Child friendly rating: 5 stars

Distance: 5.7km

Signposted time: 2 hours

Bookings Required? Yes

Suitable in Winter? Yes

Camping Available? Yes (Bookable paid great walk campsite)

4wd required? No

Parking: The easiest access to this hut is from the Wainui end of the Abel Tasman Coast Track. There is a carpark here.

The Track: While the track may be not too badly graded, nice and wide, easy to walk, the first section is very exposed to the sun. On a hot day the climb can feel very hard going up to the top of the saddle as there isn't much shelter.

Once at the top, there is more trees on the other side, so your walk downhill (And back out the next day) will be much easier.

There is plenty of space to sit down and have a break almost anywhere along the track. This is probably one of the easier access huts on the Abel Tasman.

There is no bush bashing required at all and the track is basically 2m wide across the whole way. It's perfect for toddlers who love to hold hands while walking.

Solo with an 8yo, 3yo, and a baby, this walk took us 2hr50 there, and 2hr30 back at a relaxed pace with the 3yo walking the whole way.

Hut: The hut is large with many bunkrooms. It's an old farmhouse and the character is great!

From the hut it's a short walk to the beach. There is also a large grassy clearing near the hut perfect for running around.

Recommendations: This hut is the perfect first hike. The hardest part is how exposed to the sun the track is, so can be a good one to not to in the hottest part of the year - maybe save it for winter!

It's easy enough that most 3yo kids should be able to walk the whole way themselves if you are prepared to walk slowly alongside. And short and varied enough that they won't get bored.

There is basically no age that shouldn't be able to manage from 1yo who can walk short sections while being carried most of the way through to older kids. You could probably even get a pram all the way to the hut if you don't mind pushing it uphill 3km and have a hand to lift it as needed.

You can also come from Totaranui if you're after more of a challenge. This way you can turn it into a loop going via Gibbs Hill one way and Seperation point the other way.