Terrible Dunnies
Original post
Note that the huts discussion is just a bout finished so what about dodgy dunnys....the worst recent one i have seen and had to use was at Alpha Hut, and it.was a Norski Wilderness one,fibreglass ,green walls with transparent roof,absolute flies paradise!....this isnt a subject to discuss easily without someone getting offended by the sometimes graphic description of the state of some toilets but maybe just a brief description ,like the visit, will suffice
I don't mind what the dunny's like, as long as the doorway doesn't face the hut or path and has a nice view !
Oh yes, and has a coathook or nail !!
The hut book at Pinchgut Hut is so critical of the dunny, it makes you too scared to use it. When I 'go' there, I wonder what the fuss is about. As long as you're not being poked in the butt by someone else's offering or enduring splashback, it's not too full I reckon and by the looks of it, DoC is using this as the criterion.
When I visited Barker Hut(CMC) the door was no longer attached to the portaloo type dunny. Had a great view but a bit hard to "relax".
I think the newish wooden doc toilets would be more hygienic if the seats were supported slightly above the plywood base, to avoid contact with it.
In days gone by long drops where placed with humour and just a little whimsy i remember the old powell hut (early 70's) you had to partially climb around to the front which looked out at an uninterrupted view of the wairarapa great place to sit with the door open and a brilliant sunrise. These days they are sequested in dark and lonely places usually damp enough to attract more mold and facing away from anything of interest.
I remember in days long gone (late 60's early 70's)the Mitre Flats Long Drop. 3 sided, no door, corrugated iron sheets half sheet for what supposedly constituted a roof. A short walk from the hut and a bloody big rubbish pit along side it. With furry things that ran across your feet should you have the misfortune to have a need to go in the middle of the night. During the day you held out as long as possible so as to spend as little time as was necessary or you risked being carried off by the flies.
Not always, bigpaul. The relatively new Purity Hut in the Ruahines has a big window and a room with a view.
DoC and the Department of Building and Housing actually have a compliance code for hut building, which they consulted on back in 2008. http://www.dbh.govt.nz/consulting-backcountry-huts
Section F is all about the compliance requirements for toilets and grey water, and has lots of interesting stuff.
For instance, section 1.7.4(iii) states that "Windows, if provided, may be located in either the wall or door. Windows shall be non-opening and, if located in the wall, the window shall face either west or south."
So you can have a window facing the sunrise if it's in the door, but not if it's in the wall.
I had forgotten purity your write most salubrious. I just new there was a completely rediculous list of instructions for WC construction somewhere.
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| Forum | Tramping partners |
|---|---|
| Started by | OldGoat |
| On | 18 January 2012 |
| Replies | 23 |
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