New Zealand’s Department of Conservation (DOC) has confirmed that a significant slip on the Dart Track between Daleys Flat Hut and Chinamans Bluff has rendered the popular Rees–Dart Circuit “impassable” for walkers.
Rangers who inspected the site say the damage is extensive, with the track surface badly undermined, and the Dart Track has now been closed indefinitely while options are assessed.
The Dart Track sits within Mount Aspiring National Park in the South Island and forms a key section of the classic Rees–Dart Circuit, a multi-day tramping route that attracts both local walkers and international visitors.
The circuit typically begins near Glenorchy, heading up the Rees Valley before crossing into the Dart Valley, offering expansive alpine scenery and river flats along the way.
DOC has advised that alternative trips are still possible despite the closure. Walkers can travel from Muddy Creek to Dart Hut and return the same way via the Rees Valley, or take a more demanding route over Cascade Saddle to Dart Hut before exiting along the Rees Valley.
The closure is another setback for back-country users in the lower South Island. It follows recent restrictions including the closure of Skippers Bridge near Queenstown due to safety concerns, as well as the introduction of paid access into Macetown near Arrowtown, further limiting traditional tramping options in the region.