When you think of Kaikoura you probably don’t think about climbing a mountain, but with one of the best views on the South Island, Mount Fyffe is a must do for hikers. We’re not going to lie, it’s a fairly relentless slog to the top, but the mountain panorama is worth every last step.
If you’d prefer to make it an easier hike or simply add to the adventure, you can stay in the cute little hut two thirds of the way up. On a clear night the star gazing is some of the best we’ve ever seen; it’s right up there with Aoraki Mount Cook, which is a dark sky reserve!
Here’s everything you need to know about the Mt Fyffe hike, one of the best things to do in Kaikoura.
The Mount Fyffe hike
The stats
Distance: 18.5km return
Elevation: 1,485m
Difficulty: Hard
Although the Mount Fyffe Track is almost entirely uphill, the terrain is excellent. The paths are all well formed and not in the least bit slippery. There is nothing technical about the walk; in fact, there’s not even a scramble involved, so if you can walk uphill for a few hours you can do this hike.
We walked steadily, but slowly, and took: an hour to walk to the lookout, a further hour to the hut and 1 hour 15 to the summit. The snow slowed us down on the summit, as this is probably twice the time it would take most people!
In total it took us 3.5 hours to hike up to the summit, and we descended the whole thing in 2.5 hours.
Starting the trail to the lookout
Unfortunately for those that prefer a kinder start, the Mt Fyffe Track begins heading steeply uphill immediately.
In fact, the first part of the walk to the lookout is the steepest of the whole trail, climbing a whopping 440m over just 2.4km, making it steeper even than Wanaka’s Roys Peak (a trail known for its steep climb).
The track is a wide gravel path and easy to walk up, so it’s really just a case of putting one foot in front of the other and getting this bit behind you, particularly as views are limited along this stretch.
You’ll get the odd look at rolling hills and the ocean behind you, but you’re predominantly climbing up through the bush.
If you wanted a breather, you can take the unmarked side trail on the left at the 1.7km mark where you’ll find a hidden bench seat!
You’ll break out of the bushline after 2km and get your first glimpse of the snowy peaks, it’s nothing on what is to come but you feel like you are getting somewhere!
After just under 2.4km you’ll see a signposted trail off to the right and after 120m you’ll be standing at the first lookout.
There’s another bench seat here and a good view of the sea and the mountains around Goose Bay.
Climbing to Mt Fyffe Hut
After leaving the lookout you have a brief few moments of flat trail before you start climbing again. It is slightly less steep than the track to the lookout, but it’s still very much a climb.
You are once again walking in the bush, but you start to get more mountain and ocean views at various open sections along the trail. The path gets a bit more stony but it’s still easy to walk on.
You’ll get closer views of the mountains and then round a corner to see the route to Mt Fyffe which has been hidden to this point. There are a couple of short flat patches of trail and plenty of places to stop and take photos (aka get your breath back!).
Roughly 3km after leaving the lookout you’ll start to get some truly fabulous views of the mountains to your left.
They are absolutely gorgeous, particularly in winter when they are covered in plenty of snow.
The track steepens a bit at this point, but the sensational views take your mind off it and you’ll quickly reach a short flat section of path just before the hut.
The views are also amazing for a good kilometre before the hut in the opposite direction, so if you’re going to be hiking down in the dark after watching sunset like we did, you’ll want to keep looking behind you!
Mt Fyffe Hut
The views just minutes before the hut are some of the most spectacular on the trail and if you didn’t want to go all the way to the summit, it’s a very worthy end point.
Opposite the hut you’ll see yet another bench seat (there are many along this trail!) with a view out to Kaikoura and the coast.
The hut itself is great, with eight bunks (including mattresses), a fireplace, pit toilet and small table and chairs. You’ll need to bring your own sleeping bag, gas burner and everything you need for cooking.
There’s water but you’ll need to boil it before use as it’s not treated. There was plenty of dry wood on our visit which is essential in winter!
The hut is first come first serve and costs a staggeringly tiny $5 a night if you don’t have a backcountry pass.
We were visiting in winter and didn’t have the right gear with us so we didn’t stay, which is a bit of a shame as it’s such an atmospheric spot. As we wanted to watch sunset from the summit, we did get to see the night sky from here though and the stars were incredible.
The core was possibly the most clear we’ve ever seen it and there were millions and millions of stars. If you spend the night I imagine catching a sunrise here - or from the summit - would be pretty phenomenal too.
On to the summit
The summit is roughly 3.2km beyond the hut and for us this is where the snow started. It had been patchy to this point but was several inches thick on the track up.
The path narrows but it’s still a very good trail and not difficult to walk in the snow if you’re also planning a winter trip.
From the hut the first part of the walk to the summit is much less steep than any point along the trail so far, which was unexpected!
You’re in the forest again but it’s not long before you start to get views and then they just keep on coming. For us, not being from New Zealand, we found walking in a winter wonderland and then looking out to the ocean was such a novelty.
As the track started to steepen again I did start to feel tiredness from the climb and the cold kick in but the views become so awe-inspiring that you just keep pushing on.
You’ll pass through pine forest and then come out to the open and from there it’s views all the way.
The last 700m or so to the summit was steeper than any other section after the hut, and more stony, but there were loads of rocks to stop on for a breather if needed.
You’ll then hit the large flat summit which has two more benches to sit and admire the views in the direction of Kaikoura.
My favourite views were in the opposite direction though, looking out to the spectacular Manakau and the Seaward Kaikoura Range.
It is a magnificent sunset spot, although we didn’t get to watch the whole thing because the wind picked up massively and the temperature became unbearable. We got to catch most of it on the way down though.
You can also continue the walk further along the ridge following the orange poles towards Gables End, which looked like it would be a stunning addition, but we didn’t have the time (or energy!) on this occasion.
Descending Mt Fyffe
As there is little flat track, the descent from the top of Mount Fyffe can be a bit tiring on the legs. Only the very first part down from the summit was a little slippery, but that was mainly due to the snow.
After that first 800m it’s still steep, but not one of those tracks where it feels unstable and takes as long to go down as it was to get up. For the distance and gradient, it was really quite easy.
We walked down more than half the trail in the dark, which was fine due to the excellent track and pretty mesmerising under the starry night sky. Even though I was pretty keen to get back and properly warm up, I had to keep stopping just to look up.
You could see the whole Milky Way and the core with amazing clarity. It would be an astrophotographer’s dream with the snow-capped mountains too!
All in all, I loved this hike, it isn’t the most interesting trail in the sense that the wide path is fairly monotonous until you get to the hut, but the views from this point on are so exceptional that it more than makes up for it.
It’s definitely one of the best things we did in Kaikoura and a night in the hut would make it even more special. I think the snow also adds a touch of magic if you are lucky enough to be able to visit in winter.
Essential information about the Mt Fyffe Track
Getting there
The Mount Fyffe car park is around 15km and roughly an 18 minute drive from Kaikoura town. The last 4.4km is on a gravel road but it’s well maintained and suitable for any cars (at time of writing).
Hiking Mt Fyffe in winter
Mt Fyffe is a great winter hike, in fact I reckon it is even more magical in winter with the snow on the latter part of the trail and on the mountain tops.
Although conditions will vary year to year, our experience was just a little snow and ice from around 5km into the trail (much is exposed to the sun and melts so it was rarely unavoidable) and then snow from the start of the track from the hut most of the way to the summit. For us that was only a few inches, but it could be much more.
I actually think whilst the snow slows you down a bit, it’s easier to walk on than ice and doesn’t require any special gear. I did have Yaktrax (traction devices) with me and wore them on the descent, but as more of a precaution than because it felt strictly necessary. I’d recommend having a pair with you though in case you encounter more ice as they are cheap and make all the difference in feeling completely stable.
Obviously it’s going to be cold in winter so you’ll want good layers, particularly for the summit as it’s when you stop that the cold really bites. It can also get very windy up there.
Other than just making sure you have warm enough gear with you, there’s nothing else you need to worry about with this track in winter although if you want to double check conditions before you go, you can ring the Kaikoura I-site.
I’m really glad we did this hike in winter because there’s nothing like getting up close to those huge snowy peaks!
Where to stay in Kaikoura
Kaikōura Peaks Boutique Motel
We stayed at Kaikoura Peaks Motel and it was one of the best of our trip. It’s pretty different to your average motel with care taken in decorating and adding homely touches. There’s also a well equipped kitchen with hob (2 rings) and a small oven (the plug in kind). You can see the mountains from the window and the wifi worked really well. It’s right in town but very quiet.
We had two small niggles which wouldn’t stop us staying again, the water pressure on full heat wasn’t amazing and the sinks didn’t drain perfectly but overall we were really happy!
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