The facility received its final inspection recently and was declared "impressive" by the Otago Conservator, Jeff Connell.
The Motatapu Track already has two huts and the provision of a third should halve the arduous eight-to-nine hour walk between the Fern Burn carpark and Highland Creek Hut, making the trek a four-day, three-night experience.
"It also provides day walkers with a lunch stop after travelling through the remnant beech forest along the very active and attractive Fern Burn," Mr Connell said.
The completion of the hut marks the end of major construction on the track linking Wanaka and Arrowtown, via Macetown, which was opened by former Prime Minister Helen Clark in March.
The track is part of the nationwide Te Araroa Trail network.
Fulton Hogan project manager Mike Wardell said early spring snowfalls did not deter the builders and everything went to plan.
The 12-bunk building has a deck and cost $200,000 to build, with Doc and Soho Properties Ltd sharing the costs equally.
It has a toilet, rainwater supply and mattresses on two-tiered sleeping platforms.
