Remote Huts Westland

(Newton Biv in 2004 just prior to painting and repairs, looking East along the Newton Range: Photo Andrew Buglass)

Origins Of The Site

This site profiles 50 high-country huts and bivouacs located on the western side of New Zealand's Southern Alps. Its aim is to help promote their preservation and continued maintenance, and to provide up-to-date details on hut, track and route conditions. An online group called Permolat has been established in conjunction with the site to coordinate the efforts of remote hut users involved in hands-on activities, and for information sharing. The site focuses principally on structures that are being minimally maintained by the Department of Conservation, or fully maintained by community groups. 

The huts and bivvies were built  by the New Zealand Forest Service from the 1950's - 70's primarily for animal control purposes. DOC took over their management in the mid 80's under a far more stringent funding regime, resulting in two decades of minimal or zero maintenance for many of the structures. Some one-off Government funding in 2003 allowed considerable deferred maintenance to take place, but unfortunately by this time, many of the huts were very run-down, and access tracks had overgrown or vanished. At the same time DOC undertook a review of high-country resources, which resulted in some of the more delapidated and/ or seldom used huts and bridges being designated for removal. 

A core group of high-country recreationalists continued to use and derive great pleasure from these huts and bivs through the years of neglect, and are passionate advocates for their retention. The structures are considered to be an integral part of our collective cultural and recreational heritage. They provide opportunities for wilderness experience and solitude, and an alternative to better resourced, but more crowded national parks and great walks. This group accepts that full Government funding for these resources is unrealistic, and is more than willing to share or take on the maintenance role.

DOC administers around 60 huts and bivs in Westland from the Buller to the Haast River. The three maintenance categories are, "fully maintain," "minimally maintain," and "maintain by community." The Permolat group has maintain by community agreements with DOC for one hut and one bivouac, both originally designated for removal, with proposals pending for two more bivs. The structures profiled on this site are mostly in the central Westland area. Most are in the "minimal maintenance" category, and as such are at-risk over the long term of deterioration and removal. The "fully maintain" huts on the site are not at-risk in the short-medium term, but reamain vulnerable over the longer term to bureaucratic whims and policy changes.

On the Remote Huts Westland Website

• Background information About Remote Huts Westland
• Information about Huts.
• Jargon used on the Remote Huts website
• Links to other resources

Contact

The contact for feedback, hut and track updates, or corrections is Andrew Buglass.

Permolat

Permolat is an online group for those interested in hands-on involvement in the preservation of remote huts. There are around 100 members currently from diverse backgrounds living in New Zealand and beyond. If you are interested in joining, or want to find out more, contact Andrew Buglass .