Breast Hill Track & Pakituhi Hut guide: all you need to know

Breast Hill is a challenging track near Hāwea & Wānaka that offers incredible views on a nice day across the lake and surrounding mountains.

Start & End: trailhead on Timaru Creek Road, 10 minutes’ drive from Hāwea

Length: ~5km one-way with almost 1000m elevation gain = very, very steep

Time taken: 3 – 4 hours to Pakituhi Hut, 2 – 3 hours down. From Pakituhi Hut, it’s a 2-3 hour return trip to the summit of Breast Hill.

Difficulty: moderate – difficult due to steepness and exposure

Facilities: there are public toilets in Hāwea, as well as at Johns Creek picnic area on the way to the trailhead. There are no toilets on the track until you reach Pakituhi Hut.
Pakituhi Hut is a first-come, first-served standard backcountry hut (i.e. no bookings). It costs $5 per night (blue hut ticket) and has 8 bunks, a water tank and a long-drop toilet. Be aware that the tank is rain-fed and can run dry in summer or periods of heavy use. It is part of the Te Araroa trail, so can be very busy in the summer season.

– Important: If you don’t like heights, this track isn’t for you. Try Roys Peak or Isthmus Peak instead. There are many steep drop-offs along the ridge to Pakituhi Hut and Breast Hill summit.
I would not recommend attempting this track if there is any snow or ice present, or if high winds are forecast. The track is fully exposed to the sun all the way. If it’s a nice day take lots of water and wear sun protection. –

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How to get to the trailhead for Breast Hill / Pakituhi Hut

Head east from Hāwea along Cemetery Road. Turn left onto Gladstone Road and continue driving along the gravel road which eventually turns into Timaru Creek Road. The trailhead is kind of hidden on the right side of the road, about one minute’s drive past Johns Creek picnic area. There is a small amount of parking on the side of the road (enough for 1-2 cars), but you’ll find a lot more a few hundred metres further down the road.

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IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR OTHER ADVENTURES NEAR HAWEA AND WANAKA, CHECK OUT THESE TRIPS:

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Breast Hill tramping guide

As a disclaimer, I was 26 weeks pregnant when I attempted this tramp, so my experience was definitely different to what it would have been normally. We went a lot slower, took more breaks and I was more affected by the sun / heat. (I you want to read more about my experience of tramping throughout my pregnancy then check out my article here.)

I wanted at least one last challenge and adventure before I had to start slowing down in third trimester. I’d seen Breast Hill appearing more and more on social media, and knew about it from some local Central Otago friends. It had been on my list for years, so now was the time to actually do it before baby came!

My husband, Matt, and I drove over to the trailhead early in the morning, stopping at the fancy supermarket in Wānaka for supplies. We found the carpark, shouldered our packs, had one last “why are we doing this again?” moment (obligatory before any tough trip), and then we were off.

The awful zig-zags (switchbacks)

The track starts steeply from the get go, really reinforcing the reason we were questioning our sanity just minutes prior. We’d left a little later than we’d wanted (honestly, the New World at Wānaka is really a step up from anything we have in Invercargill and I was mesmerised), so the heat of the day was already building.

The switchbacks quickly started – I lost count of how many there are, but in some ways I think it’s probably best not to know. To be honest? It was absolute hell. It was hot – the track faced directly into the rising sun. It was dusty. It was steep. It was never-ending. I’d had enough before we even got to the first ridgeline.

I questioned whether I could actually do this tramp – was I crazy to think I could climb this “hill” while pregnant? (I mean objectively yes I was crazy, but a better question would be: was it an achievable goal for a crazy person?) At least the views across to Lake Hāwea were already incredible. I took a lot of breaks – just to really soak in the view, not at all because it continuously felt like I was dying.

We had a proper rest once we reached the ridgeline. I consumed copious amounts of sugar and miraculously (and in a completely unrelated turn of events) started to feel more optimistic. There was also a breeze on the ridge which helped cool me down.

I could do this right?

The ridge

While the switchbacks were physically demanding, that hardest part was that they were mentally draining. I found the rest of the track along the ridgeline to Pakituhi Hut was a lot easier mentally (still hard, but not as bad). But the track didn’t really ease up physically – we still had a long way left to climb.

Poor Matt, who doesn’t love heights, hadn’t quite realised how bad the track would be in terms of exposure. (And to be fair I hadn’t either, otherwise I would have helped set his expectations a bit better). There were a few sections that were particularly tricky for exposure, including one directly after the switchbacks. I didn’t find it too bad, but Matt hated it. My mental barrier had been the switchbacks, this was his mental barrier (and a lot scarier!).

We made it up to the first (of many) false summits along the ridge. From here we could look across and actually see where we were headed. The high ridgeline on the horizon above us still looked so far away (we’d covered 300m vertical in the switchbacks, so still had around 700m to go).

We continued climbing up, getting further away from Lake Hāwea, but closer to our goal. Any time there was shade (which was only a few times to be honest, this track is very exposed) – we sat down for a rest. I went through a lot of water and hoped there’d be some left in the hut tank, otherwise we’d be finding and melting snow for water, which sounded like a lot of effort at this point!

The tricky sections

There were a couple of parts of the track that were a bit more scramble – one where you had to climb up a rocky slope for a couple of metres, and two which were loose gravel/dust on a very steep slope with a bit of exposure. These last two were harder going down than up, because at least when you slipped going up you just landed on your face, which because of the slope wasn’t that far from the ground anyway!

We managed the trickier parts without too much struggle, but I could imagine that in less than perfect conditions they’d be a lot scarier. There was a lot more wind on the way down which was less fun for these sections in particular as it felt like the wind was continuously trying to blow us off balance.

We kept on slogging up hill. Some day walkers passed us going up and down (which goes to show there are always crazier people out there), and we played leapfrog with a couple of ladies from Christchurch who we’d be sharing Pakituhi Hut with.

But finally we made it to the ridgeline!

Pakituhi Hut

Pakituhi Hut sleeps eight and isn’t currently bookable, which had me worried that it would already be full. In summer it can be very busy due to being on the Te Araroa trail – but we were too early in the season for through-hikers luckily.

If the hut was full, it would mean having to turn around and walk all the way back down. (I know I’m crazy, but even to me that didn’t sound like fun). But thankfully when we arrived, there were just the two Christchurch ladies waiting for us.

Pakituhi Hut is over the other side of the ridgeline on the horizon as you climb up. There’s even a short little downhill on the other side to reach it. This means no views of Lake Hāwea from the hut. But there was water, shade, and free bunk beds, so I was a happy tramper.

We rested a little, had the first of two dinners (like the hobbits we are), and chatted with our hut mates, one of whom had done a university nutrition study with pregnant ladies in NZ. You always meet the most interesting people in huts!

I’d almost resigned myself on the climb up that I wouldn’t have any energy once we reached Pakituhi Hut to continue on to the summit of Breast Hill. But after some food (sensing a theme here?) I felt better. Matt dumped most of the gear out of his pack and we took the essentials, layers, food, water and PLB + first aid kit. It was time to tackle the summit!

Breast Hill Summit

Firstly, can we take a moment and protest the fact that this peak is called a hill? It’s like calling Stephen Hawking a “fairly smart person”. Secondly, it doesn’t even look like a breast. The person who named this peak needs to be found and suitably chastised. Although they’ve obviously never seen a breast in their life, so maybe they’ve already got it rough enough.

There are two main ways to reach the summit of Breast Hill from Pakituhi Hut:

The first is to retrace your steps back to the ridgeline and then follow the signs – turning right and continuing up the ridgeline with amazing views of Lake Hāwea until you finally reach Breast Hill summit.

The second way is to continue down from Pakituhi Hut to the farm track you can see from the deck, and then follow it along to the left, before eventually turning off to the left and climbing up to the summit.

Both ways are much of a muchness. We opted for the ridgeline as I thought my feet wouldn’t love the hard-packed ground of the farm track. (And because the ridgeline looked much more interesting!).

It was steep going at times – another almost 300m vertical, and took us about an hour from Pakituhi Hut to reach the summit of Breast Hill. But the views and soft evening lighting were absolutely gorgeous. We hung around, soaking it all in, taking photos, before it was sadly time to retrace our steps and return to the hut.

The descent from Breast Hill and Pakituhi Hut

The next day was still sunny, but a lot windier. We knew it was only going to get worse based on the weather forecast (there is cell service on the ridgeline with direct line of sight down to Hāwea township), so Matt and I scarpered off early.

The sketchier parts were tricky in the wind on the way down, but we managed ok. I really wouldn’t want to be on the ridgeline in stronger winds, or with snow / ice.

It had taken us five hours total (including breaks) to climb up from the carpark to Pakituhi Hut the day before. Whereas the way down only took us three hours. It was a lot quicker, and due to the wind we took a lot less breaks. It went a lot quicker on the descent, as always!

On the climb up in the heat, I’d been fantasising about taking a dip in the lake the next day, but by the time we got down to the carpark there were waves breaking on the shore, the wind was so strong.

I felt pretty stoked to have climbed such a physically demanding summit in my second / third trimester. And very grateful we’d had such beautiful weather on the way up. It was a great last big tramping adventure before our next very big life adventure!

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Safety for Breast Hill / Pakituhi Hut track

As always, please stay safe when you’re out exploring. Follow the Outdoor Safety Code:

1. Choose the right trip for you (read my article, read other blogs!). This isn’t a great trip if you don’t like heights.
2. Understand the weather. This track could be extremely dangerous in poor weather conditions (snow, ice, wind or low cloud/fog).
3. Pack warm clothes, extra food and take enough water. You might not be able to rely on water at the hut in summer.
4. Share your plans and take ways to get help. There was cell service on the ridgeline above Pakituhi Hut.
5. Take care of yourself and each other

Stay safe and get outside!

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Where to next?

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I love hearing from readers and helping them plan their own adventures!

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