Thread: Old huts

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.


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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.

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.


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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.


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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

In the 1980s, took my boat down to Waikaremoana one roar, and camped on a beach under Panekiri. Poking around the lake edge in the boat, and I followed a smallish stream up which spilled into the lake. Pushed through some thickish growth overhanging the stream, and lo and behold, found a small jetty built of manuka stakes. A ladder led from the water up to the jetty decking. From the jetty, we spotted a neat little hut complete with a pot belly stove and a couple of bunks. As it was cold, we shifted camp and moved in to the hut. When my mate asked what would happen if the owner arrived while we were there, I said we'd ask if he had a permit and resource consent for the structure.....
Came home with 2 good stags, shot metres from the lake edge (and boat!). Fookin' luxury!

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.

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

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Originally Posted by Lucky

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A great thread. Thanks guys.

johnd,s original post in Jan 18 kicking off this thread.Pretty sure the first happy snap is of the NZFS Jam Hut in Jam Stream,T.R. Clarence Blk. The background steep weetbix country should jog memories

This is the original Ruahine Corner Hut when i first went there must have been late 1970s.
You can see frame for new hut nearby, this a photo of my original so date not correct