---
okf_version: "0.2"
type: "Article"
title: "Justine’s tramping boots go AWOL"
description: "Justine Tyerman has trouble with her wayward tramping mates . . ."
resource: "https://travelmemo.com/new-zealand/justines-tramping-boots-go-awol"
language: en
author: "Justine Tyerman"
publisher: "Travelmemo"
photo_count: 8
tags: ["Landscape", "New Zealand"]
entities:
  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/places/new-zealand"
  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/places/switzerland"
  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/topics/landscape"
  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/topics/lake"
  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/topics/culinary-tourism"
  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/topics/hiking"
  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/topics/experience-travel"
  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/topics/luxury-travel"
  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/organizations/swiss-international-air-lines"
generated: { by: "human:https://travelmemo.com/author/tyermanj", at: 2026-07-04T13:39:23+00:00 }
sources:
  - id: photos
    resource: justines-tramping-boots-go-awol.md#photos
    title: "Original photography by Tim Meehan"
    last_modified: 2016-04-12
timestamp: 2026-07-04T13:39:23+00:00
---

# Justine’s tramping boots go AWOL

> A lively personal account of tramping to Aspiring Hut in the Matukituki Valley near Wanaka, New Zealand, for a 60th birthday celebration deep in the Te Wahipounamu UNESCO World Heritage site.

## Destination
Matukituki Valley, near Wanaka, South Island, New Zealand — within Te Wahipounamu UNESCO World Heritage site.

## Getting there
A 60-minute, 54km drive from Wanaka to the road end at Raspberry Creek, skirting Lake Wanaka past Glendu Bay.

## When to go
The trip took place in autumn; the group left just as the first snow of the season dusted the mountains on their return.

## Why visit
A remote backcountry hut in the shadow of Mt Aspiring offers stunning alpine scenery, glacier-fed rivers, and a genuine off-grid wilderness experience that converts even first-timers into trampers.

## What to see
- **Mt Aspiring** — Snow-capped peak visible from the road and dominating the valley above the hut.
- **Glendu Bay** — Postcard viewpoint on Lake Wanaka passed during the drive to Raspberry Creek.
- **Matukituki River** — Foaming green, glacier-fed river running through the valley; good for spotting trout.
- **Treble Cone waterfalls** — Wispy waterfalls visible from the road skirting Lake Wanaka.
- **Night sky at Aspiring Hut** — Described as breath-taking — far from city lights on a clear, moonless night.

## What to do
- **Tramp to Aspiring Hut** — Approximately two-and-a-half-hour walk up the sun-filled Matukituki Valley from Raspberry Creek.
- **Stay overnight at Aspiring Hut** — Solar-powered backcountry hut with communal bunkrooms, wood burner, no showers or hot water.

## Good to know
The backcountry hut is solar-powered with no showers, no hot water, and a wood burner for heating; guests sleep in communal bunkrooms in sleeping bags. 4WDs can access the valley to carry in supplies.

## Photos

```yaml
photos:
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/tramping-Mount-Aspiring.jpg"
    caption: "Snow capped Mt Aspiring"
    keywords: ["Justine Tyerman", "New Zealand", "hiking"]
    captured: 2016-04-09
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Clutha-River-Walkway-3.jpg"
    caption: "Poplar trees on Clutha River"
    keywords: ["Justine Tyerman", "Love Home Swap", "New Zealand", "home swap"]
    captured: 2016-04-12
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/tramping-birthday-girls-Rebecca-Victoria-Matukituki-River.jpg"
    caption: "Birthday twins Rebecca and Victoria by Matukituki River"
    keywords: ["Justine Tyerman", "New Zealand", "hiking"]
    captured: 2016-04-09
    credit: "Tim Meehan"
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/tramping-Aspiring-Hut-by-Tim-Meehan.jpg"
    caption: "Aspiring Hut © Photo by Tim Meehan"
    keywords: ["Justine Tyerman", "New Zealand", "hiking"]
    captured: 2016-04-09
    credit: "Tim Meehan"
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/tramping-Matukituki-Valley-Aspiring-Hut-by-Tim-Meehan.jpg"
    caption: "Matukituki Valley hike to Aspiring Hut © Photo by Tim Meehan"
    keywords: ["Justine Tyerman", "New Zealand", "hiking"]
    captured: 2016-04-09
    credit: "Tim Meehan"
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/tramping-birthday-feast-Aspiring-Hut-by-Tim-Meehan.jpg"
    caption: "Matukituki Valley hike to Aspiring Hut"
    keywords: ["Justine Tyerman", "New Zealand", "hiking"]
    captured: 2016-04-09
    credit: "Tim Meehan"
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/tramping-candlelight-crabapples-Aspiring-Hut-by-Tim-Meehan.jpg"
    caption: "Aspring Hut candlelight crabapples"
    keywords: ["Justine Tyerman", "New Zealand", "hiking"]
    captured: 2016-04-09
    credit: "Tim Meehan"
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/tramping-festivities-Aspiring-Hut-by-Tim-Meehan.jpg"
    caption: "Birthday festivities in Aspiring Hut, photo by Tim Meehan"
    keywords: ["Justine Tyerman", "New Zealand", "hiking"]
    captured: 2016-04-09
    credit: "Tim Meehan"
```