Kirwans Hut - Welcome to the Jungle
On a high from the rugged beauty and raw challenge from bike packing the St. James Trail, we set out for Kirwans Hut just outside of Reefton, NZ.
On a high from the rugged beauty and raw challenge from bike packing the St. James Trail, we searched for another hut to explore on our journey to the North Island. We landed on the Kirwans Hut just outside of Reefton. The recent rain in the region made the climb a tough and boggy march. It was well worth it for the next day’s decent: Over two hours of loam surfing through mud and jungle.
Trail Type:
Singletrack with some unridable sections in either direction
Trip Plan:
We left mid-day and arrived just in time for dinner. Kirwans Hut was easily the nicest hut I’ve ever encountered. We're talking a mudroom, kitchen and double pain windows. In the morning, we had a leisurely breakfast waiting for the clouds in the valley to break, then returned via the same trail.
Elevation Gained:
1380 meters
Peak-a-boo view from Kirwans Hut
Kilometers Traveled:
About 28
Kirwans Hut
Weather:
Out: Humidity was high but we didn’t experience any rain.
Return: was hot and sunny.
Dan getting barreled in the green room
Company:
It was great, as always. We only had to share the hut with two other people.
Pack loaded, decent ready. Dan looking over the valley from Kirwans Hut
Bike:
Yeti Sb5c and Giant Reign
The Yeti Sb5c and Giant Reign ready to shred on day 2
St. James Cycle Trail Trip Report
Check out the trip report from our first bike packing over night trip in New Zealand.
TRAIL TYPE
A mixture of fire road, double track and singletrack
TRIP OVERVIEW
Judging by the trail description the trip could be done in one day, but where’s the fun in that? We split the adventure into two days by cutting out the shuttle option and leaving mid-day. This also gave us an excuse to test out our bike packing gear and stay overnight in a remote hut. We made it to the Guyon Hut in just over 5 hours and narrowly caught sunset. It was unreal.
On day two we set out in the morning for some serious saddle time: 7 hours and 53 minutes of mountain passes, stream crossings and wild terrain. Our packs were heavy, but the journey was pure magic. The corners of my mouth hurt from smiling so much.
ELEVATION GAINED
2030 meters
Distance Traveled
92+ kilometers
Weather and conditions
Mix of sun and cloud. We marched through a headwind on day one but any hints of a storm circled around and passed us.
Getting settled at the Guyon Hut after our first day on the St. James Trail
Company
Was great, as always. We only encountered one or two other groups over the entire 12+ hours of trail time.
Dan admiring the view.
Bike
Yeti Sb5c and a Giant Reign
Wildflower hitching a ride on Dan's bike
Key pieces of gear
- Any weight we could move from our backs to our bikes made life easier. I used a bar bag, back packing pack and kept my repair kit under my saddle.
- My Suunto GPS watch kept us on track and helped manage our food and rest stops.
Bridge crossing selfie
Don't Underestimate...
How serious the sand fly issue is: Bring bug spray!
Dan climbing up out of the valley
Check out Dan's PinkBike Photo Essay: