A party of Otago Boys' High School pupils are marooned in a hut in the Mt Aspiring National Park after heavy rains rendered a creek impassable.
Deputy rector Mark Hooper said the group of about 25 year-nine pupils were scheduled to return today but the creek rose rapidly and became too high to cross.
All parents had been informed and there was ample food in the hut in the Matukituki Valley, he said.
It was hoped the party would be able to walk out tomorrow to a waiting bus.
A heavy rain warning was in place for headwaters of Otago lakes and rivers, which includes the Matukituki Valley, until 1pm today.