NTC Calendar
West Coast
Grade: Fit
Event Status: Programme Hits : 718
To Monday 12 October 2026
Cost: $
Trip Leader:
Email:
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Description
Based on current hut bookings I decided to change the order of locations around. The programme is now:
- Friday Smoke-ho carpark to Ces Clark Hut on the Paparoa great walk.
- Saturday Back to carpark via the Mt Watson ridge route. Then drive to and camp at Lake Kaniere
- Sunday Steep climb to Mt Brown Hut, explore beyound the hut and sleep there (4 bunks only! Must be booked!) or camp next to the hut. (Or just go up for the day. Depending on weather)
- Monday back down to cars and drive home, 5 hrs. Get back to Nelson in the mid afternoon
Walking up to Ces Clark Hut (must be booked! $50. Annual hut pass accepted) on the Paparoa Track (great walk) and coming down the rough ridge via Mt Watson makes a very convenient loop from Smoke-ho Carpark, without needing shuttles!
Route Details:
Friday morning: we drive to Smokeho carpark, 4 hrs, and climb to Ces Clark Hut on the Paparoa Great Walk track (needs booking!) 10.3km, elevation gain 1173, loss 532m, 4-5 hrs. Comfy hut, great sunsets nearby.
Saturday: Descend via Mt Watson to loop back to the carpark.13km, 1226m down, 7hrs or so. The route down via Mt Watson is a lot rougher, but easy enough to find.
"The route follows a spur through beautiful mixed forest, steep in places and the odd fallen tree to negotiate but generally in good condition, marked with the usual orange triangles and part of a trapping line from the Paparoa Wilderness Trust.‘’ (Waimea Tramping Club report). Camp at Lake Kaniere Saturday night, DoC, Hans Bay, $15.
Sunday: steep climb up to iconic Mt Brown Hut, either just for the day, or overnight/camp at hut. It's a 4 bunker only and needs booking! $25. There are camping spots next to the hut. There should be enough time to explore behind the hut after lunch. (If the weather looks wet for Monday, or people are under time pressure, we could just go up for the day, = Sunday, then camp another night at Lake Kaniere and drive back home Monday morning.) It's an iconic, remote hut in a stunning location but only worth the climb if the forecast is good. The track is little maintained and steep. DoC: "Mt Brown Hut is located on a route that is no longer maintained by DOC. This route receives some maintenance on a sporadic basis." A true west coast tramping experience :)tinytramper: "The tramp to Mount Brown Hut (1125m) and Mt Brown summit (1270m) is one of the West Coast’s finest overnight or day walk destinations – and if you’re lucky enough to score a clear day, one of its most spectacular. The climb from the car park is a stiff 1000m, steep and tree-rooty, but the views from the hut over Lake Kaniere and out to the Tasman Sea make every step worthwhile. If you get a great weather weekend, you may even be rewarded with a stunning West Coast sunset from the hut....The tramp is suitable for fit, experienced trampers with good knees – take decent gear and plenty of water. It took us 2 hours 50 minutes from the car park to the hut, and the same to return (the return journey included a short break). We also walked to Mt Brown summit at 1270m, in just under an hour one way."
Monday: descend back to Lake Kaniere, about 2 hrs, and drive home, 5 hrs.
Note: All weather dependent. Working folk can join for parts of it.
Mt Brown Hut is already fully booked on Saturday night (as of 15/9), but we can still go Sunday. Ces Clark has fewer than 8 spaces free on Sunday night. It will be tricky to plan. We can only book at short notice, as I do not want to go in pouring rain. Free cancellation if there is an orange or red weather warning. Otherwise, cancellation fee or free change of dates.
Important: Please rego or contact Astrid by Tuesday night, so that we can consider options.
Registration It is IMPORTANT that "You contact the Trip Leader before registering" for a trip. Especially if you are new to the club or a non-club member (Visitor). The Leader will need to be confident that you have the experience, fitness and the correct gear to complete the trip successfully. :-)CLUB MEMBERS must LOGIN HERE to register so that your details auto-populate the registration fields. You can edit these auto-populated fields but they aren't saved for later use. To permanently change them, edit them HERE." PLease register couples separately if both are attending.VISITORS can register using their email address which will be used to send you trip registration confirmation details and the ability to cancel the trip registration. Please register each person attending separately.