Location: Jollie Valley at the head (almost) of Lake Pukaki. Turn off SH8 onto Hayman Road (between Tekapo and Twizel). Follow along eastern side of Lake Pukaki, a beautiful drive in itself.
Access: About 3km on 4wd/farm tracks. You can mountain bike or walk, or even get the key to drive until about 500m before the hut if you ask nicely. There was forest works going on when we walked in. You slowly gain height over a small hill then wander down past some ponds and through forested areas. From memory it took a 1 1/2-2hrs? to walk in, at 3 year old pace.
Hut: The hut is an old farm hut (I assume). A separate spacious bunkroom with 5 bunks. We slept in the other room, near the fire as it was mid-winter. The hut is on the drafty side but we survived despite the temperatures. Probably wouldn’t advise it for the depths of winter like we did but at least we had it to ourselves.
NB: This hut, as well as others in the valley, get lots of hunters so it’s good to be prepared/expect to have share the hut, especially with hunters. As it’s not a massive walk, we went in with the mindset that we could always walk out again if it was full, but somehow we struck it empty 🙂
Visited by the Clark whānau, June 2018.
trampingforlittlepeople 