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May 12, 2015May 22, 2017

Rakiura Track Day 3: North Arm Hut to Oban

This post is part of a series called 8 Great Walks in New Zealand
Show More Posts
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  • Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk Day 1: Onepoto to Panekire Hut
  • Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk Day 2: Panekire Hut to Waiopaoa Hut
  • Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk Day 3: Waiopaoa Hut to Marauiti Hut
  • Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk Day 4: Marauiti Hut to Hopuruahine Landing
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  • Tongariro Northern Circuit Day 1: Mangatepopo Hut to Oturere Hut
  • Tongariro Northern Circuit Day 2: Oturere Hut to Waihohonu Hut
  • Tongariro Northern Circuit Day 3: Waihohonu Hut to Whakapapa Village
  • Wellington, Christchurch, Mount Cook, and Queenstown, In Between Great Walks
  • Routeburn Track Day 1: Routeburn Shelter to Routeburn Falls Hut
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  • Milford Track Day 2: Clinton Hut to Mintaro Hut
  • Milford Track Day 3: Mintaro Hut to Dumpling Hut
  • Milford Track Day 4: Dumpling Hut to Sandfly Point
  • Te Anau, In Between Great Walks
  • Rakiura Track Day 1: Oban to Port William Hut
  • Rakiura Track Day 2: Port William Hut to North Arm Hut
  • Rakiura Track Day 3: North Arm Hut to Oban
  • Stewart Island, In Between Great Walks
  • Kepler Track Day 1: Te Anau to Luxmore Hut
  • Kepler Track Day 2: Luxmore Hut to Iris Burn Hut
  • Kepler Track Day 3: Iris Burn Hut to Moturau Hut
  • Kepler Track Day 4: Moturau Hut to Te Anau
  • A Return to Milford Sound
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  • Abel Tasman Coast Track Day 2: Anchorage to Bark Bay
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  • Heaphy Track Day 1: Brown Hut to Perry Saddle Hut
  • Heaphy Track Day 2: Perry Saddle Hut to James Mackay Hut
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  • In Review: 69 Days of Backpacking in New Zealand

Part of the New Zealand Great Walks Journal
Previous entry: Day 2 – Port William Hut to North Arm Hut

Journal entry for April 20, 2015
Distance Hiked: 13.0 km

It was another warm night, just like the previous night. I slept pretty well and went down to the beach near the hut to enjoy the morning light on Sawdust Bay. Later on, two deers came to visit us..

Deers by North Arm Hut, Rakiura Track
Deers by North Arm Hut, Rakiura Track
North Arm Hut, Rakiura Track
North Arm Hut, Rakiura Track
North Arm Hut, Rakiura Track
North Arm Hut, Rakiura Track

The first section of the trail on the way to Oban was muddy, but it got better after the first 1/3 of the way.

Mud on Rakiura Track
Mud on Rakiura Track

This last day of the Rakiura Track wasn’t very eventful. You hike through forest most of the time, with the occasional view of the Paterson Inlet. Parts of the forest are very beautiful though.

Paterson Inlet, Rakiura Track
Paterson Inlet, Rakiura Track
Forest, Rakiura Track
Forest, Rakiura Track
Forest, Rakiura Track
Forest, Rakiura Track
Can you spot the tiny snail?
Can you spot the tiny snail?

The last section is through a very wide track, which was a dirt road for horse carriages back in the old days.

Rakiura Track
Rakiura Track
Forest, Rakiura Track
Forest, Rakiura Track

The end of the track is 2 km away from the town of Oban, which you reach by a paved road.

I enjoyed the Rakiura Track. Nothing truly exceptional, but it has a nice combination of forest and coastal areas. It is worth the three days if you are visiting Stewart Island. It’s short, not crowed, and had more birds than anywhere else I had been in New Zealand. Although I didn’t get to see the rarest bird of all: the kiwi.


These are my ratings for the Rakiura Track:

Scenery: 7 – Beautiful beaches and occasionally very special forest areas.
Difficulty: 4.5 – Elevation profile looks pretty flat. But I found it harder than the previous walks I’d done.
Trail Condition: 7 – A little muddy in some sections. The rest was fine.


More info:
NZ Department of Conservation’s brochure and video for this walk.


Part of the New Zealand Great Walks Journal

Posted in Travel, Hiking, Photography, Round The World Trip, New Zealand, New Zealand Great Walks, Oceania
2 Comments
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   Rakiura Track Day 2: Port William Hut to North Arm Hut
Stewart Island, In Between Great Walks   

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Comments (2)

  • Arif Azim May 13, 2015 at 9:18 am Reply

    What camera and lens you have used to capture these ?

    • Kevin May 13, 2015 at 2:06 pm

      I have a Nikon D5100. These pictures were captured with either the Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8, or the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8.

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kevinstravel

Rough race and not the result I was looking for. W Rough race and not the result I was looking for. Was targeting a sub 2:55 but finished in 3:31. It felt hard from the start and had stomach issues later on. Still proud of the effort and finish.
2 more days 2 more days
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