Getting there

The closet town to the trail head is Fox Glacier on the West Coast of the South Island. The start of the track is roughly 25km south along SH6.

Maps

The topographic map that I used was Mount Cook H36 1:50,000 sheet.

Route/Trail notes

Due to the sand flies being in plague proportions as soon as you open the car door, people don't linger very long in the small carpark and head out reasonably quickly. The track starts with a creek crossing and then your pretty much lead by trail markers straight into the bush where you remain for about 1km, the track then opens into a clearing for a short while before the track once again returns to the bush. After about 4km there is a great view to the right up Karangarua Valley from here the track swings east and begins heading up the Copland Valley.

After a while the track descends from the bush and along the Copland River where boulder hoppping is required to make your way up the valley. Once again trail markers direct you back into the forest and across a bridge, another bridge is crossed 2km later. A highlight of this walk would also be the long bridge crossing across Architect Creek, keep in mind that these suspension bridges should only be crossed by one person at a time so if you suffer from vertigo and carrying a heavy pack this can be quite a challenge.

Another clearing is reached after the Architect Creek crossing which is considered as the half way mark to Welcome Flat Hut and roughly 9km from the carpark. This is where you start the real climbing of the track, over 2km you gradually climb roughly 300m where you then reach another bridge crossing across Palaver Creek. The track becomes steeper from here till you reach 500m at Sheils Creek, froim  here it's only 1km from the thermal pools. The track is then descends down to the hut from here which a little up stream from the pools.

I do have a warning, unfortunately like many carparks in national parks and reserves in Australia New Zealand also suffers from theives who prey on people like us who enjoy the wilderness with a break in happening to a couple who were staying at the hut at the same time as my wife and I. Please remember not to leave anything in your car when tramping this track.

Permits/Costs

You'll need to purchase a hut pass for your stay at the hut which can be bought from DOC in Fox Glacier Village, or alternately from the hut warden.

Other References

The Lonely Planet Tramping in New Zealand guide book is very comprehensive.