Angelus Hut is one of many backcountry huts scattered around Nelson Lakes National Park on New Zealand’s South Island. It is accessible from many directions, but the most popular access is via the Robert Ridge trail.
This was the first overnight hike (or should I say tramp?) that I did when I arrived on the South Island in March 2019, and therefore would be meaningful to me regardless of the scenery. The added bonus of truly exceptional alpine surroundings makes this one of my top 3 hut experiences in New Zealand (so far)!
Here is some beta for you to use while planning your hike to Angelus Hut.
Trail Stats
Distance: 12.2km via the Robert Ridge route, and 11.2km via the Speargrass route, for a total of 23.4km
Elevation: 1,288m
Route Type: Loop
Difficulty: Hard
Hiking Season: November – April
Planning Resources
- The Department of Conservation (affectionately called DoC) website has lots of useful information and topographic maps to help plan your trip
Preparing for the Trip
Itinerary
When I arrived in Picton, slightly seasick from the four hour ferry ride across the Cook Strait, I actually had no plans to go to Angelus Hut. I was thinking I would just do part of the Robert Ridge track as a day hike.
Thankfully, I spoke to a woman at the DoC office in Picton who convinced me to give it a go as an overnight hike – I have zero regrets about taking her advice!
I decided to make it a loop trail by taking the Roberts Ridge trail up to Angelus Hut, and taking the Speargrass trail back down, just to keep things interesting.
Transportation to Trailhead
I parked my vehicle at the Mount Robert carpark, just outside of St. Arnaud. This is the starting point for the Robert Ridge route and for the Speargrass trail.
Sleeping Options
Angelus Hut costs $30 for an adult for one night. There is also a campsite at the hut, which costs $15 for an adult for one night. You need to book both the hut and the campsite ahead of time. Check the DoC website for more details.
I opted to camp, and even in early March, it got below zero at night, so be prepared for a chilly evening!
On the Trail
Day 1: Robert Ridge Route to Lake Angelus/Angelus Hut
After a night camping at a DoC campsite just outside of St. Arnaud, I woke up early, packed up my bag, and drove to the Robert Ridge car park for an early start. It was gray and cloudy, and I couldn’t see much of my objective from the car park.
The trail immediately starts to climb through a unique beech forest. It then pops out onto a ridge and begins to climb upwards using a series of steep switchbacks.
The cloud was starting to clear, but the cool breeze kept me comfortable. Every time I turned on a switchback, I had to stop and take in the scenery that was unfolding before me. Lake Rotoiti contrasted with the rolling green hills and the small settlement of St. Arnaud behind me.
As I climbed, the terrain became less green and lush, and more yellow and tussocky. After about an hour or two, I stopped at Pinchgut Hut for a snack. Now that I was out of the woods, the cool alpine breeze was picking up speed. I put on another layer before continuing up Robert Ridge.
The clouds had been steadily clearing all morning, but as I got higher up, I began to get a better view of the mountain range across Lake Rotoiti. I was astounded at the sharp and steep geometry and weather-worn appearance. I now know this is characteristic of most of the mountains running along the Southern Alps, but the contrast from the shapes of the mountains at home stuck with me.
The terrain shifted from tussocky yellow grass to rocky scree and boulder fields as I continued upwards, and the cold wind continued to howl, turning my hands bright pink and causing goosebumps to emerge on my bare legs. I was very focused on where I was putting my feet and hands while navigating through the boulder fields and scree, but felt that the rocks below my feet were very stable.
After a few more hours of traversing Roberts Ridge, I stopped for lunch – a good old peanut butter sandwich – on a scree slope overlooking a small alpine tarn.
Here I met a German hiker who was solo hiking the entire Travers-Sabine circuit over 10 days. We chatted, shared some snacks, and decided to hike the rest of the way to Angelus Hut together.
(Remember when we could share snacks with strangers without worrying about COVID? What a time to be alive.)
The route got slightly more precarious after this point as we traversed the ridgeline across several exposed boulder fields. I was very focused on where I placed my feet, aware that my overnight pack was throwing off my centre of gravity.
Finally, my companion and I climbed up one final push, and were presented with marvelous views of our destination. He was planning to continue onto Speargrass Hut that night, so we parted ways at the top of this saddle.
I continued down the steep path to the hut, looking forward to a hunk of chocolate while sitting in the sun thawing out my frozen limbs. The campsite is to the right of the hut (see photo above) and so I plodded over that way to set up my tent and finally take my hiking boots and backpack off for the evening. I seriously considered a swim, but given the icy wind, I opted against it.
The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent lounging on the sunny wooden deck at the hut, chatting with fellow trampers and reading my book. I believe that I tried my first Tim Tam at this hut, which was a revolutionary experience.
After a hearty meal of ramen, I wandered back to my tent with lofty dreams of staying up late to look at the stars. As is always the case, I fell asleep about 30 seconds after my head hit the pillow and did not, in fact, get the chance to stargaze.
Day 2: Lake Angelus/Angelus Hut to Mount Robert carpark (via Speargrass Trail)
When I woke up in the morning, I noticed that my tent and the tussocks surrounding it were covered in frost. It took a great deal of effort to rouse myself from my cozy sleeping bag and get on with my day, but after a warm bowl of oatmeal, I packed up my things and began to ascend the ridge back up to the Speargrass trail junction.
I descended through a steep, lush alpine bowl, and continued downwards beside an alpine stream for quite some time. There were a few small sections of scree slope to traverse, but the route mostly wound across this stream. The Speargrass trail is much less used then the Robert Ridge trail, and it was often difficult to see the next trail marker ahead of me.
I had been walking for a couple of hours when I realized I hadn’t seen an orange trail marker for quite some time, and I couldn’t find the trail to follow anymore. I started to walk directly down the stream, water up to my knees, as I pulled out my cell phone, which was critically low on power.
I luckily had a GPS map of the region installed on my phone, and so even without cell service, I was able to locate myself on the map. At that point I was about 100m away from where the trail actually was! I clambered up the riverbank and managed to get myself back onto the actual trail, but was spooked at what could have happened had I not happened to have that map installed.
Soon after I got back on the trail, I arrived at Speargrass Hut, where I stopped for a snack. A few other groups who I recognized from Angelus Hut arrived at the hut after me, some of whom had also waded down the river, which made me feel slightly better.
I took off from the hut and followed a meandering path back to the carpark through the beech forest. It felt like this section of the track lasted forever, but after a couple of hours, I finally arrived back at my car safe and sound.
Summary
The hike up to Angelus Hut was memorable and it certainly inspired me to spend more time in and around Nelson Lakes National Park. I would certainly recommend it for anyone looking for a hike with some significant effort and a huge reward. This is why it is one of my top three hut experiences (so far) in New Zealand! Check out the other huts in my top three here and here.
Have you explored this amazing area of New Zealand?
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