Coppermine Creek Hut | Haast Paringa Cattle Trail
One of those huts that almost suffers from being accessible by four-wheel-drive, but the difficulty of access, Coppermine Creek and Waita River need to be crossed a few times if in a vehicle, precludes many potential visits.
The DOC track to the road has not been cut/marked for some years, and has some frustrating sections where decades of cattle hoofs in boggy ground have made tramping with a pack a pain. If the river is down it is certainly easier to bash down the river gravels, crossing as required. Staying on the “marked” track leads, at times, through prickly gorse forests, and those potentially ankle breaking bogs.
Memorable due to the hordes of mosquitoes that seem to find some way into the hut. Expert tip: bring your own mozzie coils, or even a can of fly spray.
category . . . standard hut
hut fee . . . 1 standard hut ticket or backcountry hut pass, free to camp.
booking . . . not required
elevation . . . 50 m
bunks . . . 8 mattresses in bunks
built . . . 1980
heating . . . firebox, collect own firewood
water . . . tap above sink from 900 litre rainwater tank
toilet . . . longdrop
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