Parking
Coldwater Hut has no road access. From St Arnaud, it is a 12 km, about four-hour walk to Coldwater Hut; the mapped route starts there.
Overview
About Angelus Hut via Travers and Cascade Track/
Why go
- A striking alpine hut and lake at the end of a demanding climb
- A clear progression from the Travers Valley to the Hukere basin
Heads up
- Expert route with a six-hour climb one way
- The mapped route starts after a four-hour walk from St Arnaud
From Coldwater Hut, this is a 9.4 km (5.8 mi) one-way point-to-point tramp to Angelus Hut on the shore of Lake Angelus. DOC allows six hours each way. The route climbs from about 620 m in the Travers Valley to a 1,650 m alpine basin; the last push above the bush edge is steep. This suits fit, experienced trampers looking for a serious hut approach. If you turn around at Angelus, you are signing up for 18.8 km and roughly 12 hours on foot, so an overnight stay makes more sense for most people. Book a bunk before you go; Angelus Hut requires bookings year-round.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the route for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Nelson Lakes map
Full mapElevation630–1,653 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
3 active Nelson Lakes alerts
- ClosureRotoroa Route permanently closedThe Rotoroa Route is permanently closed along the eastern side of Lake Rotoroa between Rotoroa village and Sabine Hut.Official details
- CautionUnbridged stream between Sabine and D’Urville hutsThe bridge on the track between Sabine Hut and D’Urville Hut has been removed; trampers must cross an unbridged stream at GR E1571366 N5359831.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Nelson Lakes Tour Guide
Your drive to Angelus Hut via Travers and Cascade Track/
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Nelson Lakes 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
- Mount Robert: Views on Foot
- Lakeside Track to Whisky Falls
- Kerr Bay and Lake Rotoiti
- Buller Bridge and Anglers Walk
- 26 audio storiesacross Nelson Lakes’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor New Zealand Falcon, Weka, Kererū, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 57 trails, 47 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 Angelus Hut via Travers and Cascade Track/
From Coldwater to the Cascade junctionColdwater Hut is the start of this route, not a road-end trailhead.
Coldwater Hut is the start of this route, not a road-end trailhead. From St Arnaud, reaching the hut is another 12 km and about four hours on foot. From Coldwater, follow the Travers approach for about two hours to the Cascade Track junction. DOC also describes a Lakehead Hut approach to the same junction, but that route crosses the unbridged Travers River; the line here follows the Coldwater version.
Beside Hukere StreamAt the junction, turn onto Cascade Track.
At the junction, turn onto Cascade Track. DOC allows about four hours for the steady climb alongside Hukere Stream. The track ends at the bush edge, where the route leaves the formed path and continues on poles and cairns. Hukere means “cascading waters,” a good fit for the stream beside this long climb.
The crossing deserves respect. The bridge over Hukere Stream is removed from May to November because of avalanche risk. After rain or snowmelt, DOC warns that crossing the river can be difficult. This is a recurring seasonal issue, not a place to push on when the water is high.
Above the bush edgeFrom the end of the track, follow the steep poled route to Angelus Hut.
From the end of the track, follow the steep poled route to Angelus Hut. Poles and cairns mark the way, but snow or cloud can hide them. DOC warns that the alpine routes can change quickly, with snow, ice, avalanche terrain and sub-zero temperatures. Winter and spring need alpine skills and the right equipment; allow extra time in those conditions, when this route can take up to nine hours one way.
The Angelus basinAngelus Hut sits at 1,650 m beside Lake Angelus.
Angelus Hut sits at 1,650 m beside Lake Angelus. DOC describes the lake as a large alpine pond or tarn shaped by recent ice advances. In most years the basin freezes and snow covers the routes from May to October, so a summer lake photograph gives only one version of this place.
The serviced hut has 28 bunks, toilets and mattresses. Its water comes from the lake and must be treated; from May to October, hut water and firewood may not be available. There is no dog access in the national park. If you are staying, confirm the hut booking and current facilities before you leave St Arnaud.
A longer history in the Travers ValleyThe valley has a travel history older than its marked tracks and huts.
The valley has a travel history older than its marked tracks and huts. DOC’s park history notes that Māori knowledge of pathways and bushcraft helped early European explorer-surveyors enter the Nelson interior. In the 1840s, William Fox travelled with Māori guide Kehu and continued up the Travers Valley. That is valley history, not evidence that today’s marked Cascade route follows their exact line.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Nelson Lakes
20 sightingsNew Zealand FalconMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
39 sightingsWekaMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
11 sightingsKererūMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
55 sightingsBlack SwanMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
23 sightingsParadise ShelduckMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
17 sightingsTūīMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Nelson Lakes. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
