đż A hidden soak deep in the wild đż
Tucked away in the Otehake Wilderness Area of Arthurâs Pass National Park, the Otehake River Hot Springs are a remote and rewarding destination for seasoned trampers
Okehake River natural hot springs.
From Arthurs Pass, drive SH73 to Morrisons Swing bridge Otira Highway, once on the other side it's an easy walk up the Taramakau valley and turn right into Pfeifer Creek, the first small valley. Follow track past Lake Kaurapataka. There is a short steep climb and descent over a saddle and then turn right up the river. After several more relatively deep river crossings you come to the steaming hot pools beside/in front of the island in the river.
"The beginning of the track crosses easy-going farmland for an hour before turning off up towards Lake Kaurapataki via the dry looking Pfiefer Creek. The track eventually goes into the bush before passing by the lake and some nice campsites. It then follows the lake shore around, then cutting up and over a spur and down to the Otehake river. On the spur there is a signpost to the old bridge, from here it is an hour or so to the hotpools up river. The descent to the river involves a bit of cliff scrambling and a section that turns into a waterfall in heavy rain. Once beside the river it is another k and a half before the hotpools can be found hidden in a bend in the river on the other side. This involves another river crossing and so it is important to be aware of the weather forecast as to not get stuck. There is amble camping spots on the river side of the hotpools. All in all it takes around 3 hours to walk to the hot pools and maybe half that to get back to the carpark." - hotspringsofnz.nz
Total time: of about 5-6 hours one way if using the swing bride or 3-4 if you cross the river which we don't recommend.
Note: Hot pools probably get washed out every flood and need to be rebuilt/dug out. Only suitable if river is low/normal.
Reviews:
âHiked in with a mate, pools were unreal, could smell the sulphur from far down the river. Special place to visit. Hot pools were a nice depth. Super hot! Perfect temp and can cool it down a little if you need to with the stream inlet between the two boulders. I'll be back!â â Matty, April 2025, NZHotPools
âRiver low, no rain for a week. Walked in via Lake Kaurapataka and eased up through the gorge river crossings. Beware a wasp nest on track between lake and saddle! Pools still awesome after ten years. Camped the night and walked out via Otehake river bed in good conditions.â â Fran Cohen, March 2022, NZHotPools
2 handy websites for further research:
https://www.hotspringsofnz.nz/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Hot-Springs-Guide-Book-139.pdf
https://nzhotpools.co.nz/hot-pools/otehake-river-hot-springs/
Hot Spring location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/5rm1EqLxmm9bmWhn9
