Summary
Castle Rocks Hut in winter
Castle Rocks Hut, built in 1974, sits above the lower Franz Josef Glacier Kā Roimata o Hine Hukatere on the true left of the valley, providing views of the glacier and the high mountain peaks. The hut was built to replace the historic Defiance Hut, and gets its name form the rock pillars situated a few hundred metres about the hut.
The hut is not easy to reach, as it requires a high level of skill and experience in glacier travel and there is no marked route on the ice.
The brochure provides advice on how to reach the hut from the Glacier car park.
Important notice: Franz Josef Glacier terminal face unstable. All parties planning a trip using the Franz Josef Glacier terminal face for access or egress are advised that it is unsafe and potentially not possible. Guiding operations have stopped accessing the glacier via the terminal face as it has been determined to be unsafe, therefore access to and from Castle Rocks Hut via the terminal face may not be possible in current conditions.