Thread: Old huts

Cone hut. Pinched from Google.

Like Sayers it had a totara shingle roof, leaks came with the territory. Both have a history that can't be matched by the huts built today.

Greetings All,
A few years ago I wrote a story for the NZ Guns and Hunting on an early walk into the now gone Lawrence Hut. In it I mentioned the Black Whare which we passed on the way in. I had not been able to find a photo of the hut until a friend gave me a slide showing it which was likely taken around 1960.
Lester Masters gives some info into its early history. It was built in the last two decades of the 1800's by a couple of men who were pit sawing timber in an adjacent patch of bush. They used timber sawn on site ant the interor was lined as you can see on the photo. Later the whare was used by staff on Waiwhare Station. During this time one of the staff was asked to turn out a mob of sheep into the Quarry padock. The gentleman, whose name was Hapi, so tasked heard Quarry as Whare and set out on what was a significant drive returning after dark to the relief of others who were organising a search party. Thereafter the whare was known as Happy Valley Hut for a time and the valley where it sits is known as Happy Valley. More recently some have called the hut Back Whare and the road close to its location is so named. I have looked for the hut recently but could find no trace. It was visible from the road up until the felling of the first rotation of pines around 2000.



Regards Grandpamac.

One from the past.... how things were.

the year i left school , the next year i was up there on my way to the Horace Walker bivy

My first ever trip into the Tararuas back in 64, a couple of guys took a group of us from Wairarapa College for a weekend, leaving from the top of Norfolk Road.
Took us all day to get in.
The flying fox was memorable from the rocks thrown at you while you crossed.
In those days, I probably wore sand shoes or gum boots, I remember blisters on blisters.
Hut was painted as in this photo and there was a smaller locked storage shed next to it
Start of a lifestyle when I was younger.

Originally Posted by Bos

Attachment 137626
Attachment 137627

Heres another couple.
First one is what we used to call the Back hut on Ngamatea. Havent been back since 1976.
Second one is below the Makirkiri flats at the back of Mangohane

Top is Whites. Flew over Makirikiri many times. Lotsa animals at the back of the big M before Ruahine Corner.

Originally Posted by TeRei

Top is Whites. Flew over Makirikiri many times. Lotsa animals at the back of the big M before Ruahine Corner.

Whites the door frame is too low

Ask Bruce Bates.

Ruahine hut accommadation from the 70s to those in the know who can identify them.



In the photo the "flash hut" on the left is from the Southern Ruahines. The "dog box bivy" on the right is from the Northern Ruahines.
By memory the "flash hut" was in the Makaretu River and also by memory the other picture is of the Taruarau bivouac.

What's all that stuff inside the dog box? Is it all tucker??

Originally Posted by Shearer

Duleys Hut. (location classified). Think a Beech tree went through it a few years back? @GregD
Attachment 137159

Stumbling my way back to the road and ran into an old poly camp, someone said it was Duleys. My favourite sika hunting spot.

Originally Posted by northdude

Attachment 81554this one isnt there any more as far as i know either

Upper whakatane?

Black Hut
Totara valley in behind Ross on the West Coast

It's getting pretty rough because you can drive to it in a very long rough road.
But it gets you into some good country with four tracks in different directions in there and some great alpine hunting.

Wasn't sure why it was called Black Hut until the sun came out one afternoon I was there.
Black equals Mosquitoes
Millions of them

Had to pitch a tent inside the hut to sleep

Originally Posted by video hunter

Ruahine hut accommadation from the 70s to those in the know who can identify them.

Attachment 226456

In the photo the "flash hut" on the left is from the Southern Ruahines. The "dog box bivy" on the right is from the Northern Ruahines.
By memory the "flash hut" was in the Makaretu River and also by memory the other picture is of the Taruarau bivouac.

Didn't expect to see a primus 535 being used there! Nice stove, NZFS must have dumped a fair bit of gear in these huts.