Im interested to know how many NZFS huts were originally built in the 60's/70s in the kaimai ranges?
There are only 5 remaining now, they are the Puketutu hut, Motutapere Hut, hurunui hut, mangamuka hut and the Kauritatahi hut.
I have just come across this link here
http://www.keithblayney.com/Kaimai/K12_31.html
According to the description this was called the Upper Waitawheta Hut, i dont know where its exact location was, and guess it has since gone years ago, i was also told there was a large 12 bunker style hut close to the newly built Waitawheta hut and apparently there was a hut that was removed near dickies flat?
Either way, ive only been doing some serious tramping over the last couple of years and have sadly never had the opportunity to visit all these places, i understand there was a hut on Mt Te Aroha that was removed in 2005, and a hut called the mangakino hut that burnt down (i think this was the one near the leyland o brien tramline that my mates told me about) And apparently at the helipad neat Wairere falls, there used to be a hut there once too.
There were at least two other 12 bunker huts i believe that burned down too, such as this one here http://www.keithblayney.com/Kaimai/K12_06.html
Either way, im happy to see the remaining 5 preserved, and i hope we eventually see some more huts placed back in such strategic locations to allow hunters/trampers to get better access to the north/south track and allow them to stay in a hut each night along the way.
If anyone has photos ot any of the old huts, id be keen to see them, i have personally bumped into a DOC worker who used to work for the NZFS back in the 70's who actually was responsible for helping build all these huts for goat control work back in the 70's
I know that there are lots of bivvys and smaller huts such as salvation that are scattered about the kaimais. Haven't been to salvation yet....
Would be keen to see photos of some of the other privately built bivies around the Kaimais.
I have been told by a mate that he knows some hunters who have built one near the Leyland O'Brien Tramline on the way down from hurunui hut, apparently its quite flash.
I should see if i can find it one of these days, next time im going past, apparently its not far off the track.
The second link is to Waitengaue Hut. The Waikato Tramping Club has the following link. Several of our members have some great stories from days spent at this hut.
http://wtc.org.nz/content.asp?id=about
