Welcome Flat Hut

Welcome Flat Hut is a serviced 31-bunk backcountry hut in the Copland Valley, reached only on foot along the Copland Track. It suits trampers who want a mountain overnight; the natural hot pools are a short walk away and are a frequent highlight. The hut is 18 km and about seven hours one way from the road, so plan the hike and book ahead rather than treating this as a spur-of-the-moment stop.

The Copland Track starts off SH6, 26 km south of Fox Glacier. Its route crosses Rough Creek and other unbridged streams; sustained rain can make crossings unsafe and lead to short-notice closures. Later winter and spring also bring avalanche hazards in parts of the valley. Check track notices before leaving, allow a full day to get in, and leave dogs behind.

Bunks must be booked and no walk-in spaces are held. The main hut has no cooking equipment, so bring a gas cooker and all your cooking gear. Tap water is untreated and should be boiled, and there are no rubbish facilities: carry your waste back out. A separately booked Sierra Room in the same building sleeps up to four and has its own entrance, a gas cooker, basic kitchen equipment, a shower and a pot-belly stove.

The first shelter here was built in 1913 for hot-spring visitors, people crossing Copland Pass and track workers; before it, visitors used a rock shelter. A replacement went up nearby in 1986. Foam Creek’s 1987 debris flow destroyed the old building and inundated the replacement, which survived and was shifted about 300 m to a site near the hot springs.

The valley forest is dominated by southern rātā, whose red flowers appear in summer. Higher up, tree daisies and dracophyllum give way to alpine grassland and native herbs. Kea, tūī, bellbirds and other native birds are recorded in the valley.