The Hump Ridge Track, also called the Tuatapere Hump Ridge Track, is a 61 km walking track that is partly in Fiordland National Park in New Zealand. The track was opened in 2001 and is run privately on behalf of the Tuatapere Hump Ridge Track Charitable Trust.
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The Humpridge Track organisation in Tuatapere is the only way to book into the lodges necessary to walk the Hump Ridge Track. I booked their Prime package, which includes taking my belongings to Okaka Lodge, allowing me to walk with just a day pack on the first day. They simply left my belongings in the office! When the error was identified, at 2:30pm, they did not immediately bring the belongings up. Nor did they deliver them to Port Craig Lodge on the second day. They simply left them in the office for three days. I assumed that they would refund me the cost of Heli Packing option, but no. They took no responsibility, made no apology, and offered no refund. Indeed they tried telling me that it was my fault that they had not put my belongings on their helicopter. This is a strange and untrustworthy operation. You have been warned and please do warn your friends.
Also, this is scheduled to be a Great Walk in 2024. It is not a Great Walk. It was interesting to see what the hype was about, but it does not compare to Abel Tasman, Heaphy, Queen Charlotte, Routeburn or Kepler. The South Coast track is generally good, but the sections up The Hump Ridge are poor. There is a lot of board walk, but where there is no board walk there is only orange tags nailed to trees. Usage has created an obvious path to follow, but it is all roots and rocks (comparable to the Abel Tasman Inland Track above Castle Rocks Hut). There has been no attempt to level the ground or put down aggregate to create a proper track.
And at the top you have just reached the tree line. If you live in the Top of the South, the summit of Mount Arthur is almost exactly twice the altitude of the Hump Ridge lodge and offers a much more...
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Instead of sharing how much I like this track, I think the information below can be useful: If you travel solo, staying at Last Light Lodge before and after will make things easy. It also provides great food and coffee.
Smartly packed and essentials carried.
The map (the last picture) having time and distance of each section from the track office seemed a very good guidance;
Train very hard on steep climb beforehand and it will make you enjoy hiking; (I am fit so the steep climb was easy for me, the time I actually took: the first day 6 hours, the second day 5 hours and the last day 6 hours, including plenty photos and videos stops)
4 minutes shower time rather than 3, hot water was great, shampoo provided;
Pack clean base layers for each day as you could be completely toasty.
Waterproof socks (Brand: sealskinz) kept my feet always dry; Make sure test the waterproof socks ahead, the warm weather and soft touch socks were as comfy as merino socks. Gaiters were useful for muddy terrain;
Sandflies net was plenty used;
Around Okaka lodge and the summit can be very cold and windy, down jacket/warm hat recommended.
Drinking water at least...
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I enjoyed this walk very much. The panoramic views from the ridge were incredible, as were the beaches, history, and forests. The lodges were also fantastic. I recommend upgrading for the hot shower and bedding, it made the experience much more enjoyable. The staff were all lovely too and so friendly.
It was harder than I expected though. A good level of fitness is definitely required, because Day 1 involves a lot of steep uphill scrambling and each day involves a lot of walking (anywhere from 6-9 hours). My legs and feet were pretty sore. It definitely isn't a walk for the more 'casual' hiker with little to no experience.
The track was also extremely wet and muddy, which was frustrating at times. However I know the track is in the process of being improved. I also felt that it was very well marked at times and not at all at other times. A bit more consistency with the orange markers would have provided me (a solo walker) with a bit more reassurance that I was still on track and hadn't wandered off-course!
All in all, a really fun challenge that I would recommend to anyone who loves the outdoors. Easily better than some of the...
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