the extra kilometres.
If you are hiring a car or campervan within New Zealand, this may one of the roads your hirer may prohibit you driving on (there are a few common ones that car hire companies won’t let you on) and there are some hiring companies that actually GPS the cars location, so just a heads up in case you just do it anyway.
You can’t miss the Raspberry Creek car park as it’s literally the end of the road here.
There are toilets, area maps and a shelter here, so a good space to begin your tramping adventure.
What it’s like to walk to Aspiring Hut
The walk to Aspiring Hut is absolutely beautiful. The wide open landscape of the Matukituki Valley is stunning, with mountains on either side and the Matukituki river running alongside your walk.
The track overall is relatively flat, meaning it doesn’t gain much elevation but there’s some small undulations and one short steep hill that will take 5-7 minutes to climb.
In terms of walking terrain, this Wanaka hike is a little unstable underfoot as a lot of it is a 4wd track, so think of it as muddy tracks that have hardened in the sun.
The one part of this trail that is particularly interesting is the multiple stream crossings. Now I didn’t count them but I’m going to say there are at least a dozen of them. While I can’t predict what the weather will be like when you are there, our experience is that there were some that took a couple of rock hops and we made it over, some where we could find a log and a few where we lifted Emilia over and the kids’ boots got a little wet.
We chose to avoid the rivers on the way in as we were heading further up the valley to French Ridge Hut and wanting to have dry boots for that. But if kids have boots, I highly recommend letting them walk through the streams on the way out, as you can always take them off in the car. It makes it fun and its good practice to get some good footing underwater.
None of the streams were any deeper than lower calf, which was still higher than my boot but by no means anything to worry about (except cold water) Disclaimer: obviously this was only our experience at the time so it could be different with tons of rain.
The walk did feel long-ish compared to some others that we have done. Mostly because you are in a wide open valley and you can see ahead the long stretches that you have to walk. My kids find winding tracks where you can’t see around the corner a lot easier and there’s more variation, but it was still a lovely walk.
Swimming hole on the Aspiring Hut Track
You’ll climb up the steep hill and then at the bottom to the right is a good little “beach” that’s perfect for a wee dip. On a hot day it’s a great swimming hole, although do remember the water will be very fresh (aka freezing)
The water is incredibly blue and clear, pristine in fact. That’s just one thing I really appreciate about New Zealand walks, just the sheer beauty of the natural landscapes.
Side Trip: Rob Roy Glacier Track
About 20 minutes into the Aspiring Hut hike you’ll find a swingbridge to your right. This swingbrige leads to the Rob Roy Glacier Track, which will take another 1.5 hours or so to reach.
The path is easy to follow and there’s some good uphill through the bush. Then it opens up into a beautiful glacier valley, where up above you’ll see the glaciers and waterfalls all around you.
You can’t go onto the glacier from here, but the views of Rob Roy Glacier are pretty cool!
What is Aspiring Hut like?
Aspiring Hut had a huge renovation in the summer of 2022/2023 and is now what I would call, a state of the art backcountry hut. There’s a new fireplace and solar lighting in the new Aspiring Hut, but stalwarts will be glad to see it has kept some of its heritage stone walls.
Bunkrooms
It’s pretty impressive with its beautiful bunk rooms split out over multiple “bedrooms” which is great for families and groups as well as high ceilings, big windows and great insulation.
Dining Area
Sitting in the dining area you can look right down the Matukituki Valley, up to the mountains and if you look very closely you’ll be able to see Liverpool Hut, right up on the ridgeline. It’s another 4 hours to this hut from here.
Kitchen
There is gas in the kitchen, so you will only need to bring pots, one of the reasons why this hut is such a great beginner hut for families. You don’t need a ton of gear like specialty hiking cookers to visit Aspiring Hut. (gas cookers not provided between May – October Labour Weekend)
Toilets
There are a couple of toilets outside the hut (ie. not attached) and one thing that’s very exciting is that these are flushing toilets. I know not everyone is particularly keen on the ol’ long drop, so if this has been a barrier for some of your tramping party, your mind can be at ease on this trip.
Hut Warden
During the warmer months from October Labour Weekend to April there is a regular hut warden who attends to the hut. They will check you in, so screenshot a copy of your reservation or print it out and give you any information about the other hikes in the area
Aspiring Hut Campsite
Another 50m or so from Aspiring Hut is the campsite. This is a good option if you’re not a fan of sharing huts with lots of people or if Aspiring Hut is fully booked.(it can be super popular on weekends and holidays) It’s a nice flat campsite however you are not allowed to use the Aspiring Hut facilities, except for the toilets.
How to book Aspiring Hut
Aspiring Hut is owned by the New Zealand Alpine Club (NZAC) and managed by the Department of Conservation. There are 28 beds that can be booked through DOC and 4 more beds that are exclusive to NZAC.
Backcountry Hut Passes and backcountry hut tickets cannot be used at this hut and all bookings must be made online. It is cheaper if you belong to the New Zealand Alpine Club
As at 2024, hut prices are as follows
- NZAC member adult: $20 per person
- NZAC member child: $10 per person
- Adult: $40 per person
- Child: $15 per person
- Kids under 5: always free
You can book on the DOC website online in advance
Weather at Aspiring Hut: Mount Aspiring National Park
Rain is likely the biggest weather restriction for this hike as it will make the streams deeper on the track and the fords deeper when crossing with your vehicle.
The track is exposed as its open in the valley, but good windproof clothing and warm gear will mitigate most of this risk here.
Keep on eye on the weather and if you have any concerns, then the Mt Aspiring DOC Visitor Centre is worth calling or dropping into in the main part of Wanaka and they will be experts on the weather in these remote locations. Their wardens in the area will have up to date info and I’ve found a quick call has given me the info I need to make a decision whether to go ahead of not.
The main weather app I use is YR.no and while no weather app in New Zealand is accurate, this is the best of the bunch for me.
Alternate family adventure: Mountain biking to Aspiring Hut
We mountain biked to Aspiring Hut a few years back with a 7 and 9 year old old on bikes and a 5 year old on the Kids Ride Shotgun seat on my husbands bike.
It took us 1 hour and 45 minutes on the way in and just five minutes less on the way back to bike to Aspiring Hut with the kids.
Even though the tramping track isn’t difficult, it’s an awkward little bike but it’s doable. Near the beginning of the track there are lots of little rock sections that you’ll probably have to get off your bike and push, along with a few of the streams.
Some of the flatter sections were also quite marshy at times, especially near the end of the trail and this was far more noticeable on a bike than tramping. These sodden sections made it quite hard to push on a bike.
Now in saying this, we casually bike with the kids a few times a year but are generally fit, so if you’re regular bikers, then this might not be a problem, or if you’re adult mountain bikers, then it will be sweet no doubt. But for the family bikers, this was doable, but awkward was probably the word of the day.
Keas, your mountain bike and Mt Aspiring Hut
There’s some good words of warning from DOC and about anyone who has visited Aspiring Hut about the problematic kea, our cheeky native alpine parrot. It’s advised to keep your bikes tipped upside down in the forest near the hut so the keas don’t peck at your seat and ruin it completely.
Mt Aspiring National Park Walks
- Rob Roy Glacier Track: About 3-4 hours return to incredible glacial valley views
- French Ridge Hut: A good add on to Aspiring Hut for experienced trampers taking 4-6 hours
- Liverpool Hut: A 3-4 hour hike to a hut perched on the cliff edge overlooking the Matukituki Valley
More awesome hikes in Wanaka
- Rocky Mountain: a 3 hour loop track with beautiful Lake Wanaka and mountain views (shorter options also available)
- Roys Peak: 6-8 hours return to some of the most famous views in Wanaka
- Isthmus Peak: an alternative 6-8 hour hike to Roys Peak with a twin viewpoint over Lake Wanaka and Hawea
- Breast Hill: an advanced 7 hour return hike and my favourite hike in Wanaka
- Brewster Hut: an extremely tough uphill climb through the bush to a hut with mountain and glacier views
Would you consider a visit to Mount Aspiring Hut?
Jennifer
Founder of Backyard Travel Family
Jen is a super organiser when it comes to travel. Having travelled extensively in Europe and Africa, has lived in London and the USA and holidayed in many parts of Asia, she is not a newbie to the travel space
Jen has three young children, 11 and under and travels around New Zealand with them.
what you need to know
Travel
- It's about an hours drive from Wanaka to the Aspiring Hut trailhead at Raspberry Creek Carpark. 30km of it is on gravel and you need a 4WD or high clearance vehicle to get through the fords
The track
-its a 4wd style track that is nice and wide and safe. You can't get lost on this trail and its relatively flat in tramping terms with one steep 5 minute hill
Suitable for kids?
Aspiring Hut is a great family friendly hut and an ideal beginners tramp in Wanaka. Plenty of families and groups head out here especially during the summer so book ahead.
Facilities
-toilets and shelter at Raspberry Creek Carpark
- exposed open track so no shelter in hot sun, wind or rain
What to bring
- its 2-3 hours each way so this is a definitely a track that you'll need lunch and some snack.
- well exposed track so bring sun, wind, and rain protection as appropriate
Food options
- the trail is in the middle of nowhere so stock up supplies in Wanaka township where there are supermarkets, cafes and restaurants.
