A week in a hut

[Tronhard]

My other half and I just returned from spending a week in a hiking hut in NZ's third island, Stuart Island, also known as Rakiura. We had hoped to do a hike, but with both of us injured we decided to spend the time in a hut doing a spot of hut management and just enjoying being in the bush.

Despite being summer the weather was all over the place (not unusual but this year more extreme than normal), with temperatures ranging from 2degC to 23degC!

Still when you can wake up to this in the morning you have to love the location!


Our hut was located along a secluded beach, bordering a shallow bay. The waters reflected the light from the changing weather conditions

[ST1]

Looks a lovely spot Trev, I hope your injuries are on the mend.


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[Shadowman]

Nicely done.

[bje07]

Very nice, I prefer though # 1

[Kaye Leggett]

That's a very nice place to have a hut

[bnnrcn]

What a beautiful place, I especially like #2 Trev

[Tronhard]

Thanks to Peter, John, Jean, Kaye and Binnur for your kind comments!

Yes, it is a lovely spot. Because we were both not at our best we did not take the 30+km hike to the hut. The last 8km is especially challenging as it has knee-high mud in places and lots of slick, hidden roots to trip people up. Some of the hikers arriving at the hut were literally covered in mud!

NZ has 940 backcountry huts, providing a unique network that allow people to get out in the wild without necessarily having a tent. These huts were built by miners, workers, hunters and tramping clubs apart from ones built by the NZ Dept. of Conservation (DOC). DOC took these over and created the awesome network. Sadly, recent promotion of the network to overseas has resulted in the system becoming stressed, particularly by 'freedom campers': those who use the network as cheap accommodation. Some of these people don't pay the modest hut fees, don't clean up after themselves and leave their rubbish behind. So locals like us occasionally stay in huts to act as volunteer rangers, to manage the hut usage and give the place some care.


The hut exterior - note the big tank to provide drinking water from the roof, and the outdoor sink for cleaning up. Occasionally hunters (hunting deer and possums that are considered vermin) use the facility, but they can use only one of the dormitories. They tend to avoid the huts in the main summer season because of the risk of shooting a tramper, and the general disruption that they cause for hunting.



Because of their varied pasts and sources, huts do not generally follow a standard pattern. This one sleeps 16, with two 8-bunk dorms each side of a common room. You are expected to provide your own cooking facilitates, plates, cutlery etc. This hut has a wood-burning stove for heating (but you could cook on it), has an indoor sink with running water from the roof tank, plus a table and benches. There is even a cupboard to store food to keep it from being eaten by the wildlife.





The hanging light in the centre of the room is a dummy one. Some folks with a sense of humour put switches and light fittings in the huts to confound hikers. We had several people complain that the light wasn't working! Now, with the advent of solar panels and LED lights, SOME huts have lights in them. We brought along a couple of LED lamps, but with the sun setting around 9:45pm, they didn't get too much use.



The dormitories: Thy provide bunks with foam mattresses, hikers provide their own sleeping bags etc.





A long-drop toilet is provided, about 100m away from the hut. These shots were taken after we cleaned it!





This is a fairly old hut. Newer ones are made with more modern materials, have more light (e.g. skylights) and much larger common areas - 16 people is way too many for this one. Still, it's a great hut, with an awesome location.

[Tronhard]

Hi Peter:

My right knee joint has totally collapsed - so right now it's bone on bone, meaning I can walk only a few hundred metres before it seizes up. My partner is recovering from cancer, and has lymphoma, which has weakened her arm and makes it stiff and sore. So we are a right pair!

[Rita]

What a beautiful location to spend some time. If you were not on the injury list it looks like you could walk a long way on that beach. Peace and tranquility sounds appealing.
Your knee issue sounds terribly painful, hope it improves for you.

[Wavelength]

So lovely.....