Our St James Walkway film - shot entire on a GoPro10 - is linked below!

In September 2025 we decided it was time to give the kids a proper taste of multi-day tramping, so we headed off to tackle the St James Walkway with a bunch of friends.

I'd actually done the St James Walkway several times back in my Scouting and Venturer days, so there was something pretty cool about coming back all these years later and finally being able to bring my own kiddos along to experience it.

Five days. Four nights. Four huts. Good friends and plenty of food.

The St James Walkway runs from Lewis Pass through the St James Conservation Area to Boyle Village and is a pretty ideal introduction to longer tramps with kids. It's a proper backcountry adventure, but the track is generally well formed and the huts are comfortable enough to make the whole thing feel very achievable.

We left our cars at Boyle Village and used the shuttle service from the Boyle Village Outdoor Education Centre to get us up to the Lewis Pass car park, where we started walking.

And then it rained.

And rained.

And rained some more.

Day 1 - Lewis Pass to Cannibal Gorge | 10km

DOC time: 3hr 30min
Our time: 4hr 16min

We started at the Lewis Pass car park and made our way down towards Cannibal Gorge.

The track winds through beech forest before dropping down into the gorge and then follows the Maruia River towards Cannibal Gorge Hut.

It was wet, but nothing too dramatic at this point. We arrived at the hut, got the packs off and discovered something that would become a recurring theme of the trip - firewood is gold.

Cannibal Gorge Hut had a really good supply of firewood and coal, so we could get a decent fire going and dry out some of the gear.

We didn't realise at the time quite how lucky we'd struck.

Day 2 - Cannibal Gorge to Christopher Hut | 13.5km

DOC time: 6hrs
Our time: 5hr 38min

Day two took us further up towards Ada Pass. This day seemed a lot longer than what we’d researched my Topo data supports this. When planning, be wary of distance for this day.

The rain was still doing its thing, but everyone was settling into the rhythm of the tramp. We stopped for lunch at Ada Pass Hut, but didn't stay there. From Ada Pass we carried on through the Ada Valley towards Christopher Hut.

And then, on the final approach to Christopher Hut, a storm properly descended on us. The rain turned to snow and suddenly we were walking through a completely different landscape.

By the time we reached the hut everyone was wet, cold and very happy to see the door. And that's when we discovered that the firewood situation at Christopher Hut was not quite the same as Cannibal Gorge. There was a bit of wood left by previous users, which we were very grateful for and made sure to replace before we left. We soon settled into our routine of hot noodles/soup, drying out whatever we could, and our new favourite game - Telestrations. 100% recommend it for guaranteed laughs, especially after a long day on the track!

Day 3 - Christopher Hut to Anne Hut | 13.5km

DOC time: 4hr 30min
Our time: 5hr 40min

Day three was another wet one.

We followed the Ada River before heading towards the Henry River and then on to Anne Hut. The weather was still pretty miserable, but the scenery was starting to open up and there were plenty of little reminders that we were properly in the mountains.

Then we arrived at the new Anne Hut. It's the newest of the main huts on the walkway and sits in a pretty spectacular spot, high on the river terrace with big views out towards the mountain ranges around Lewis Pass.

The forest - and therefore the firewood - is about 500 metres away so prepare yourselves for a bit of a mission if you want to stay warm.

By this stage, the kids had discovered there was one very important advantage to all the miserable weather - snow! They spent a good chunk of time outside making snow slushies, mixing fresh snow with Raro sachets. Honestly - YUM! Game-wise, Greed and Guillotine were on the main menu for night three. Nothing like a few highly competitive family games to round out a day in the hills!

Day 4 - Anne Hut to Boyle Flat | 17km

DOC time: 7hr 30min
Our time: 9hr 29min

Day four was when things finally started to improve weather-wise, which was timely considering this was our buggest day of walking!

The rain eased off and the snow that had arrived around Christopher the day before became a bit of a highlight for the kids.

They were loving it.

After three days of getting absolutely soaked, suddenly having snow to play around in felt like a bonus rather than another weather problem. From Anne Hut the track heads towards the Anne Saddle before dropping into the Boyle Valley and across the Boyle Flats. This was probably one of my favourite parts of the trip. After three days of cloud and rain, the combination of snow, open country, tussock, rivers and mountains was a pretty good reminder of why we'd come.

And the kids were still going strong.

Rokeby Hut is a good wee spot for a lunch stop. This hut is frequented by hunting regulars and there are heaps of cool artefacts and supplies to gawk at.

We eventually arrived at Boyle Flat Hut, our last hut for the trip. The sense of accomplishment amongst the group was strong and our last night on the track turned into a mammoth celebration round of Telestrations & Greed by lamp light.

Day 5 - Boyle Flat to Boyle Village | 14.5km

DOC time: 5hrs
Our time: 5hr 52min

On a blue bird day, we followed the Boyle River towards the end of the walkway and crossed a few cool suspension bridges. A quick lunch break on the riverbed meant the kids finally had time to pull out the slingshots for some target practice on an old sheep skull.

Eventually we made our way out to Boyle Village. And that was it.

Five days.

Four nights.

Four huts.

Three very wet days. A lot of muddy boots and wet clothing. The cars were still where we'd left them, which was particularly handy after five days of walking.

Would we do it all again?

In a heartbeat.

If you’re taking kids, here’s some tips:

Plan your route before you go. There may be huts you decide to skip, as we did, so check the distances and terrain carefully before you leave. When we first starting taking our little ones on tramps (toddlers!), we had to double and sometimes triple the DOC walking times. Our kids are getting older and faster with every trip now (between 11 & 13 years) so adding an extra 1-2 hours to the DOC time is a pretty safe bet for us at the moment. Although the GPS accuracy on my Topo app is questionable, distances did ‘feel’ a touch longer that what is listed on the website and displayed on signs along the way.
Although the track is well-used, it doesn’t seem overly maintained. Be prepared to do some solid track clearing along the way.
There are some significant side creeks/rivers to ford on the last day. After heavy rain, these will likely be in flood. Take care. Beware of slips.
Check the weather before you go. There are plenty of exposed sections on this trip. Don’t be deceived by the fact that much of the track follows river valleys - you’re still relatively high, averaging between 500 and 1,000m, so temperatures can drop surprisingly low, even in summer.
Be prepared for cold nights. Don’t assume there’ll be a ready supply of firewood waiting for you. If you want a warm hut, be prepared to put in the work to get the fire going. And if you use firewood collected by the previous party, make sure you replace what you use for the next group.
Book the shuttle. Get in touch with the Boyle Village Outdoor Education Centre before you leave to arrange the shuttle service. They’ll take you to the start of the track at Lewis Pass, then drive your vehicle back to the village and securely park it at the centre. There’s also a simple sign-out system when you return - super handy after five days of walking!
Oh, & have fun!

Hiking the St James Walkway with Kids