Dickie Spur Hut to Top Tuke Hut
Ross · West Coast · Point to Point
This walk was suggested by the community and checked against the authority quoted above before it was published. The route line comes from official track data. DOC’s own wording: “Dogs with a DOC permit only. Contact closest DOC office to get a permit. Other pets on conservation land rules. (DOC, Mikonui Catchment - Dickie Ridge/Upper Tuke River Route page; the permits for this valley come from the Hokitika or Franz Josef DOC offices, and DOC's track records list the permit here as the hunting-dog kind.)”. Evidence: the rule-setter’s own published wording. How we check dog rules.
Good to know
A DOC dog permit is required before any dog walks here. DOC codes this land for the hunting-dog permit, so it is not a casual dog walk. Ask the DOC office before planning to bring a dog.
About Dickie Spur Hut to Top Tuke Hut
Dickie Spur Hut to Top Tuke Hut covers 5.2 km, near Ross in West Coast, walked as a point-to-point.
The high leg of the Mikonui catchment circuit: DOC calls Dickie Spur Hut to Top Tuke Hut 4 to 5 hours, matching Dre, who sent this one in with Hazel. From the hut the route climbs back to Dickie Ridge, past spot height 1326 m to 1296 m, then drops steeply into the Tuke River valley down a small creek, a descent DOC says to treat carefully when the tussock is wet or holding snow. In the valley the route mostly follows the riverbed on the true left, negotiating very large boulders, and DOC says most people stay on the true left rather than crossing. One thing to know before you trust an old map: the swing bridge shown on some older topomaps no longer exists, so you cross the Tuke at the best place you can find to reach the marked hut track, where a large orange triangle marks the short steep climb to Top Tuke Hut, a basic four bunker with no toilet. The dog rule is DOC's permit rule for the whole catchment: dogs with a DOC permit only, the hunting-dog kind, arranged with the Hokitika or Franz Josef office before you go. Expert country: flooded rivers close this leg entirely, and winter travel here needs ice axe and crampons.
It sits at the expert end and gains roughly 396 m, and takes about 1 hr 41 to walk.
A DOC dog permit is required before any dog walks here. Arrange it with the managing DOC office ahead of your trip. This walk is on the map because Dre & Hazel suggested it, and we checked it against the source above.