Child friendly rating: 2 stars walking, 5 stars boat

Distance: 13km from Kaiuma Bay, or 18km from Duncan Bay

Signposted time: 4 hours (Kaiuma Bay), or 6 hours (Duncan Bay)

Bookings Required? Yes

Suitable in Winter? Yes

Camping Available? Not allowed at hut, there is a campsite in the bay though.

4wd required? No

Parking:

For the easiest access, park at the marked carpark along Kaiuma Bay Road before the village. You can also catch a water taxi from Havelock, though you do then need to walk an extra 2km from the jetty through the village.

If wanting to walk the whole track, you can get a water taxi drop-off to Duncan Bay from Kaiuma Bay (or vice versa), but you're looking at a price of around $550 for a family.

There are also water taxis that can take you directly to Nydia Bay from Havelock, or even scheduled services like The Mail Boat.

The Track:

The track is a mountain bike track, but when walking I would just think the whole time that you've got to be crazy to cycle this. The track is relatively rough underfoot in sections with rocks and I don't know if I bike would even balance in sections.

Walking, it can be done with kids, but the distance is great. You need to cross a saddle coming both from Kaiuma Bay or Duncan Bay sides. The middle section of the track (From where the Kaiuma Bay track meets Nydia Bay farmland to the Nydia Bay campsite) is flat and wide and easy to walk. But the rest is long and slightly technical. The track is obvious so getting lost isn't a concern, but it's not an easy track to walk on for little especially inexperienced legs.

Coming from Duncan Bay, there is a river crossing just before you join onto the junction with the Kaiuma Bay and Nydia Lodge tracks. Though not normally recommended to take shoes off on river crossings due to the rocks underneath and cold shock, this one is fine to remove shoes on in summer as it's more of a deep creek than a river. You will otherwise get wet boots.

When walking the whole track, the hut is 2km off the Nydia Track on a very easy wide track, but you will need to return this way back to the junction the next day.

You are sheltered and in the bushline almost the whole way on this track.

From Kaiuma Bay with kids 5+ who have done a few overnight trips already, allow 5-7 hours. From Duncan Bay allow 7-9 hours.

You could also kayak, but with the large distance, best for only confident kayakers. It is a 20km paddle each way with the most practical launching point being Moetapu Bay.

Hut:

This hut is very equipped with hot showers, a gas oven and cooker, crockery, cutlery, and so much more. You still need to bring your own sleeping bags, clothes and food, but no need for any cooking gear.

There is even a fridge and freezer at the hut, and power plugs. However the generator is only on for 2 hours in the morning and 4 hours in the evening. This means that the fridge stays cool but not cold, and the freezer cold but not freezing.

The hut is made up of a main hut with kitchen and dining area, another hut with toilets and showers, and then 3 huts which have 3 bunkrooms each.

Just down from the hut is a jetty with great swimming. The beach has lots of really sharp shells so you'll need some beach shoes like crocs. At high tide you can jump off the end of the jetty, and at low tide you can dive off the bottom platform of the jetty. The swimming is generally better at high tide I reckon.

There are sting rays near the jetty especially in the evenings, but they avoid people so won't come near you if swimming. It's also not far from the jetty to the island, but best not to swim out to the island due to the risk of cuts from the rocks and shells.

There is also a 1km loop track around the bush near the hut. The trail is very easy and has access down to other beaches too. You can also follow the track uphill just before the wardens hut to head up to the water tank.

In summer the hut has a resident warden. In winter the hut is locked and you get the code to the lockbox when booking.

Recommendations:

If coming here I would recommend a 2 night stay. There is just so much to explore nearby especially if visiting in summer (which is what I'd recommend) with good swimming. This also gives a good recovery day before the next big day.

I wouldn't recommend the track with very young kids due to the huge distance unless you're prepared to carry them. Kids 5+ should cope if you're prepared for it to take all day and they've done like 5+ overnight trips already. For those with less experience would recommend kids be 8/9+.

Another great option is also to catch the water taxi in (Being picked up from Kaiuma Bay), and then walk out once your bags are lighter.