Overview
About Castle Rock Hut
Why stop
- A signposted 350 m walk reaches the separate Castle Rocks outcrop.
Heads up
- Reaching it from Marahau takes about 5½ hours on foot.
Map
Where it is
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Abel Tasman Tour Guide
Your drive to Castle Rock Hut, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Abel Tasman National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
More stories near here in the app
- Canaan Downs
- Why Fantails Follow You
- The Beach Bought by Thousands
- Mārahau and Te Waharoa
- 23 audio storiesacross Abel Tasman’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Kea, New Zealand Fur Seal, Little Penguin, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 43 trails, 65 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
More about Castle Rock Hut
Is this hut on your route?Castle Rock Hut is a remote eight-bunk hut above Marahau Valley, set beside rocky outcrops on…
Castle Rock Hut is a remote eight-bunk hut above Marahau Valley, set beside rocky outcrops on the Inland Track. It is for walkers planning an overnight inland tramp, not a road stop. From Marahau’s Harvey Road end, allow 15.1 km and about 5½ hours one way. The climb from the coast makes it a full stretch of walking before you reach the bunks.
Plan for a backcountry trackThe hut sits on the 41.
The hut sits on the 41.1 km, one-way Inland Track, an advanced three-day route linking Marahau and Wainui Bay via Pigeon Saddle. From Marahau, the track follows the Coast Track to Tinline Bay, then climbs through regenerating forest. Holyoake Clearing and its shelter come about 2½ hours in; the climb to the hut continues after that. Reliable water is sparse, unbridged streams can become impassable in flood, and dogs are not allowed. Wasps are especially common from December through April.
Set up for the nightThere are eight bunks with mattresses, heating and non-flush toilets.
There are eight bunks with mattresses, heating and non-flush toilets. Water is untreated, so boil or filter it before drinking. Plan to be self-sufficient for food; the listed facilities do not specify cooking equipment.
A separate Castle Rocks walkThe outcrops near the hut open onto Marahau Valley and Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere.
The outcrops near the hut open onto Marahau Valley and Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere. A sign beside the hut points 350 m to Castle Rocks, about a 10-minute walk. A separate ridge-top rock offers views back toward Marahau, so allow time for that short side walk if you want the outlook.
Built for the park’s interiorCastle Rock Hut dates to 1958.
Castle Rock Hut dates to 1958. It was prefabricated and flown in by helicopter after park ranger Max White advocated opening up the park’s inland area to visitors.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Abel Tasman
10 sightingsKeaMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
54 sightingsNew Zealand Fur SealMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
20 sightingsLittle PenguinMost seen around 9 PMSighting map
21 sightingsSouth Island KākāMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
526 sightingsWekaMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
16 sightingsTūīMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Abel Tasman. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
