Manuka Hut: Easy Mid Canterbury Hike
Manuka Hut
A relatively unknown hut in the Hakatarere Conversation Park in the Ashburton region of the South Island, Manuka Hut is a lovely half day walk or overnight hut hike.
It’s a great track to try out during the winter when there is snow on the surrounding mountains and with no elevation gain to worry about compared to other surrounding alpine hikes.
The Hakatere Conservation Park, or Ashburton Lakes region is still such a hidden gem, cliche as it sounds, it really is the epitome of New Zealand yesteryear. You’ll find cute little baches near Lake Clearwater, people waterskiing, freedom camping, hiking and biking in the area.
And most people drive past without knowing it’s even there.
So if you’re after a pretty easy trail that’s unlikely to be busy, then the Manuka Hut hike might be for you.
How to get to Manuka Hut?
Manuka Hut can be found in the Hakatere Conversation Park, just off Hakatere Heron Road. Follow the signs to Lake Emily and from here you’ll need to decide whether you drive the 4WD track up to Lake Emily, or park your car and walk from here.
You’ll want to be an experienced 4WD driver and probably travel in a group as the big hill at the start can be wet, boggy and the tyre marks are deep! This is far beyond our skills and it was faster to walk up the first hill than the cars drove up there.
If you don’t drive to Lake Emily, you’ll add another 2.5km to your Manuka Hut walk. It’s a short steep uphill to start with and then a long flat 4WD style track to Lake Emily. It probably added another 45 minutes or so each way.
It was muddy and wet up the steep 4WD section so you’ll likely get wet boots. I’d also recommend some poles to check for water depth and balance as you cross these sections. The 4WD vehicles have made deep tracks that you sometimes can’t avoid.
Manuka Hut Walk
Why choose Manuka Hut?
It’s an easy walk with no huge hills. The marker poles are easy to follow and it’s not one where you can lose the trail easily. I love the snowy capped mountains and big valley expanses
It is very exposed, with no bush for shelter from the elements.
What is like to walk to Manuka Hut
It’s a 4.5km walk from Lake Emily to Manuka Hut. It’ll take a leisurely 80-90 minutes one way. It’s quite an easy walk, so I recommend it as a great family friendly hike in Canterbury.
There are some small undulations but in tramping terms, the trail is mostly flat, save from one small hill. You’ll travel along a tussocky trail into a big wide expanse. At the top of the small hill you’ll get some beautiful panoramic views.
We visited here in November after some rain and it was quite marshy in some parts that retained quite a lot of water. For this reason I’d recommend boots, but for stability, you would be fine in shoes.
Follow the orange markers down the hill and across the big plain. It’s flat here and Manuka Hut is around the bend, behind the hill. You’ll pass a turn off to Double Hut, another 5km on from here and in a short time you’ll find Manuka Hut tucked around the corner.
We rock hopped across the river near the hut, which can flood (FYI) and that was the end of the trail – we’d arrived at Manuka Hut
From the farmland carpark where we started walking, it took us about 2.5 hours with photo stops along the way to reach the hut.
Mountain Biking to Manuka Hut
Mountain Biking is another popular way to reach Manuka Hut. There are a few DOC huts that it’s possible to bike to (like Aspiring Hut in Wanaka) so that can make for a different sort of adventure.
You’ll probably have to push your way up the first hill from the farmyard carpark at the start of the 4WD track and then you follow the same track to Lake Emily. A wee bit on from Lake Emily you’ll see a sign that shows the mountain bike trail via the Stour River Track.
The Stour River trail goes around the hill that you tramp over. You can also take horses on this trail as well
About Manuka Hut
Manuka Hut is a six bed basic Department of Conservation Hut which is completely free to stay in and you cannot book it. It’s on the Te Araroa Trail which I imagine is where it gets most of its use.
It’s a basic hut so don’t expect too much, but there are 6 bunk beds with mattresses and my friend does mention a few rodent friends that do hang out there sometimes. There’s a fireplace, a small bench for food prep and some tables and chairs. It’s pretty rustic and won’t hold much heat in the corrugated iron building, but it was clean and tidy.
The toilet is away from the hut, just a short 30 second walk.
There is a note at the hut that it is in a flood zone, so in high rain, they recommend that you can retreat up the hill. There’s a stream crossing just before the hut and I imagine it’s this one that may become large at times. We managed to rock hop in November when we visited without getting our feet wet.
Things to note
- It’s also okay to camp outside Manuka Hut
- There’s a little fenced paddock so you can tie up your horse. It’s a popular spot to horse trek too
- You can also walk onto Double Hut, another 5km or so from Manuka Hut
Booking Manuka Hut: You can’t book Manuka Hut. It’s on a first in, first served basis so arrive early or maybe have a tent as backup.
Looking for more huts and walks? Check out these articles
- Ashburton Lakes Guide: All the huts and cycle trails in this region
- Mt Somers Track: the trails on nearby Mt Somers including the summit trail
- Woolshed Creek Hut: a great family friendly hut that is very popular
- Mt Sunday: A beautiful short easy walk in the Ashburton Lakes, that’s also a Lord of the Rings film location
- The Best Backcountry Huts in the South Island for kids
- More awesome things to do in Mid Canterbury: All the best activities, walks and cycle trails in the Ashburton region
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, 12 and under and travels around New Zealand with them.
what you need to know
Travel
-It's about a 1 hour drive from Ashburton to the Manuka Hut trailhead - You'll need to head to the Hakatere Conservation / Ashburton Lakes on the Ashburton Gorge Road, before turning into Hakatere Heron Road.
The track
- 1.5 hours from Lake Emily to Manuka Hut - add on another 2.5kms if you park down near the farmland before the 4WD track - Road to Lake Emily requires 4WD - tyre tracks are deep
Suitable for kids?
Yes, this track doesn't have too many hills and is a lovely day walk or overnight hike
Facilities
- Toilets at Manuka Hut
What to bring
- It's a very exposed trail and can get windy. There is no bush / forest to hide in along the way so prepare accordingly
Food options
Mt Somers Store is the closest place to buy food, or the Staveley Store on the way to Methven
