Old Huts Gone from the Land
Greetings All,
I have been thinking of doing a few more walks with rifle to the Old Kaweka Hut site. Thinking back Kaweka Hut was one of the first huts I visited in my early years of hunting from 1963 to 1970. The others were Lawrence Hut, Black Whare (sometimes called Back Whare), Castle Rocks Bivvy, Makino Bivvy and Hut. Only the last two survive and I am not sure about the Makino Bivvy. Regretably I took few photo's in those days so only have memory to go on.
Lawrence Memorial Hut was built about 1955 with a bush frame and malthoid cladding. A corrugated iron roof was added later. My first visit was about 1967 or 1968 and it looked much like the photo below. It burnt down years ago as did ite shelter replacement. Today you can drive to the site but in the late 1960's you walked most of the way from the Taihape road.
Attachment 187015
Black Whare was a small sawn timber hut probably built by some pit sawyers in the late 1800's. It was close to Back Whare road. I have never been able to find a picture of it but it was derelict in the 1960's. Perhaps someone has a picture of it.
Castle Rocks Bivvy was a standard NZFS Bivvy located on Castle Rocks Road not far from Lakes Road. I think that the Bivvy dated from the late 1950's or early 1960's well prior to the road formation. This area was all stunted scrub and clay pans at the time. Now it is pine forest.
Kaweka Hut was another bush frame and malthoid hut that was built in 1936 and burnt down in about 2003. During its life it was clad and roofed in corrugated iron. The hut was built by the Heretaunga Tramping Club and initially accessed by a pack track from the Taihape Road. My first visit was 1968. We walked alond the still unformed Castle Rocks Road to the Bivvy. From there we followed our noses along firebreak down to the Kaweka track, to the hut and then back to the road. There was still a lengthy walk back to the car along the road, all uphill of course. I visited the hut often over the next 35 years until its demise but only occasionally since. It is a great spot. There are pictures in the internet.
Makino Hut and possibly the Bivvy are still with us. Both were built by the Napier Deerstalkers Club in 1958, with materials supplied by NZFS and air dropped by fixed wing aircraft. My Uncle was one of the builders and it was with him and my father that I first went there in late March 1963.
Regards Grandpamac.
