Description
Introduction
This Great Walk crosses the Paparoa Range. It takes you through alpine tops, limestone karst landscapes and thriving rainforests, and provides breath-taking views.Time: 3 days walking, 2 days mountain biking (no e-bikes)
Distance: 55 km walking, 56. 2 km mountain biking (no-e-bikes)
Highlights
- Explore the spectacular Pororari River Gorge with dramatic limestone cliffs, beech forest and glades of subtropical nīkau palms.
- Sit back and enjoy in incredible sunsets over the Tasman Sea from the Moonlight Tops Hut.
- Follow in the footsteps of gold miners on the historic Croesus Track. Take a side trip to Garden Gully to see gold-mining remains.
- Enjoy the stunning views. You’ll spot the Lone Hand rock formation on the way to Pororari Hut.
Places to stay
There are three Great Walk huts on the Paparoa Track: Ces Clark Hut, Moonlight Tops Hut and Pororari Hut. Huts have bunks, mattresses, heating, gas cooktops, toilets, and a water supply. A DOC ranger may be present. The huts do not provide food, cooking utensils or showers.
Backcountry Hut Passes can be used at Ces Clark Hut but not at Moonlight Tops or Pororari Huts.
There are no campsites on the track.
You'll need accommodation the night before your walk - camping at Smoke-ho car park is not permitted.
Fees are charged per person, per night to stay in huts on the Paparoa Track. There are no fees to complete a day walk/ride on the track or for entry into Paparoa National Park.
All three huts must be booked in advance. If you don’t have a valid booking for your stay, you may be charged a penalty, or turned away if the hut is full.
Walking options
- For a 1 or 2 night trip to Pororari Hut, see Paparoa Track: Pororari Hut Track.
- For a 2 night trip, stay at Moonlight Tops and Pororari Huts. It's not feasible to stay at Ces Clark Hut and Pororari Hut – it's 28.8 km and a 10 hr walk between these two huts.
- For a 3 night trip, stay at Ces Clark, Moonlight Tops and Pororari Huts.
- The Pike29 Memorial Track can be used along side the Paparoa Track for a range of both day and overnight options.
Track description
Smoke-ho car park to Ces Clark Hut
Time: 4–5 hr
Distance: 10.3 km
This part of the track is much rougher than the rest of the Paparoa Track because of its historic nature.
For the first hour of the track, you’ll pass through mixed podocarp and beech forest and cross a wire suspension bridge over the Smoke-ho Creek. The track then zig-zags up the dividing ridge between Blackball Creek and Roaring Meg catchments for the next hour until you reach the turn-off to the Battery Track.
The track then climbs more steeply into subalpine forest leading towards Ces Clark Hut. You’ll pass the historic Croesus Top Hut just before reaching Ces Clark Hut. Croesus Top Hut is kept for historic purposes – you cannot stay at Croesus Top Hut. However, in an emergency, you can use it for shelter.
Ces Clark Hut is on the edge of the bushline, set among low alpine scrub and with spectacular views. On a fine day you will be rewarded with views of Lake Brunner, the main divide, and down to Aoraki Mount Cook.
A night at Ces Clark Hut is a great option for those wanting a couple of shorter days or those looking for an easier 4 day hike.
Side trip: Garden Gully
Time: 45 min return
Take a side trip along this historic track to see relics of the gold-mining days.
Turn off the Paparoa Track at Garden Gully junction and you'll find historic Garden Gully Hut just a few minutes down the track. This is a historic miner's hut dating back to the 1930s. It is not suitable for visitors to overnight in.
After crossing the unbridged river, the track forks. To the left is a 5 minute walk up a marked route up the creek to a century-old quartz crushing battery. To the right, the track climbs 15 minutes to the mouth of the collapsed Garden Gully Mine.
Ces Clark Hut to Moonlight Tops Hut
Time: 3 hr
Distance: 9.7 km
Beyond Ces Clark Hut you pass through alpine scrub and tussock with expansive views of Grey River/Māwheranui and Tasman Sea.
The track follows the ridge of the main Paparoa Range through open alpine vegetation above the Roaring Meg and Moonlight Creek catchments, with views of Aoraki/Mt Cook on a clear day.
Moonlight Tops Hut has panoramic views across the Punakaiki River headwaters around to the escarpment, Pike Stream and Paparoa National Park.
Side trip: Croesus Knob
Time: 1 hr 10 min return
The turn-off to Croesus Knob is a 30-minute walk beyond Ces Clark Hut. From the main Paparoa Track, a rough route climbs to the top of Croesus Knob (1204 m), where there are spectacular views down to Aoraki Mount Cook and out to Tasman Sea.
This route is not suitable for mountain bikes and is not maintained to the same standard as the main Paparoa Track.
Moonlight Tops Hut to Pororari Hut
Time: 5–7 hr
Distance: 19.1 km
Along this section of track you will meet the junction of the Pike ridge with the main Paparoa Range, where the Pike29 Memorial Track and the Pike River Mine site begins.
Beyond the junction, the Paparoa Track winds along the top of the escarpment, with steep cliffs and stunning views down to the Pike Stream and out towards the coast.
There is an emergency shelter on the northern end of the escarpment. About half-way to Pororari Hut, you descend from the escarpment through ancient podocarp forest. The track then follows the ridge above Tindale Creek to Pororari Hut. Keep an eye out for the Lone Hand, a gnarled outcrop of bedrock on the north side of the Pororari River.
Pororari Hut to Pororari River car park or Waikori Road car park
Time: 4–5 hr
Distance: 16 km to Pororari River car park, 17.1 km to Waikori Road carpark
The track descends into the upper Pororari River valley and follows the river. In some places it follows an old track which was built c1912–1914 to establish a settlement in the valley. The track sidles along a spectacular gorge and descends through beech forest interspersed with northern rātā.
At the junction of the Inland Pack Track and the Paparoa Track, hikers and mountain bikers diverge. Walkers take the Pororari River Track through the Pororari River Gorge; mountain bikers follow the Inland Pack Track over a low saddle into the Punakaiki River valley to Waikori Road car park. Both tracks pass through lush rainforest with glades of nikau palms.
Understand if you are ready for the Paparoa Track
Watch the NZ Mountain Safety Council’s walk-through video which takes you through how to prepare for this track. Including facilities, key decision points, hazards and typical conditions for the area.