Rees-Dart Track

Understand

This is a moderately demanding circuit track taking 4-5 days of 6-8 hours of walking per day. The fifth day is added if an extra day trip to the Dart Glacier is taken. Mt. Earnslaw (Pikirakatahi) and Slip Stream (Te Koroka) are Töpuni (sacred) sites of the Ngāi Tāhu Maori tribe. This track can also be linked to the Cascade Saddle track, but is suggested only for very experienced trampers.

Prepare

Just like any multi-night tramping excursion, plan in advance and check a packing list before leaving; preparedness is key for wilderness emergencies. Pack wet-weather, warm-weather, and extra clothing, as your hiking gear will get wet. Bring insect repellent for the abundant sand flies and a small, absorbent towel.

Eat You must carry all your own food; there are no shops. Prepare a high-energy, low-weight menu and always carry an extra day of emergency rations. You must also provide your own cooking equipment (pots, etc.) and utensils; a single spork is recommended.

Drink Water is available at huts from rivers or rainfall, but it is not tested for giardia—treatment (filters or tablets) is recommended. Carry water in an accessible bottle or bladder to maintain hydration during activity.

Sleep Huts with mattresses are spaced a day apart, but they lack linens and heating; bring a warm sleeping bag and earplugs for shared bunkhouses. You may tent near huts, but campers cannot use hut facilities. There are no showers; use hut toilets or bury waste far from the track and water.

Climate Expect to get wet due to the environment. Proper preparedness with warm and waterproof layers is essential for survival.

Get in

Throughout the Great Walks peak season, daily transport to the track is provided by Info&Track.

1 Info&Track (Services are available from nearby towns of Queenstown or Glenorchy to either Muddy Creek or Chinaman's Bluff.), ☏ +64 3 442 9708, [email protected].

Walk

The route described here goes up the Rees Valley, crosses Rees Saddle, and then descends the Dart Valley towards Chinamans Bluff and Paradise. This is an advanced tramping route rather than a formed Great Walk, and conditions can change quickly. River crossings, slips, snow, avalanche paths and flooded side streams can all delay progress.

Starting from 1 Muddy Creek, the route follows a vehicle track before continuing across boggy ground, guided by marker poles, to the park boundary. This first section crosses private farmland on Rees Valley Station, so stay on the marked route, leave gates as you find them, and do not camp before the national park boundary. The walking is not difficult in a technical sense, but it can be wet underfoot and slower than expected. After Arthurs Creek, the valley opens out into broad grassy flats with the Rees River nearby and mountains rising on either side. In poor visibility the marker poles are useful for keeping to the correct line across the flats and avoiding unnecessary river travel. A side trip towards Kea Basin branches off on the opposite side of the Rees River north of Lennox Falls, but this adds time and requires suitable conditions. The main route continues up-valley to the swing bridge and the sign marking the boundary of Mount Aspiring National Park. This is the first place where camping is permitted on the route.

From the park boundary, a marked track winds through bush to 1 Shelter Rock Hut. Soon after entering the national park, the track crosses to the west bank of the Rees River and passes through beech forest. Compared with the open farmland below, this section feels more enclosed and sheltered, with roots, mud and short climbs typical of a backcountry bush track. The route passes the Clarke Slip area before emerging near the upper bushline. Above the forest the landscape becomes more open, with tussock, scrub, side gullies and increasingly alpine views. Several gullies in this area are avalanche paths in late autumn, winter, spring and sometimes early summer, so conditions should be checked carefully before committing to the climb. Shelter Rock Hut sits above the Rees Valley and makes a logical first night f

Stay safe

Be sure to register with the Department of Conservation (DOC) office in Glenorchy before heading out. Your check-in and subsequent check-out with the DOC will insure your safety in the wilderness. If you do not check-out by the date you've specified during registration a search will commence shortly thereafter.

Go next

Milford Track (about 4 days), which runs from Lake Te Anau through the McKinnon Pass in the Southern Alps, leading out to Milford Sound. Routeburn Track (about 3 days), which starts at the northern end of Lake Wakatipu near Queenstown in Glenorchy, coming out at The Divide on the road to Milford. Kepler Track in Fiordland National Park. Rakiura Track, on Stewart Island Careys Creek Track, near Blueskin Bay, north of Dunedin