Backcountry Hut Culture

New Zealand has somewhere around nine hundred and fifty backcountry huts, more per head than anywhere else, and they exist for an unromantic reason: most were built from the 1950s to the 1970s to house government deer cullers controlling introduced animals, and when the culling wound down the huts stayed and were handed to trampers. That accident produced a system where a night in the mountains costs very little. Huts are graded - Great Walk huts are booked, serviced and comparatively expensive; Serviced and Standard huts take a hut ticket or pass and are first-come, first-served with bunks, a water supply and sometimes a stove; Basic huts are free and are four walls. The etiquette is well established: boots off at the door, cook and clean up after yourself, leave kindling for the next party, sign the intentions book, and make room for late arrivals because nobody is turned out into the dark.

What you actually see

• The hut network - around 950 across the conservation estate.
• The culler origins - most built for government deer control.
• The grading system - Great Walk, Serviced, Standard and Basic.
• The etiquette - boots off, make room, leave kindling, sign the book.

When to go

November to April for alpine huts; lower valley huts work year round. Great Walk huts must be booked months ahead; most others cannot be booked at all.

Honest expectations

Standard and Basic huts are first-come and can be full - carry a tent as backup on popular routes. Mattresses are shared platforms, snoring included. Water is untreated at many huts. Buy tickets or a pass before you go; there is nobody to sell them on the mountain.

Nearby

Huts are throughout the national parks and forest parks in every region.