Sabine Track

Sabine Track is a 15 km point-to-point tramp from West Sabine Hut to Sabine Hut beside Lake Rotoroa. It is one leg of a much longer backcountry journey, not a day hike from a roadhead. Allow about six hours one way and plan the approaches and hut stays before setting out. This line covers the Sabine Valley between the two huts; it does not include the Blue Lake, Travers Saddle or Speargrass extensions.

From West Sabine Hut, cross the swing bridge upstream of the hut. The track sidles above the river through forest, then opens across three long flats where the valley widens between steep mountain sides. The flats give the walk its breathing room; between them, the route stays close to the river valley.

Where the river enters a gorge, the track leaves it, climbs steeply and drops back to the water at a bridge over a narrow cleft. The final stretch to Sabine Hut is easier. Most of the circuit is well marked, but after heavy rain some unbridged streams may be unsafe to cross, so check conditions before committing to this remote section.

West Sabine Hut has 30 bunks and Sabine Hut has 32; both require bookings and seasonal fees apply. There is no roadside parking at either hut, so reach the route on connecting backcountry tracks. The direct foot route along Lake Rotoroa’s eastern shore between Rotoroa village and Sabine Hut is permanently closed; plan another track connection or a water-taxi arrangement. Water at West Sabine Hut is untreated and must be boiled. Dogs are not allowed.

Red and silver beech grow on the valley floor, changing to mountain beech higher on the slopes. Glaciers and erosion shaped the steep-sided valleys and scree slopes around Nelson Lakes. Whio are sometimes seen in the upper Sabine River, but a sighting is never guaranteed.

Sabine Hut ends the tramp beside Lake Rotoroa, with a broad view over the water and surrounding mountains. From the hut shore, include a little of the pier or shoreline in a photo to anchor the distant slopes.