That building law was supposedly fixed a couple of years ago, with some urgency after the problem was discovered, to take special account of back-country hut situations and not require fewer bunks with only one exit.
There was at least one report in a Listener article (see http://www.listener.co.nz/current-affairs/ecologic/whats-up-doc-4/ ) about a hut in the Kahurangis that had a bunk removed to meet fire regulations, but I don't personally know of any others. There's heaps of loosely documented rumour spreading though, which I've helped contribute to in the past. Much of this stuff doesn't get widely published except to those in local areas, which can make it hard to track down and reference from outside DoC.
The 6th bunk in Cattle Ridge hut was removed by a NZFS carpenter in 1974. He was told to do this by a senior FS official who did not want trampers and other hunters taking up room in a hut that was specifically built for Wild animal control staff ie Deer culler .
No other 6 bunk huts ,in the Tararuas, have had bunks removed . The only hut to have sleeping space/platform /maori bunk removed was Smith Ck and that only happened because it was going to cost a small fortune to upgrade the place to DOC HUT standards.That is why it is now a shelter.
Smiths always was a shelter but seeing how the top bunk was attached Im not surprised it was taken out. A dozen 4 inch nails is perfectly fine for holding up a bunk that can sleep 12 but not with the twelve on it. Ive slept in there more than once when involved with scouts and probably hold the record time for a trip out of the due to one little (cant say that) at 7 hours and I carried his pack most of it.
you couldnt upgrade smiths if you wanted to unless you had a resident hut warden, smiths replaced tauherenikau hut but too many people trashed the hut hence they reverted to a shelter to try and reduce the no of vandals staying there....
Alot of protected historic trust buildings in urban environments have had many alterations on the insides, but the facades are still original, as is Cattle Ridge, spruce up the outside to an original state, not hard to do, clean the insides to OSH standards and protect it, bobs your uncle .
Smith Ck is nasty . The camping flats nearby are beaut . Smith Ck is a nice place to shelter from rain or have a quick cuppa . It will probably go the way of old Dobson's .
Its strange Atiwhakatu is just as close to the road end, but treated much better, same with Roaring stag . Maybe if Smith Ck got a new hut like Atiwhakatu, it would be treated better .
One possible difference with Atiwhakatu is that there's a DoC ranger at the Holdsworth road-end, which is the most likely access point for any potential vandals.
Smith Ck was the first "hut" built in the Tararuas ,built by the Ministry of Works ,it was situated at the junction of Smith Ck and the Tauwharenikau R ,on the south side.I used it many times as a youngster for hunting in the area.
Tauherenikau Hut was some half hour up river ,at the end of an open manuka patch called "the cricket pitch". Joe Gibbs lived most of his later life at this hut.
Smiths became a lean to shelter (where the first hut was built)then this shelter was demolished and the existing shelter was built on the site where it is now after the two Tauherinikau huts were destroyed by flood erosion and then fire.
Further to Atiwhakatu's main access point being a well-serviced road-end with a DoC ranger, Smith Creek Shelter's main access point is the dead-end Kaitoke car-park, which is very accessible to the Hutt Valley population, and isn't a stranger to people burning out their cars.
and isn't a stranger to people burning out their cars.
Whos cars? Not very often is it there own.
I was part of wgtn tramping club when smiths was built and helped carry the concrete blocks in. It wouldnt of taken much to make it a nice hut. We took a concrete mixer in with us over that track
I recovered quite a few burnt out cars from the top carpark at Kaitoke over the years , the majority were "stolen" in the Hutt Valley ,taken in convoy to the upper car park and driven to destruction and then set alight. Several trampers vehicles were broken into ,and the DOC engineer had his vehicle entered while doing structure inspections , over a period of years.Havnt heard of any tramper/hunter vehicles being burnt though.
I suggested to DOC management a few years ago that we close the road at the cattle stop at the bottom (the road has deteriorated to the point where its barely economic to fix it)and negotiate an agreement with the YMCA so that for a gold coin park users could leave their vehicles at a convenient parking area near the hostel for a few days.
But the suggestion fell on deaf ears.
Park users can still leave vehicles at the YMCA , for a 'Koha".
Also Smith Creek Hut 1, was built by the Public Works in 1902 and was demolished by a large tree in 1955.
The maori bunk that was in the existing Smith Ck shelter was held in place very securely with bracing and plenty of nails. It took three of us nearly all morning to dismantle it and a couple of lifts by helicopter to get rid of all the timber.It was very well secured and would not have collapsed at any time.
