Child friendly rating: 5 stars

Distance: 3.6km

Signposted time: 1.5 hours

Bookings Required? No

Suitable in Winter? Likely not

Camping Available? If you can fit your tent on the deck

4wd required? Recommended, but not required

Parking:

Park just past Littles Clearing at the Littles Clearing carpark on the way to Makahu Saddle.

The Track:

The track to this hut is almost flat which feels like a rarity!

The first section you drop down to a creek which needs crossing twice, but after this once you’re back up and out of the creek, the track is mainly wider, flattish, and great for little legs. The creek crossings, you're likely to keep dry feet for as an adult or as a responsible kid too.

After about 1km the track makes a sharp right turn, and you join an old 4wd track.

One thing to be aware of is the flats can get boggy and muddy in sections. I would pop any toddlers in gumboots, and you may have to carry them over some of the wet sections as there are a few sinking spots. You swap between being in trees, and being out in the open - you are at over 1000m above sea level here, so care needs to be taken in rough weather or in hot sun with these exposed sections. But overall the track is super great for kids! Not too long, and varied enough to not be boring, yet still very easy. It’s also wide enough to hold a child’s hand while walking almost the whole way. Once you get to the hut turn-off, it’s about 100m to the hut and a wee drop down into the bushline.

There are some fallen trees to climb over, but overall no bush bashing needed.

Cellphone reception in patches - none at the hut, and none at the carpark, but some on the flat 4wd track section.

Hut:

The hut is a little biv which my kids called a playhouse. It’s actually super adorable and the kids will love the size of it! Two mattresses inside, and the hut is only barely wider than the two mattresses, but if you can squeeze up can fit a family of 4 or maybe even 5 depending on the age of the kids. Lovely big deck surrounding the hut you could pop a tent onto too.

Recommendations:

This would make a great hut visit for all ages. It is cosy inside, so not one to bring a whole group of friends, but enough for a small family or great for a trip for some one-on-one time with a child.