Princhester Saddle Route other trails nearby (tap a dot to open it)
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NZ Department of Conservation (CC BY 4.0) · OpenStreetMap · Official page · Basemap: OpenFreeMap (OpenMapTiles, © OSM contributors).
7-day forecast
Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0)Best time to hike
Best months: Oct–Apr · highs 11–16 °C (52–61 °F)
- J16°8°187
- F16°8°131
- M14°6°161
- A11°4°138
- M8°2°165
- J5°0°148
- J5°-1°118
- A7°0°130
- S9°1°149
- O11°3°171
- N13°4°144
- D15°6°178
Average high °C · low °C · precipitation mm per month. Highlighted: best months.
How we pick months
Best months are those where the 1981–2010 average daily high is 10–27 °C (50–81 °F), the average overnight low is 0 °C (32 °F) or warmer, and average precipitation is 200 mm (7.9 in) or less. Values are long-term monthly averages for the ~1 km cell at the trail point on the map, from CHELSA V2.1 climatologies (Karger et al., CC0), not a forecast. Higher or more exposed parts of a route can be colder, wetter or snowier.
About this trail
Part of the Te Araroa Trail, this challenging track starts at Princhester Road end and skirts the Waterloo Station to the Aparima Huts.
NZ Department of Conservation (CC BY 4.0).
Trail facts
- Length
- 11 km · 7 mi (DOC route geometry)
- Source
- NZ Department of Conservation (CC BY 4.0)
- Difficulty
- Very hard (9/10) (Expert · NZ Department of Conservation difficulty (CC BY 4.0))
- Typical time (DOC)
- 6 hr
- Official page
- doc.govt.nz/link/8491d7684e664dd489cb30fffa1
- Mountain range
- Takitimu Mountains (GMBA)
- Nearest town
- 35 km SE of Te Anau (Southland District, Southland) · GeoNames
- Connects to
- Aparima River Track (at its start or end)
- Best months
- Oct–Apr
- Country
- New Zealand
- Region
- Southland
- Continent
- Oceania
- Route centre
- -45.6655, 167.9838
How it’s scored
Very hard (9/10). Official rating: Expert · NZ Department of Conservation difficulty (CC BY 4.0).
A score is omitted when we do not have an official rating or enough measured length and elevation gain to compute one. Nothing is guessed. Read the NPS method: https://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/how-to-determine-hiking-difficulty.htm
Hikers can rate difficulty from 1 to 10 (1 = flat, short, easy walk for anyone; 3 = gentle hills, a little effort; 5 = moderate climbs, some fitness needed; 7 = steep or long, solid fitness required; 10 = extremely strenuous or technical; long steep climbing; experienced hikers only). The community average is shown once at least 3 people have rated the trail; until then the official or computed score is used when we have one.
Nearest trails
distance from the trail centreUpper Aparima/Spence Burn Route
2.6 mi · 4.1 km · Takitimu Conservation Area
Aparima River Track
4.4 mi · 7.1 km · Southland
Lower Wairaki Hut to Upper Wairaki Hut Route
6 mi · 10 km · Takitimu Conservation Area
Kepler Track: Rainbow Reach to Shallow Bay or Moturau Hut
19 mi · 31 km · Fiordland National Park
Pearl Harbour Circle Track
19 mi · 31 km · Fiordland National Park
Pearl Harbour to Back Valley Hut Track
20 mi · 32 km · Fiordland National Park
All trails in Southland → · All 1,167 trails in New Zealand →