Hi all. What are some great open fireplace huts in the South Island?
Just spent a night with a couple of trampers I met in Shallow Bay hut. I could easily live there!
The musterers' huts are sometimes set up really well with standing grates and an assortment in lengths and positioning of nicely sliding and solid billy hooks. However you get a bigger bang for your buck with the woodburners as far as conserving firewood and keeping the hut warm goes.
Of course it is far quicker to cook on an open fire, especially boiling water and rice or pasta. I wrote on this site one time how Frank and I arrived at the Mid-Styx hut without a stove (mea culpa) but within 40 minutes I had the meal and hot drinks served.
Another time Frank and I went in to the Trust Poulter hut and I was an hour ahead. He really copped the rain. It was even in his front pocket of his anorak...but I had a raging fire and hot drink to give him as he stepped through the door.
Thanks Honora. That's great! I know the burners are more efficient, but there's something nice about an open fire. :)
I just finished Kepler, Milford and Glenorchy side of Routeburn. That up and back was NUTS! Crazy-deep snow, Harris Saddle impassable, massive trees down all over the track (and on my car, as it turned out).
Brilliant adventure!
Splugeons Hut in the Leslie/Karamea is great as, not only does it have an open fire, but the whole front wall is canvas which rolls up to give a grand view. A great way to spend an evening if the weather is fine.
https://tramper.nz/4160/splugeons-rock-shelter/
Wow! Cheers Deep! That looks brilliant! Bit far from where I am for this weekend, but DEFINITELY on the list!
Mid Styx is one reasonably close to home for you.
http://remotehuts.co.nz/huts/styx/
Meg Hut from the Cardrona Valley:
http://www.topomap.co.nz/NZTopoMap?v=2&ll=-44.915968,169.042334&z=14
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bu1U0oXnSPI/UKSO6fTRInI/AAAAAAAAKwA/Ac7Aw3byMfQ/s1600/P1090854.JPG
Pretty fond of Boundary Creek Hut which has a nice open fireplace. Built on river stones which puts out a good heat. Just a woeful lack of firewood which has led to a persistent hacking up of the only living trees nearby. With a little foraging further afield there is plenty of old dead matagouri but means walking a wee ways.
Take your own hand saw. The supplied one is a blunt mitre saw.
https://tramper.nz/files/objectversions/25548/boundary-creek-hut.jpg
Flora hut in Kahurangi NP has TWO open fireplaces.
We (Nelson Tramping club) thought about installing enclosed wood burners for efficiency, but DOC said there are very few places left where families can experience an open fire and wanted them left as open fires.
https://tramper.nz/16196/
I think thats great that DOC are actually happy to keep the open fires in alot of the huts.
I know in our area, that locals have installed a woodburner in one of the existing huts in the kaimais that never had any sort of fire and the locals have a givealittle page to fund helicopter drops of firewood.
From what a friend told me, they actually have also delivered firewood to the other huts that have open fires up there, which is awesome, as its near impossible to find dry firewood.
