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Location & access
DOC track reference point, not a verified trailhead, entrance or the whole route. Check the official route directions before travel.
Official location informationLocation source
DOC track reference point, not a verified trailhead, entrance or the whole route.
Reference point: -43.54496, 171.24952. WGS84 coordinates retained at the official service's returned precision; decimal resolution is not survey accuracy. Source positional accuracy is not specified.
DOC Maps walking and tramping reference point (WGS84), exact official-page GUID / Department of Conservation. Checked 2026-10-12.
Key facts
- Distance
- 4.5 km one way
- Walking time
- 1 hr 30 min one way
- Track grade
- Advanced
- Location
- Hakatere Conservation Park
- Dog access
- Dogs allowed. Keep dog under control at all times. Other pets on conservation land rules.
Checked against official sources on 8 October 2026. Rules and conditions are set by Department of Conservation — confirm with them before you go.
Route overview
Walk or mountain bike from Lake Emily to Manuka Hut.
This DOC directory entry covers Manuka Hut Track in Canterbury, within Hakatere Conservation Park. Where DOC groups several walks, times and grades refer to the listed options rather than a single continuous itinerary.
Distance, time and grade
- Distance: 4.5 km one way
- Walking time: 1 hr 30 min one way
- DOC grade: Advanced
Access and alerts
Source checked 2026-10-08. This page is a dated snapshot, not a live track-status report. Check current DOC route information immediately before travelling. An absence of listed alerts does not establish that a route is open.
Dog access
Dogs allowed. Keep dog under control at all times. Other pets on conservation land rules.
Description
From Lake Emily, follow the tramping track to the junction with Stour Track. If walking, keep to the left to stay on the track that says Te Araroa. Follow it until you meet the Stour River – here the track reconnects with the mountain bike track. Continue up the river to Manuka Hut.
For mountain bike or horse access to Manuka Hut, continue right at the junction, down the Stour Track for a further 2.5 km before turning left on to the Manuka Hut Mountain Bike Link Track. Follow this up the river for 2.5 km until it joins back with the walking track.
Don't take mountain bikes or horses on the Te Araroa route from Lake Emily to Manuka Hut as it's steep and easily damaged.
Getting there
Lake Emily is accessed from Hakatere Heron Road, about 31 km west of Mount Somers.
Leave Mount Somers on Ashburton Gorge Road, then turn right into Hakatere Heron Road (23 km). Turn right again just before crossing Jacobs Stream Bridge at Castleridge Station.
2WD vehicles can park on the verge of the farm track (be considerate of other users and farm vehicles). 4WD vehicles can travel a further 1.4 km to a car park on the public conversation land near Lake Emily.
Sources and reuse
Route descriptions and practical information reproduced from the Department of Conservation, Crown copyright, under CC BY 4.0, subject to DOC's copyright policy. Formatting has been adapted, including flattening page sections; follow the original DOC page for maps, section-specific layout, current notices and linked documents. Outdoor Next is independent and is not endorsed by DOC.
The accompanying photograph is a licensed general hiking illustration, not a photograph of this route.
