Huts

 

Polluck Creek Hut

Polluck Creek Hut

(Polluck Creek Hut: Photo DOC 2003/ 4)

Maintenance status

Polluck Creek Hut is also known as Little Waitaha, Kakapotahi and Happy Valley Hut. It is designated as minimal maintenance. DOC aren't officially maintaining any of the pre-existing NZFS tracks in this catchment.

Location

Kakapotahi catchment: Grid Ref: E1422742/ N5229773. Map BV18. Altitude 295m. Polluck Creek is a bit of a rarity in being a low-use roadend hut. As such it remains relatively undamaged by the hoon activity that tends to plague such huts in higher use areas. Polluck Hut is located on a wedge of low river terrace just up from the Polluck Creek - Kakapotahi River confluence. It is the only hut in this small, multi-branched catchment that drains the Hitchen Range and Dickie Ridge. Most of its branches are rough and steep, with numerous waterfalls. Polluck Hut is a minimal effort overnighter, mostly used by hunters, but also has potential as a starting point for high-level trips into the Waitaha and Mikonui valleys.

Access

Access to Polluck Creek is via an old Forestry road that turns off SH 6 on a rise just South of the Kakapotahi River bridge. There is a locked gate on this road 4km from the Hut. It is necessary to walk from here to the River, around 15 mintutes from the Hut. Follow the the river flats from the roadend and ford where convienient to the TR. This is not difficult at normal river flows.

Pollock Hut can also be accessed from the Mikonui valley from the Dickie Spur track and Turan Pass. The track from Mikonui Flat was recut in March 2007 and starts in scattered scrub on the grassy flat 200m SE of Mikonui Flat Hut. It enters the bush and climbs steeply over a wedge of terrace into the Tuke River, avoiding a small gorge. The track crosses the footbridge at the mouth of the gorge (E1426960/ N5233523, not 7045/ 3373 as marked on the map) and continues upriver on the TL left towards Turan Creek. This section of the Tuke blew out in a flood some years back and it is quicker at normal river flows to ford above the bridge and head straight up the river bed.

There is a bluff on the TL of the Tuke about 100m downstream from Turan Creek. The track turns uphill and climbing steeply onto the TL terrace of Turan Creek. It sidles (higher than marked on the map) around to Turan Pass. The Polluck Creek turn-off is marked on the map as being further down Pollock Creek than it actually is. The old track down to the Kakapotahi will be overgrown now, but should be OK to follow, and pretty much follows Polluck Creek. Allow 2-3 hours from Mikonui Flat Hut To Polluck Hut.

Type

Polluck Hut is a standard six-bunk NZFS design built in the 1960's. It has an open fire and is lined.

Condition

DOC painted the Hut's interior and exterior, and resealed and did roof repairs over the Summer of 2003/4.

Routes

Dickie Spur Hut can be accessed via Polluck Creek and Turan Pass. The route up Polluck Creek is a mix of overgrown track and open creek travel. It connects with the maintained track from Mikonui Flat Hut to Dickie Spur at Turan Pass. From here it is a reasonably steep climb up onto Dickie Spur. There is a fair bit of windthrow at the bottom of the climb from the winter storms of 2008 that needs to be skirted. The track connects with a side ridge of the Dickie Range in the alpine zone and flattens somewhat. Continue from here up the spur through alpine scrub and open tussock patches to the turnoff to the Hut around the 1200m mark. A trail marked with scattered wooden stakes leads down a side spur to the Hut.

An old tops track up onto Dickie Ridge behind Polluck Hut has not been maintained for 30+ years and at last report had vanished in the scrub zone.

There is a route marked on the old NZFS maps onto Mt. Allen and the Hitchen Range via Slip Creek. Slip Creek enters the Kakapotahi at E1449502/ N5233347 and provides access to Swandri Spur and spot height 1291m. We don't have any recent information on the viability, of this route.

Some steep exposed sections on the Hitchen Range between Mt. Allen and Mt. Hitchin can be avoided by dropping East off the col between spot heights 1385m and 1585m. Head down to the junction of the two upper forks of Isobel Creek and up the ridge on the TR of the TR upper fork. Continue directly from here to Ridland Saddle. It is possible but not particularly easy to drop down Chainman Creek into the Waitaha. The alternative is to continue along the tops to a saddle West of Ragged Peak (E1424995/ N5224187) and drop from here into the top Waitaha basin. Once in the basin proper it is an easy stroll to Top Waitaha Hut.

Repairs needed

Unknown.

Provisions on Site:

Unknown.

 

This site is provided by OnlineGroups.Net, where you can start your own free online groups site, using the open source web-based mailing list manager GroupServer.