Thread: New huts

Similar to an untrained eye.Door hung on the other side,Gutter detail different, Barge/Ridge apex detail different,cladding different,Gable vent larger,Door Architrave detail different, window sill joinery detail different.Nope definitely not the one I built in early 90's. When was this photo taken?

Originally Posted by Murray N

Mike Martin was there late 60 s early 70 s , Mike left NZFS to work in the game parks of South Africa , sadly received the news Mike was killed in a accident not long after arriving in SA , top bloke , wanted me to work with him as contract shooter $ 7.50 a tail , stayed in the malthoid tent camp in Centre Creek , as well as the older tent camp opp Centre Creek in the 60 s , i remember Stev Bolton , the Top Gorge Hut must be one of the few Huts with a concrete floor

My contact told me that Mike was out training on his bike but unfortunately the lion was a wee bit faster. Rip, a good guy.
My first f/o at poh base.

From memory I first met the builder at ngamoko t/c about that time. Next time we met I was up a tree outside ngaherimai hut in the whakatane photographing birds and poor mate couldn't figure out where the whistling was coming from.
We covered a fair bit of nz since those early day, two or three trips to wapiti country as well.

More hut building related photos more or less.
My boo boo Ngamoko is spelt without an 'a' at the end as I had typed in a previous photo.



Details in photo, just taken off from NZFS Pohangina base
Top left photo - obviously Ruahine front country
Main photo - Ngamoko hut building site photo taken from helicopter
Bottom right photos - ratty photo of Hiller helicopter bubble and comparison photo taken at Queenstown, South Island



Previous photo of tent camp shows snow on the ground, this main photo taken in the Pohangina Valley by the tent camp at the same time.
Top left - is the Mid Pohangina hut down stream

Yes everything was all done legally and safely

I believe the NZ Army/military cleared the hut site. Hopefully no trees have fallen on the hut in the last 47 years?
Perhaps there were no greenies around in those days to object.


Doing a bit of hut building related work and site clearing



Top left photo - when things go bang
Main photo - hut builder doing firewood duties.



Main photo - Pohangina river in flood, down stream from Mid Po hut.
One can only speculate in the meat hunting days how many adventures deer hunters tried to float deer carcasses down the river with inner tubes?
Top left photo - The hut builders dog appropriately all kitted out for a day on the hill.
Bottom right photo - Inside the Ngamoko tent camp at the end of the day using the iconic camp oven to cook in.

I recal the menfolk using beach balls inside deer to float them out..... crazy times called for crazy measures,anything beat humping it out on back I guess.

Time for a brew....


At the end of the day after hut building or like any other NZ bush dweller at any time.... time for a brew.

Photo taken inside Ngamoko tent camp.

For those that remember... no smoky brews



In those days most NZFS huts had a brew billy.... let alone now?

To make a cup of tea in those days you had to bring the brew billy to a rolling boil over the fire, tip in a handful of correct amount of leaf tea, then lift the billy off the fire with a stick, give it a couple of bangs on the side of the billy to get rid of the floaters, then pour into an enamel mug/s adding condensed milk and enjoy

some things have never changed....tea like that is still awesome....definately got lazy as years have progressed and its a sachet into jetboiled water more often than not these days.

Originally Posted by video hunter

Time for a brew....


At the end of the day after hut building or like any other NZ bush dweller at any time.... time for a brew.

Photo taken inside Ngamoko tent camp.

For those that remember... no smoky brews

Attachment 229638

In those days most NZFS huts had a brew billy.... let alone now?

To make a cup of tea in those days you had to bring the brew billy to a rolling boil over the fire, tip in a handful of correct amount of leaf tea, then lift the billy off the fire with a stick, give it a couple of bangs on the side of the billy to get rid of the floaters, then pour into an enamel mug/s adding condensed milk and enjoy

Yip..and for the sweet tooths that wandered from one hut to another..an unopened can of condensed was thrown into the brew billy, boiled
while one sucked on a durry. That boiled tin milk became a tasty can of caramel lol.

To those that are interested in NZFS hut building... Life as it was then

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk_31ApS770

That's the same pilot we used to fly in rebuilding materials for Harris Creek hut in 76 or 77. He was hauling the loads over the side of a cliff and getting up translational lift that way Cool as a cucumber.

Flew into the hut at the end of the day on the side litter. Fricken cold!

Classic,recognise Hans,Mario,Ray Wise,Vinny Duckett,Grant Timlin,Manakau Base.The question is did Mario ever swing a hammer as a chippy for FS,or just on the payroll as archivist photographer?

Seeing this thread reminds me that I was definitely born in the wrong era...

@video hunter she’s still standing. Just had a patch up recently

Perhaps in the future i may put up some old time photos from this Ruahine area.
When we built it we commented on the number of trees cut down and enough firewood for 50 years.
Dosen't nature slowly fix most "hut matter / things" The greenies will probaly jump up and down a bit about cutting down trees but i saw a photo of a tree fallen on a NZFS hut in the 60's...I think it was a hut in the Washpool?

Mc Notty.....Thanks for the hut photo....Will it still be there in 47 years time ?

Roy G Biv.....I might put up a post called....Hunting in the 80's....or Hunting then and now.
Hunting is generally now? Let alone what was in the past ?
Nothing wrong with feral animal hunting now?

@video hunter I'm pretty sure Leon Kinvig Hut upstream of Ngamoko got some serious damage and nearly got washed away recently. They're working on a fix, possibly moving it to a new site.