Thread: Old huts

Originally Posted by Shootm

Here’s one for you guys. The old Manson hut.

Attachment 125775
Attachment 125776

Interesting pic with Dick Hart slashed into the woodwork,,was a culler of course and now Jason his son is running a goat culling crew around the country. Some of you North dudes probably know him,nice bloke and damn good at his job.
Just out of interest Jason is also our Secretary for the NZ Deer cullers Inc.

Originally Posted by doinit

Just out of interest Jason is also our Secretary for the NZ Deer cullers Inc.

Would I be correct in saying that Jim Davis once held the position of secretary? Jim was my uncle.

Originally Posted by Mathias

Would I be correct in saying that Jim Davis once held the position of secretary? Jim was my uncle.

Jim was the editor back down the line Mathias

Originally Posted by doinit

Jim was the editor back down the line Mathias

Ah thats right, he did your magazine. I recall seeing a few copies at his place in Wanaka.

I hadnt seen this thread before. I used to hunt a lot from Pukeroa through Central Whirinaki, Te Taumutu, Upper Whirinaki and Plateau during the mid 1960"s. Cullers were still in Kaingaroa in those days but I liked Central- Te taumutu ( which I nicknamed christmas creek), which used to be like parkland then. Nothing left of Pukeroa now but I noticed a bivvy on the edge toward old hautapu site on the bush edge a couple of years ago. Ive been wondeting if it can be legally driven to during fire season on the old pukeroa road. ( My knees are pretty buggered to walk far these days.

Originally Posted by Woody

I hadnt seen this thread before. I used to hunt a lot from Pukeroa through Central Whirinaki, Te Taumutu, Upper Whirinaki and Plateau during the mid 1960"s. Cullers were still in Kaingaroa in those days but I liked Central- Te taumutu ( which I nicknamed christmas creek), which used to be like parkland then. Nothing left of Pukeroa now but I noticed a bivvy on the edge toward old hautapu site on the bush edge a couple of years ago. Ive been wondeting if it can be legally driven to during fire season on the old pukeroa road. ( My knees are pretty buggered to walk far these days.

@Danny should be able to point you in the right direction, haven't been there for 45 years.

Originally Posted by tetawa

@Danny should be able to point you in the right direction, haven't been there for 45 years.

Yep the road is still accessible as long as you obviously come via Waipunga or South Rds. The Waipunga end in best to access those spots as the Pukeroa end has deliberately been left (Douglas fur overgrown) and the roads aren’t flash... not like the old days in my Grandfathers Toyota Corona - 60kms around corners looking for deer and rabbits. He was a mad but likeable bugger.
It’s quite a maze through there these days as it’s all been cutover and it looks a way different year to year but it’s great to get to those spots. I tent by the old Hautapu hut, not because it’s nice because it ain’t! but because it has some lovely memories for me and no doubt way more for you old as buggers
The Forest is open soon (hopefully) so that cuts an hour off the drive through to those iconic spots.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by Danny

Yep the road is still accessible as long as you obviously come via Waipunga or South Rds. The Waipunga end in best to access those spots as the Pukeroa end has deliberately been left (Douglas fur overgrown) and the roads aren’t flash... not like the old days in my Grandfathers Toyota Corona - 60kms around corners looking for deer and rabbits. He was a mad but likeable bugger.
It’s quite a maze through there these days as it’s all been cutover and it looks a way different year to year but it’s great to get to those spots. I tent by the old Hautapu hut, not because it’s nice because it ain’t! but because it has some lovely memories for me and no doubt way more for you old as buggers
The Forest is open soon (hopefully) so that cuts an hour off the drive through to those iconic spots.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

When all the "crap" is over, need to do a trip over there, many great memories but know it won't be the same.

Originally Posted by tetawa

When all the "crap" is over, need to do a trip over there, many great memories but know it won't be the same.

That’ll be good mate.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Came across this dero hut a couple of years ago. A bit of love and it would be good again!

Concrete fire place even. Time to adopt it I think.

Felt old reading this thread , couldn’t tell you how many times I walked past or stayed in Te Iringa Hut and I don’t have one picture of it , old pic here of Waipunga , and a new one to recognise that is now gone

Tribute to a true outsider Westies hut , Southland . LOOK IT UP ON GOOGLE ,it's a great read ..
After living in his hut at Prices Harbour for around eight years, Westy left to 'hutsit' for extended periods in other huts along the South Coast. His last one was a private hut at Te Wae Wae Bay before retiring around age 70 to live back in Invercargill, where his daughter, 'Burt' lived.

When DOC got wind Westies 'private and unlicensed' hut had been abandoned, they began making plans to demolish it. If outdoor enthusiasts (and helicopter pilot) Cliff and Ann McDermott of Invercargill hadn't put in an 11th hour bid to save it in July 2007, offering to upgrade it at their own expense, DOC would have gone in and torn it down, burn what they could on a big bonfire on the beach and haul out the non-burnables by helicopter.

McDermott's application to bring the hut up to DOC standards required first a geologists report to make sure the cave was actually safe from potential rockfalls. The final report listed many changes to the hut, like removing the wood range which was in a bad state or repair.

Westy had gone to great lengths to seal the buildings from draughts, using left over rolls of wallpaper to line the walls and ceilings. Acknowledging that some compromise had to be made for a hut that could provide emergency shelter along an exposed coast, DOC relented to retaining the flammable wallpaper which gives this structure an absolutely unique protective feeling. Quite possibly the only fully wallpapered back country hut in all New Zealand!

RIP Westy, a real legend.

Every hunter in NZ should know this one. Sitting on the bunk in here gave me a warm feeling of being at home. Highly recommend visiting while it's still there, complete with all the names in pencil underneath the bunk posts. Prices Flat hut Whitcombe River.

Originally Posted by K95

Every hunter in NZ should know this one. Sitting on the bunk in here gave me a warm feeling of being at home. Highly recommend visiting while it's still there, complete with all the names in pencil underneath the bunk posts. Prices Flat hut Whitcombe River.

Attachment 136855

Never stayed in it but have shot deer right out front of it

Sent from my SM-T510 using Tapatalk