Parking
Rarakau Car Park near Tuatapere; cars are left at the owner’s risk. Track transport to or from Tuatapere can be arranged through the Hump Ridge Track office.
Overview
About Hump Ridge Track
Why go
- Hot showers and licensed bars at Okaka and Port Craig Lodges
- Cross some of the largest surviving wooden viaducts in the Southern Hemisphere
- Optional helicopter bag transfers to ease the load
Heads up
- Long days with steep, rugged sections—especially the climb to the ridge
- Final ~10 km typically retrace the first section back to the car park
- Sandflies can be relentless along the coast and in forest
The Hump Ridge Track is a 61.5 km (38.2 mile) three-day loop from Rarakau Car Park through southern Fiordland. It links wild coast, dense native forest, historic tramways and viaducts, and a windswept sub-alpine ridge, with backcountry-lodge stays at Ōkaka and Port Craig.
Parkwolf’s verdictWhy goMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Fiordland map
Full mapElevation15–901 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Fiordland Tour Guide
Your drive to Hump Ridge Track, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Fiordland 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.
See the Fiordland audio tour- 126 audio storiesacross Fiordland’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Kea, Fiordland Penguin, Blue Duck, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 68 trails, 124 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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Hump Ridge Track
The experienceDay 1 follows the South Coast Track from Rarakau around Te Waewae Bay, across Waikōau River,…
Day 1 follows the South Coast Track from Rarakau around Te Waewae Bay, across Waikōau River, Hump Burn and Waikoko Stream, then climbs through forest to Ōkaka Lodge and the ridge. Day 2 crosses the historic Edwin Burn, Percy Burn and Sand Hill viaducts and old tramline before ending at Port Craig Lodge. Day 3 follows the coast and South Coast Track back to Rarakau Car Park. The full route is a continuous loop; the mapped OSM corridor is 57.9 km while the official visitor distance is 61.5 km across the three measured stages.
Underfoot, expect beach and gravel, boardwalks, stairs, roots, rocky sections and historic tramway grades. The high point around Ōkaka is exposed to Fiordland weather and offers wide views across Te Waewae Bay, Waitutu Forest and the Southern Ocean. Port Craig also has a short interpretive walk around the former sawmill settlement and wharf area.
Length, difficulty, and who it’s forPlan for three demanding days: 7–9 hours for the first two stages and 5–7 hours for the return.
Plan for three demanding days: 7–9 hours for the first two stages and 5–7 hours for the return. The track is graded intermediate by DOC, but the steep climb to the ridge, long distances, exposure and changeable weather require strong fitness and backcountry preparation. The stored visitor distance is the full 61.5 km loop; the map line stores the single continuous loop once.
LogisticsStart/finish: Rarakau Car Park near Tuatapere.
- Start/finish: Rarakau Car Park near Tuatapere. Cars are left at the owner’s risk; track transport to and from Tuatapere can be arranged.
- Accommodation: Ōkaka and Port Craig Lodges provide the overnight stays for the standard three-day walk. Bookings are required through the Hump Ridge Trust; standard DOC hut passes are not valid.
- Regulations: No dogs. The track is strictly closed for winter walks; check the current season and booking information before setting out.
- Prepare for rapidly changing Fiordland weather, exposed ridge wind, rain, low cloud, cold, sandflies and rough track. Carry appropriate layers, rain gear and food for the route.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Fiordland
1,181 sightingsKeaMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
199 sightingsFiordland PenguinMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
228 sightingsBlue DuckMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
32 sightingsBottlenose DolphinMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
247 sightingsNew Zealand Fur SealMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
58 sightingsKākāMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Fiordland. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
