Hike to Mt. Fyffe Hut

An absolutely beautiful and highly recommended day hike!

Before arriving in Kaikoura, I had heard about the hike to Mount Fyffe and had seen photos of the mountains—it looked incredible! I seriously considered staying overnight in the hut because I really wanted to experience both a sunset and a sunrise high up in the mountains. However, I decided to turn it into a day hike instead, as I didn’t feel comfortable staying alone in the hut, and I didn’t meet anyone else who was planning to go on the same days I was considering.

Info about the hike

Distance from the parking lot to Mt. Fyffe Hut:
6.4 km (1100 meters elevation gain)

Distance from the parking lot to the summit:
8.5 km (1600 meters elevation gain)

Difficulty:
Hard (it’s steep the entire way up)

Weather and season (when I did the hike):
October 18 – partly cloudy, no wind, around 10°C (probably colder at the top).

It took me 2.5 hours to reach Mt. Fyffe Hut, including several short breaks along the way. After about 1.5 hours, I reached a bench with the most stunning view of the mountains. I didn’t hike all the way to the summit since it started to get more overcast as I went higher.

The hike was tough, but by keeping a steady, relaxed pace and taking several breaks, it was totally doable. I saw it as great training, and I could definitely feel it in my leg muscles! By the time I got back to the parking lot, my legs were all shaky—haha!

Hiking poles?

I’ve never owned a pair of hiking poles, and even when I walked the entire Camino de Santiago, I didn’t miss them. However, a couple of weeks ago, I did the Tongariro Crossing, and on the way down, my knees started to really hurt, which got me thinking that maybe hiking poles would actually be a good idea. I was quite unsure at first because I didn’t want to carry around more stuff, but after giving it a lot of thought, I decided to buy a pair in Kaikoura.

So, Mt. Fyffe was my first hike using hiking poles, and I was really happy I had them. I felt they helped so much, both going up and especially relieving my knees on the way down. On hikes with steep ascents and descents, I think hiking poles are really worth. I’m definitely glad to have them for the many upcoming hikes I plan to do in New Zealand!

Getting to the parking lot

So far, I’ve been traveling around New Zealand for almost four weeks without a car, and every time I tell other travelers that, they seem surprised at how I manage. It can be a bit tricky at times, and it’s pretty clear that having a car gives you a lot more freedom. But to be honest, I’ve been doing just fine without one so far. I mostly travel with Intercity buses, which work quite well.

However, for this trip, since I wanted to get to a smaller and very specific location, I had to book a taxi. I ended up paying a total of 135 NZD for the ride from Kaikoura town center to the parking lot, which was about 17 minutes outside the city, and back again. Sure, it was a bit pricey, but renting a car is also a big cost, so I’m more than happy to pay for a taxi every now and then.