Kime Hut is up for replacement this year(or the process will start this year, as it takes approx 4-5 months to get all the consents,AEE,plans , site sorted).
I would urge every person who has used this hut to have a good hard think about where the new hut should be sited based on their experience.
My own feelings are that the new hut should be near where the old Vosseler Hut was near Bridge Peak(the NZ Forest Service in their wisdom removed this hut because they thought it was to close to Kime Hut)so that those climbing from Fields Hut have less distance to gain shelter if the weather turns nasty(or is nasty ,as it usually is ).
Another strong argument for this site is its proximity to the track junction to the Main Range.
There have been several fatalities in the area surrounding Kime , and one can only speculate that if the old Vosseler Hut was still in existance , that the latest accident in 2011 may never have happened.
Was there another serious accident in 2011? The last death I remember in that area was Seddon Bennington and Marcella Jackson, but that was July 2009.
No not 2011...just making sure everyone is paying attention
I recall Vosseler Hut in the 70s was derelict, I guess it was demolished when Kime was rebuilt in 78.
I agree that Vosseler is the more logical site. Bennington and Jackson would probably have survived if it was still there. Apparently they had diverted at Bridge Peak off along the Main Range and hunkered down in a hollow overnight, some 800m along that route. Jackson's body was found there and Bennington was 300m away, back up towards Bridge Peak. The Coroner concluded he died trying to get out to Field Hut the next day.
So in fact, Kime was a 'hut too far" in those -20C extreme conditions.
My 1972 map puts Vosseler Hut in the headwaters of the Hector River to the immediate south-east of the actual Bridge Peak junction, so with a decent set of poles leading there, Bennington and Jackson would certainly have found that hut.
I understand the Kime site was originally selected because that basin is good for skiing, and a ski club operated there before the war. So that reason is no longer valid. Also, Kime can be bloody hard to find in white-out conditions. And Vosseler would be right on the junction, so you wouldn't have to back-track when doing the Tararua Peaks circuit.
Whatever hut they decide to build, I reckon it needs gas. And a better design than Maungahuka.
Arguably they would likely have survived if they'd done any of many things differently, but to be fair I guess that's how it works. Usually there have to be many mistakes, decisions and coincidences combining to make a serious incident, and it's true that having a hut placed more strategically for safety is just another of those possible things.
Incidentally if anyone wants a copy of that coroner's report, flick me an email (mike at windy dot gen dot nz) and I'll email you an electronic copy. It's public info and I requested it from the coroner's office a while back and scanned it, but didn't want to post it publicly as I figured there's a reason why the office probably hadn't done so already. Personally I think the coroner missed some important things in the interpretation of events, but there are some reasonably good details in the report of what's actually believed to have happened.
Good insulation and probably gas would seem to make a lot of sense given the current Kime's reputation.
Kime was a bad design with the high roof in the main area, very hard to keep warm in winter, one of the coldest places ive ever been in in winter...
the sleeping area should be seperated of from the main area, to make smaller areas easier to keep warm...
no heating as well makes it very hard to keep warm.
Powell Hut did have gas heating but it proved to be an absolute disaster, a solid fuel multi burner is now fitted.
To keep a hut like Kime warm it will need a solid fuel fire , not gas, and coal and wood supplied by helicopter.
We've been staying in some of the new 2 bunk bivs in winter which are well insulated e.g. Pfeiffer Biv. They're not too bad even though there's no form of heating but I bring both duvet jackets to wear.
From what I hear though, the Tararuas would be colder!
I agree that the Bridge Peak area is a better fit. This is my favourite area when I am 'home' visiting and hope to be up there in the next couple of weeks. Apart from having good insulation and ventilation I wonder if wood and coal isn't better than gas? I really appreciate that supplied in Kaimanawa forest park. It would be good in Blyth as well to save the surrounding bush. But then I still hanker after the days of sitting around an open fire with a billy hanging over it!