Dunns Hut
(Dunns Hut looking up
to Tara Tama: Photo Andrew Buglass 2007)
Maintenance Status
Dunns Hut has been designated as minimal maintenance. The access
tracks to it from Mid Taipo Hut and from the Arahura via Newton Saddle are to be fully maintained.
Location
Taipo catchment. Map BV20. Grid Ref: E1471565/
N5256348. Altitude 705m.
Dunns Hut is located in Dunns
Creek basin in the Taipo
valley. The Hut is tucked against the forest edge next to an open marshy
area bordering the Creek. The headwaters of Dunns Creek
are ringed by the peaks
of the Campbell and Tara Tama Ranges. Below
the Hut Dunns Creek drops in a series of waterfalls through an
impassable gorge before flattening and flowing into the Taipo River.
Many of the Hut's visitors are
doing the Newton Saddle circuit to or from Newton
Creek
Hut in the Arahura. Dunns can be accessed in a reasonably short day from the Taipo roadend by an averagely fit party.
It has a wood stove and is a warm and comfortable. Dry firewood is often scarce in the montane forest
around the Hut, but small amounts of driftwood can be found in the Creek. A small tribe of weka
inhabit the area and provide constant entertainment.
Access
The officially maintained track to Dunns starts
downstream from Mid Taipo Hut on the TL of the Taipo.
Follow the river flats down and across Hura Creek. The track proper starts
on the bush edge at the end of the flat. It
climbs up a gut and over a low bush saddle into Dunns basin. Travel time to Dunns
from Mid Taipo is around two hours or 5-6 hours from Dillons Hut.
There is a quicker and more direct route to Dunns via an old
NZFS track on the TL of Dunns Creek. Marked as unmaintained on the topo map, it was
recut and marked by volunteers in 2007 and is a couple of hours shorter than the officially maintained route.
It should still be OK to follow. It is necessary to cross to the TL of the Taipo using either the cableway
upriver from Scottys Creek, or fording further upstream. There is a short section of track that climbs
steeply around a bluff on the TL if the cage is used. At normal river
levels it is quicker to continue up the TR past the cableway and ford the Taipo
upriver from Hunts Creek. There is usually a good ford at the top of one of the sets of rapids,
although this is clearly subject to change. Once on the TL, continue up the grassy flats to Dunns Creek.
Head up Dunns Creek keeping mostly to the TL, for around 45 minutes.
The old FS track starts on the TL riverbank around E1472550/ N5256433, just
upstream of a large slip, quite a way downstream from where it is marked on the topo map.
The Creek starts getting rough and gorgy just past the track entrance and
a rough trail from here along to a second
slip with a number of old dead-standing trees. Head up the slip for around 200m to a large boulder
with a cairn on top. The track entrance is on the bush edge on the bank just above this.
The track climbs steeply up a face onto
the ridge on the TL of the Dunns Creek gorge. It continues up the ridge
up for a bit before and sidling off it into
Dunns basin. The Hut is in against the bush on the hillside, a short distance upriver from where the track enters an
the marshy area.
Allow 2.5 - 3 hours from Dillons Hut to Dunns Hut.
Type
Dunns is a standard NZFS 4-bunk design built in the 1960's. An
open fire was removed fairly early on and replaced with a wood burner.
The Hut has had other modifications over the years, including being
lined and having a roof-fed water tank and toilet added.
Condition
Dunns was repainted and resealed,
and had some piles, a reasonable amount of the framing, the skylights,
and flue replaced in the summer of 2004. There is a joist missing
under the floor at the far end of the Hut and the floor is a bit spongy here.
Some of the framing and part of the seat bench in the toilet have started to rot out.
Routes
The maintained route to
Newton Creek Hut is up the TR
upper branch of
Dunns Creek and over
Newton Saddle. The short sections of track through the scrub and around
the rougher bits of the Creek were recently recut by DOC.
The sections above the bushline on both sides of the Saddle are snow-poled.
Allow five hours for the crossing in good conditions.
A traverse of Mt. Eidelweiss from Dunns Saddle to Newton Saddle makes for an
interesting day-trip in good conditions. Travel up the TL branch of Dunns Creek to Dunns Saddle is relatively easy,
although there is some avalanche danger from Tara Tama after heavy snowfalls. Accessing Newton Creek Hut
via Dunns Saddle is a less practical option
than the Newton Saddle route. The drop-off into Newton Creek is down a steep narrow rock gut and
it is then neccessary to follow the Creek down through an untracked
section of montane forest to the Hut. Passage through the forest is easier on the TR.
It is possible to traverse the Tara Tama Range to Scottys Biv.
Access onto Tara Tama is via an open creek gut on the
TL of Dunns Creek 20 minutes upstream from the Hut (at E1471065/ N5256463).
This is an active avalanche chute after heavy snowfalls, but otherwise provides direct and
easy travel. It is a straightforward rock scramble along the summit ridge
of Tara Tama, follwed by open tussock travel along the main Range to Scottys Saddle.
From the flat bench just past the Saddle it is an easy 15 minute drop down
the tussock faces to the Biv, which is visible for most of the traverse.
To access Scottys from Dunns Saddle
head North over the first small knob, then sidle off the main ridge
and across the large
scree that drops from the NW shoulder of the low peak of Tara Tama. Climb up
the scree to the low peak and continue from here along the Tara Tama Range to Scottys Saddle.
Ice axes and crampons may be necessary in winter and spring on this route.
The above routes would also get you to
Griffin
Creek Hut in a reasonable day from Dunns Hut. Drop into Griffin Creek from the unnamed saddle 200m South of
Scottys Saddle. From the cairn at the top drop down the steep scree into the creek below.
There is a waterfall in the alpine scrub zone with a short section of track
around it on the TR. The first bit of this track where it leaves the creek is a tad exposed. Below the fall the
the creek is steep, but reasonable travel. It flattens a short distance before it meets Griffin Creek. The
Griffin track crosses the creek just above the confluence. Head upriver from her for 15 minutes and you're at the Hut.
Repairs
The missing floor joist needs replacing along with
the rotten studs and seat planks in the toilet. DOC
had programmed repairs for Dunns over the 2010/ 11 season and knew about the
joist. No information is available as to whether this was done.
Provisions
on Site
Two shovels, an axe, an aluminium basin, a broom and the ubiquitous DOC
hearth brush and shovel.
