• Adult (18+ years): $15 per night
• Youth (5–17 years): $7.50 per night
• Child/Infant (0–4 years): free

Before you go, buy a hut ticket online for each night's stay. You can print or display the digital ticket on your device, or write down the ticket and confirmation numbers to take with you. You can also buy a Backcountry Hut Pass that allows you to stay at non-bookable DOC huts for a 12 month period.

Backcountry hut ticket terms and conditions

Travel east out of St Arnaud toward Blenheim for 8.4 km. Turn right onto Wairau-Hanmer Springs Hydro Rd. Signage at this turn will say ‘Rainbow Skifield’.

Continue down this road for 27 km until the Homestead. Here a summertime road toll applies. This is payable in cash. Check the prices on the Rainbow Station website.

Do not park on Rainbow Road. Park your car below the power lines opposite where the track begins.

At this point, cross the Wairau River using the swing bridge to the true right. Follow the track up Lee’s Creek and eventually cross to the true left using another swing bridge.

The track travels through the bush, across numerous small streams and through some open grass areas. It is approximately 8.7 km from the car park to the hut.

There are some sections that have recently had some damage from storms. You may need to move carefully through these technical sections.

In the summer months the stream can dry up so it’s best to collect water well downstream of the hut.