Thread: Westies Hut,South Coast

Hatching a plan latter on in the year to boat the Wairauhiri.Then next day shank's pony around to Westies Hut via Waitutu Hut in one big day.Anyone advise whether it's doable leaving @ sparrow fart to hit Westies on dark?Gunna be around the shortest day of the year,or am I best to tai ho @ Waitutu Hut for the 1st leg.Time to Westies head down arse up non stop?? Time to Waitutu Hut??.cheers

To the top @Nathan F any local Intel from your neck of the woods?

I'll ask a mate of mine. He did this track about 2 years ago.

Assuming you would leave from garden bay?
You would certainly need to pick your weather and be competent at crossing a bar at Wairauhiri.
The bar at Waitutu is a bit more mellow so could boat to there then walk around to westies. The Slaughterburn is worth checking our to. Primo valley

Yeah nar as Ive said in post#1 will be boating the Wairauhiri from Hauroko launch ramp to the mouth then hoofing it from there so no bar crossings of Wairauhiri or Waitutu.Just using the coastal track from Wairauhiri Lodge to Westies.Dont know where Garden Bay is?? Hauroko?.I know Teal Bay ,but not Garden Bay

Originally Posted by bluebaiter222

To the top @Nathan F any local Intel from your neck of the woods?

Sorry I’m no help with that part of the park. Only ever looked at that area on the map.

Originally Posted by bluebaiter222

Yeah nar as Ive said in post#1 will be boating the Wairauhiri from Hauroko launch ramp to the mouth then hoofing it from there so no bar crossings of Wairauhiri or Waitutu.Just using the coastal track from Wairauhiri Lodge to Westies.Dont know where Garden Bay is?? Hauroko?.I know Teal Bay ,but not Garden Bay

I figured boating "to" Wairauhiri would mean along the coast rather than "down" the Wairauhiri.
Anyways, that track can be very wet and muddy. Last time I boated the coast a couple of friends walked from the Wairauhiri to the Waitut and took close to 6 hours from memory

Heard from my mate, he did it over 2 days and said it took him 13 hours total walking time. He said it would be a big day but could be done.

Cheers @RUMPY for the feed back .Mid winter trip so will O/nite @ the Ytute Hut,then westward ho the following day.Thanx

Check the DOC website for walking tracks in Southland , gives you times from Wairauhiri to Waitutu to Westies , you would need a good head lamp to do it in one day in the middle of winter .
Spent years hunting around that area .

Hi guys ........ When we talk about Westies hut do mean his hut inside the cave.

Yip the late Owen West's hut

BB222...... That's great, stayed with Owen a few times when doing a couple of pushes through to Cromarty in the 90's, following the telephone line. Also there was a punga hut on the true right of Big River when you dropped down to BR ,to left where you dropped down, there were the remains of some concrete sort of building. Also remember a character looking after some tourist building went by the name of Peanut on the river that drained Lake Hauroko.

I believe Penut is no long with us. Was a real character!
I've been mean to check out big river

Was Peanut the previous caretaker of the Rakiura's Ytute Lodge?Tallish wirey streak of a joker?Pakeha looking but may have been a member of the tribe