The Totara Flats Hut walk is a fun, challenging overnight walk in the Tartarua range. This walk is right next to the iconic Holdwsorth-Jumbo Loop and actually includes part of it.
The Tartarua range, located close to Wellington, is full of walking tracks and is notorious for its weather. Many of the walks are quite challenging and cross or include the tops with its glorious walking. Really, nothing beats a fine day traversing open ridges, long vistas, and the ability to easily pick your way. Unfortunately, the Tararuas do have a lot of poor weather, which make those days extra special. This walk to Totara Flats hut mostly avoids the tops and can be done when the weather is less than ideal. An extra bonus on this walk is there is nice fly fishing in the river by the hut.
Totara Flats Hut Walk – Highlights and Logistics
Highlights – Views of Tartarua tops, native bush, beautiful streams, and meadows.
Location – Bottom of the North Island; trailhead at the Jumbo carpark just outside of Masterton
Difficulty – Moderately Difficult
Length – About 10 km or 4 hours each way.
About the Totara Flats Hut Walk
The walk starts from the popular and busy Holdsworth carpark.
The start of this walk shares the same way as the popular Holdsworth-Jumbo circuit. This means there are many people along this stretch, but it also means the track itself is well made and easy to walk. The first fifteen minutes is relatively flat as it follows the Atiwhakatau stream towards Donnelly flats.
The track then climbs slowly and steadily up towards Rocky lookout.
The views from the lookout are truly stunning, revealing the ridge top with Jumbo hut glinting in the distance. From the carpark to the viewpoint is about 45 minutes to one hour. A further half hour past the lookout is the junction that leaves the easy trail and heads over into the Waiohine valley where the Totara Flats hut is located.
A short ways past the viewpoint is a fork in the trail. The Totara flats hut track leaves the ridge and becomes a different walk completely as it’s more of a rooty, muddy, walk downhill through the bush.
The track drops off the ridge and descends before climbing up onto another plateau. The track then follows the ridge before dropping down again to cross Totara Creek on a swing bridge. The final part of the walk is mostly flat and soon arrives at a bridge over the Waiohine River, which is a couple of minutes from the hut.
After crossing the bridge one track climbs uphill and another one heads to the hut. After the hut, the trail carries on down the valley and comes across absolutely beautiful meadows with several swimming holes.
My Insider’s Tips to the Totara Flats Hut Walk
If you are driving from far, one option would be to spend a night camping at trailhead at the DOC campground.
This hut can be done as an overnight as described here. Or you can stay here as part of a longer walk,, the Holdsworth – Kaitoke Traverse. Another possibility would be doing this as an overnight excursion either before or after the Holdsworth – Jumbo Circuit.
The hut is located on a bench overlooking the Waiohine River. The water is lovely, clear and is incredible to take a swim in at the end of the day. Or for those of you that enjoy fly fishing, the river itself is full of brown trout. I managed to land a handful of brown trout in a short time and missed several others. So, bring your rod along and see how it goes.