The Rakiura Track< (36km, 2–3 days) is one of DOC’s Great Walks. It is a popular walk with birdwatchers, but lacks the stunning views normally associated with the other Great Walks. Accommodation in DOC huts on the route costs $24 per night.
Halfmoon Bay to Port William Hut (12km, 4–5 hours)
The track starts at the end of the road north of Oban and follows the coast for most of the first day.
Port William to North Arm Hut (12km, 6 hours)
This section starts off by backtracking for 45-minutes along the beach and then cuts inland. The track climbs to the summit ridge where there’s a lookout tower that offers views to Paterson Inlet. The track climbs for a little longer before descending to North Arm Hut.
North Arm Hut to Halfmoon Bay (12km, 4–5 hours)
The last section of the track passes Sawdust Bay and Kaipipi Bay, both on the shore of Paterson Inlet. The final stretch from Kaipipi Bay to Oban follows the old Kaipipi Road, the original access route for the sawmills at Kaipipi Bay that employed over 100 people in the 1860s.