Greys Hut

(Greys Hut: Photo Phillip Collyns 2009)

Maintenance Status

Greys exact maintenance status is unknown at the moment, although it is unlikely to be fully maintain. DOC Karamea originally intended stopping maintenance, but pressure from the Locals resulted in them agreeing to carry out two-yearly maintenance, although at what level remains to be seen.

Location

Karamea catchment. Map BQ22. Grid Ref: E1539304/ N5434543. Altitude 85m. Greys Hut is located on a bush terrace on the Karamea River, 1-2 hours above the Karamea Gorge. It sits within the Kahurangi National Park boundary, and is a low-use hut visited predominantly by kayakers, and the odd hunter or angler. The hutbook is an NZFS one dating from 1987 and doesn't have a lot of entries. The forest around the Hut is predominantly beech and hardwood.

Access

Greys Hut is accessed up the TR of the Karamea River. The farmer at the roadend is currently prohibiting access across his land to the start of the track. There is an alternative tracked route along the River, but this takes an extra hour. The route proper is a mix of track and river travel and the section through gorge requires flows to be normal or low. Just past Old Man Rock is a short section where a safety chain has been removed and packs may need to be thrown across. Further up a gully full of windthrow needs to be negotiated. The mix of river and track travel continues with occasional large boulders. The sections of track tend to go up over headlands on the river bends. Just prior to the Hut the track crosses a helipad.

There is river access for kayaks or rafts down to Greys from the Karamea Bend.

Type

Greys is a standard six-bunk NZFS design with open fire. There are mattresses and spring bunks.

Condition

Greys was in good condition at last report in 2009.

Routes

There are a number of routes to Greys from the Tasman Wilderness area and Kahurangi National Park via the upper Karamea and its tributaries. All of These require high levels of fitness, bushcraft and navigation skills. Phillip Collyns mentions a trip over Bald Knob from the Ugly River (so-named because of the hordes of sandflies there) and down Greys Stream to the Karamea River. There is a headland just upstream of the Hut that you have to bash over if coming downriver.

There is mention in the Greys hutbook of an old track from Kakapo Stream up the TR of the valley, but only one account of anyone coming up this way in the 22 years that the book covers.

Repairs needed

Nil at last report (2009).

Provisions on site

A broom, a dustpan and shovel, and maybe an axe.