Campground · Arthur's Pass National Park
A riverside base for the Casey Hut tramp, with a basic shelter.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Arthur's Pass Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Arthur's Pass 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.
Recorded for this place
Andrews Shelter Campsite and Casey Hut“You're coming up on Andrews Shelter Campsite, a simple overnight base on open river flats. There are twenty non-powered sites, taken first come, first served, and an enclosed shelter gives some cover from the weather.”
Plays as you drive up to Andrews Shelter Campsite in the Parkwolf Arthur's Pass Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“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
Andrews Shelter Campsite is a basic campground with 20 non-powered sites beside the Waimakariri River, on open flats in the Poulter valley. It works best as a simple overnight stop or as the start of the long Casey Hut tramp; expect a remote campsite, not a staffed campground. Campers often value the peaceful river setting, though trampers do pass through.
From SH 73, follow Mount White Road for 5 km to the campsite. That stretch is gravel and visitors say it can take a while; winter snow can make access difficult. Sites are first come, first served, with no booking required. Dogs aren't allowed. Bring food with you; there's no shop or food service at camp.
A basic enclosed shelter gives you a roof and some cover from bad weather, and a pit toilet serves the campground. There's no confirmed potable tap, so bring drinking water or treat anything you collect from a stream. Sandflies are a recurring nuisance near the river, so pack repellent.
The route starts near the shelter, crosses the river and climbs through open scrub into beech forest. Allow 6–8 hours to reach the current Casey Hut, a long tramp rather than a short walk. The 12-bunk hut opened in 2020 after the original burned in 2015, at a new site above the Poulter River.
Wildlife
982 sightingsKeaMost seen around noonSighting map
39 sightingsNew Zealand FalconMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
190 sightingsBlue DuckMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
20 sightingsKākāMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
15 sightingsWekaMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
15 sightingsParadise ShelduckMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Arthur's Pass. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ChallengingCasey Hut via Andrews Track31.8 km · 14 hr · At the trailheadA two-day hut tramp over a broad tussock saddle.
ChallengingCasey Saddle – Binser Saddle Route39.1 km · 16 hr · 0.1 km awayTwo days across tussock saddles, remote flats and the Poulter valley.
ChallengingBinser Saddle Track9 km · 7 hr · 1.9 km awayA steep beech-forest climb to a grassy saddle.
ChallengingHawdon Hut Track18 km · 7 hr · 3.7 km awayA backcountry hut walk with a string of river fords.
ChallengingWoolshed Hill Track5.1 km · 3 hr · 3.7 km awayA steep bushline climb for Hawdon Valley and Waimakariri views.
ChallengingSudden Valley Bivvy Route12.9 km · 5.5 hr · 3.7 km awayA rough river route to a tucked-away two-bunk bivvy.
ChallengingEast Hawdon Bivvy Route22 km · 10 hr · 3.8 km awayA remote, unmarked river route to East Hawdon Bivvy.
ChallengingPoulter River Track20 km · 8 hr · 7.2 km awayA 20 km shared-use river track to a remote hutParkwolf’s Arthur's Pass ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
