Lame Duck Hut

Overview

About Lame Duck Hut

Why stop

A public four-bunk hut on the Karangarua River.

Heads up

Expert routes take at least two days; it is a serious commitment.

Map

Where it is

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Full map

LodgingLame Duck Hut-43.70633, 169.86568

Keep this map with you offline in the Parkwolf app

Plan your stop

Before you go

Bunks and hut rules

The hut is open for public use, with bunks allocated first come, first served and no bookings. A hut ticket is required for each night. The published facility list confirms four bunks but doesn't specify toilet or water arrangements, so confirm those before setting out.

1 active Westland Tai Poutini alert

CautionActive landslide zones on Copland TrackDo not stop in either of Copland Track’s signposted active landslide zones; take extra care during and after heavy rain.Official details

Westland Tai Poutini alerts

A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone — Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Westland Tai Poutini Tour Guide

Your drive to Lame Duck Hut, narrated.

Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Westland Tai Poutini 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 Westland Tai Poutini audio tour

49 audio storiesacross Westland Tai Poutini’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
Wildlife heatmapsfor Kea, Blue Duck, Kererū, and 13 more
Works offlinemaps, 31 trails, 53 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!!!!”

JMJamesApp Store review

4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

Guide

More about Lame Duck Hut

A hut for a serious tripLame Duck Hut is a four-bunk backcountry hut on the Karangarua River in Westland Tai Poutini…

Lame Duck Hut is a four-bunk backcountry hut on the Karangarua River in Westland Tai Poutini National Park. The Karangarua and Douglas valleys routes around it are rated expert and take two days or more. Save this for a proper backcountry trip; it suits trampers, hunters and mountaineers, not a quick roadside stop.

Rebuilt for the backcountryThe current hut was built in 2008 to replace a dilapidated earlier building.

The current hut was built in 2008 to replace a dilapidated earlier building. Its rebuild reused piles and trusses salvaged from McCormick's Hut; helicopter time was donated, and members of the hut-owning club did most of the wall erection and corrugated-iron cladding.

Wildlife

Wildlife in Westland Tai Poutini

All Westland Tai Poutini wildlife maps

89 sightingsKeaMost seen around 10 AMSighting map

10 sightingsBlue DuckMost seen around 5 PMSighting map

80 sightingsKererūMost seen around 7 AMSighting map

38 sightingsTūīMost seen around 5 AMSighting map

10 sightingsNew Zealand FalconMost seen around 10 AMSighting map

28 sightingsYellow-crowned ParakeetMost seen around 8 AMSighting map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Westland Tai Poutini. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.