Dusky Track (New Zealand's toughest Hike)

When our friends invited us to their wedding in Napier, we immediately started searching for the best hikes in New Zealand… and we found an epic one.

This trip was a last-minute booking. Flights were expensive, and most of the huts were already booked. We left it late to book the flights, thinking they’d get cheaper (they didn’t).

When:

23 December 2023 — 21 January 2024

Getting there

• Swiss International Air Lines to Chicago — where a snow‑storm froze the aircraft door shut; firefighters de‑iced it two hours later and we missed our connection.
• Re‑routed via LAX → Auckland with Air New Zealand after an unexpected, late‑night NZeTA scramble (two instant approvals, one nerve‑racking delay).
• Auckland ➜ Queenstown the next day, thanks to a built‑in buffer.

The Plan

The wedding was in the second week of January, so we started the trip by exploring some nature and squeezing in a few hikes. We’re big fans of hiking and overnighting in huts, and New Zealand has plenty of gems.

But here’s the thing: the most popular huts were already booked out. So — tip — book early! We started searching in September and still had no luck.

That’s when I came across one hike that stood out:

• Multi-day
• Remote and not a tourist trap
• A real challenge

Enter: The Dusky Track

Logistics

Oakland to Queenstown We planned for 2 days in Oakland but had to cut it to 1 thanks to the Chicago delay. Thankfully, we’d built in a buffer, otherwise, we’d have missed our Queenstown flight (and triggered a cascade of chaos).

Queenstown

• Stocked up at Small Planet Sports
• Jetboil gas
• Freeze-dried meals from Real Meals — worth every cent! Try the desserts.
• Mons Royale store for merino wool gear. Top-tier gear and great fit.
• Brunch at Odd Saint — solid pre-hike fuel.

Bus: Queenstown → Te Anau Stayed at Te Anau Lakeview Holiday Park & Motels.

We booked our transport with Trips & Tramps:

• 7 AM motel pick-up → drive to Clifden Corner
• Connected with Lake Hauroko Cruises → dropped us off at the trail start around 10:30 AM.

We hiked south to north, aiming to complete the trail in 7 days.

The Hike

The route on All trails

We started from Hauroko and hiked north, We decided to skip Supper Cove detour

I highly recommend watching a few YouTube videos beforehand to understand what’s ahead. We got super lucky—there were only two days of rain out of seven.

• **Day 1 **: Aimed to sleep at Halfway Hut, but it was full, so we kept hiking and camped just after the bridge.

Spent 2 nights at Lake Roe Hut — perfect weather and a chance to dry our gear.

Loch Maree Hut was a sandfly nightmare. We bailed and camped further out… but the sandflies followed.

Kintail Hut was our last stop before the final push.

Drama alert: At 2 AM, we woke to the sound of a helicopter landing. A solo French hiker we’d met earlier got into trouble, trying to cross a brutal treefall section in the dark. It had taken us an hour to cover 500m during the day, so I can’t imagine it at night.

She was rescued safely, thankfully, but this really hammered home the importance of bringing a satellite communicator. Don’t attempt this hike without one.

Final day: we gave up trying to navigate all the treefall and walked in the river instead. Boots soaked, but honestly… worth it. Fast, direct, and we were nearly out anyway.

Top 3 Meals

• Moroccan Tagine
• Sri Lankan Curry
• Chocolate Cake Pudding

Tips

• Bring gloves. I forgot mine. Sandflies had a feast on my hands every time I washed.

• Swim breaks — great for morale and a quick clothes rinse. Watch out for the Eels

• Bring snacks to share. Made some good friends and had some great conversations.

Top 3 Kit Items

• Garmin inReach Mini 2 — didn’t need it for an emergency, but great for peace of mind and weather/SMS updates.
• Jetboil — coffee, meals… my #1 hiking investment.
• **Kuiu backpack **— built for hunters, handled heavy gear like a champ. Zero shoulder pain.

When we made it out, we got on the boat, had a nice coffee on the boat deck, and enjoyed the views. We headed back to Queenstown and checked into the Novotel hotel. The first long shower was epic.

The Rest of the Trip

• Bus: Te Anau → Queenstown
• Rented a car → drove to Christchurch
• Flight to Napier
• Wedding 🎉
• Bus to Wellington — 3 nights exploring
• Flight to Auckland → LAX → Zurich

Pro tip: If you’re transiting through LAX, grab the dynamite shrimp from PF Chang’s. You’re welcome.

Misc. Highlights

Christchurch

• C4 Coffee Co
• Oceanside Jiu Jitsu NZ — nice guys, great setup.

Wellington

• Splendid Photo — for all your film needs
• Workshop Jiu Jitsu — Great classes with friendly instructors.
• Customs — Good coffee and snacks

Bonus — Film shots