Sutherlands Hut
Sutherlands Hut is a Department of Conservation standard seven-bunk backcountry hut in Aorangi Forest Park (Wairarapa). It has an open fire, mattresses, and pit latrines; the available drinking water is untreated.
Bookings aren’t required: use is first come, first served. For stays, buy a Standard Hut Ticket for each night and place it in the honesty box at the hut (or use a Backcountry Hut Pass for unlimited use at most Standard and Serviced huts for a 12-month period). Fees are listed for adults and youth and change from 1 July 2026; check the current DOC hut ticket instructions before you go.
Access is by car via Haurangi Road, then on to Waikuku Lodge, Sutherlands Hut and the Pigs Ridge – Old Mill Tracks. The drive includes a low, maintained gravel section that becomes narrow and winding after the first 2 km, with access getting difficult around the 6 km mark; after that, travel may require 4WD due to washouts, slips, rutted surfaces, and road narrowing, and it can be slippery, deeply pitted, and full of water.