If you are looking for a completely off-track 2 day adventure with a healthy dose of boulder-hopping, and a visit to one of New Zealand’s seldom visited huts, then look no further than Jam Hut in the Seaward Kaikōura Range. Located in the Ka Whata Tu o Rakihouia Clarence, this trip is not for the faint of heart.
Just because you’ve climbed to George Saddle five times, it doesn’t mean you will find it again via the same route. In fact, you most definitely won’t!
Fast Facts
- Location: Ka Whata Tu o Rakihouia Conservation Park, Seaward Kaikōura Range, Kaikōura
- DoC Warnings: As of August 2026 there is a DoC alert for Jam Hut stating that Jam Hut has had landslides around it and it is not recommended to stay in the hut due to risk of continued landslides
- Topo50 Map: BS 28 Kekerengu, BS 27 Tapuae-o-Uenuku
- Difficulty: Experienced due to off track navigation & bushbashing, river travel
- Duration: 3 days (or 2 long days)
- Start / Finish: Waiau-Toa Road. Turn onto Waipapa Rd from SH1 after the SH crosses the Clarence River
- Road Access: 4WD only. The Waiau-Toa ford over Wharekiri Stream must be crossed to get to George Stream. It is 4WD only and is prone to flooding. It can be impassable for up to 2 weeks. The 2016 Kaikōura earthquake destroyed the former Glen Alton Bridge. There is currently no funding to replace it.
- Hut & Camp Spot: Jam Hut (standard, 4 bunks), good camping spot in the bush, the second tributary west of George Saddle
- Dogs: With DoC permits only
- Other Kaikōura Trips: Sawcut Gorge & The Zoo, Te Ao Whekere, Mt Tarahaka Attempt
Our Jam Hut Route Overview
| Section | Time (hr) | Elevation Gained (m) | Distance (km) |
| Waiau-Toa Road → Jam Hut via George Saddle | 8 – 10 | 1,175 | 14.4 |
| Jam Hut → Doddemeade Stream campsite 1km west of George Saddle | 2.5 | 434 | 4.25 |
| Doddemeade Stream campsite → Waiau-Toa Road via George Saddle | 6 – 7 | 358 | 10 |
Day 1: George Stream to Jam Hut
The Boulder Maze of George Stream
George Stream started off in a very gentle fashion, lulling us into a false sense of security that the day was going to be all very straight forward. However, nothing is ever simple in Ka Whata Tu o Rakihouia Clarence as we were about to find out. As we gained elevation, the stream transitioned into a gorge. We spent the day sidling around waterfalls, navigating slips and climbing over tree fall amongst all the boulders.
⚠️ Road Access: The Waiau-Toa ford over Wharekiri Stream must be crossed to get to George Stream. This is 4WD only and is prone to flooding. It can be impassable for up to 2 weeks. The 2016 Kaikōura earthquake destroyed the former Glen Alton Bridge. The is currently no funding to replace it.
At a stream junction, we thought both options would lead to George Saddle. Unhelpfully, one of the branches of George Stream wasn’t marked on our map and we chose the wrong one. The right branch of the stream took us up onto a rather narrow ledge. Now stuck in the middle of a boulder maze, we managed to extract ourselves off this. To line ourselves up with George Saddle again, we had to cross several gullies. Of course, all these gullies contained plenty of spikey speargrass.
The Native Broom of George Saddle
Below George Saddle, we looked up to see a rather bewildered goat standing above us as if in shock from the sight of us. Only about 6 parties visit Jam Hut each year, most of them taking the sensible route by packrafting down the Clarence River. Clearly, we aren’t the “sensible” type and joined the few crazy people who tramp into Jam Hut via George Saddle. Any common sense we had was clearly lost amongst all the boulders in George Stream. Tony, who had been up to George Saddle 5 times, has now taken a different route every single time!
We traversed the scree slopes under the saddle, admiring the Carmichaelia Stevensonii (native broom), before reaching the saddle itself. The view across to the Inland Kaikōura Range was spectacular. With sunset approaching, we decided to push through to Jam Hut rather than camping in Doddemeade Stream.
The Descent into Darkness in Doddemeade Stream
We found a great scree escalator that took us right into the head of the Doddemeade Stream. This top part of the stream was really steep and had not a lot of grip so we found it easier to slide down some of the steeper sections. The integrity of Tony’s thermal pants was seriously compromised after this….
⚠️ Route warning: George Saddle is on a fairly narrow ridge. We found it best to head south on the ridge to find a good scree slope to start the descent into Doddemeade Stream.
As darkness fell, the gorge became quite eerie with our perspective limited by darkness. We were now solving boulder-hopping puzzles in the dark. The boulders didn’t seem to be getting any smaller, in fact they seemed to be getting larger, and it was still very gorge-like in places even as we got lower down Doddemeade Stream. Tony had done this route before and remembered it being very easy. Going through in daylight would have made a big difference but we also suspected the Kaikōura earthquakes and erosion were responsible. We finally spotted the white marker pole and a cairn signalling the approach to Jam Hut. Relief washed over us, though we were slightly disappointed to find no jam waiting for us at the hut. We had to settle for our own.
Day 2: Jam Hut to Doddemeade Stream Camp spot
We had a lazy start in Jam Hut, toasting marshmallows and enjoying jam biscuits. Back in Doddemeade after leaving the hut at 2pm, the daylight revealed the true scale of the gorge walls—breathtaking and intimidating. We scouted a safer route out in the small waterfall section, opting for a mid-thigh water wade rather than the tricky rocks we’d dropped ourselves off in the dark the night before. We found a lovely camping spot amongst the beech trees about 1km west of George Saddle where we could enjoy the night’s clear starry sky.
⚠️ Safety warning: As of August 2026, there is now a DoC alert for Jam Hut stating that Jam Hut has had landslides around it and it is not recommended to stay in the hut due to risk of continued landslides
Day 3: Doddemeade Stream to George Stream
The ‘Snakes & Ladders’ of Doddemeade Stream
We knew the climb up to George Saddle for sunrise would be slow and hard work. Climbing up scree always feels like a large game of ‘snakes and ladders.’ One step up and then slide back down two….
Descending was much quicker as we took the more sensible route that we had missed on our walk in and even found a few cairns along the way. Thankfully we made it out just in time for our ferry.
While the terrain in the Seaward Kaikōura Range is a bit more rugged, the seclusion and raw beauty of the Seaward Kaikōura make the trip to Jam Hut an absolute must-do for experienced trampers.
Trip completed July 2023