Yeats Ridge Hut
Looking down the Toaroha from the tops above Yeats Ridge.
Maintenance Status
Permolat started taking an interest in Yeats Ridge Hut after the Department of Conservation designated it as minimal maintenance in 2004. The track up to it from the Toaroha valley has been volunteer maintained since around that time as well, with Liz Wightwick and friends currently taking a lead role. In 2014 a water tank was installed as part of a Permolat/ DOC collaboration and in 2016 Paul Reid of Permolat received some High-Country Consortium funding to carry out additional maintenance. In February 2024 Back Country Trust carpenters assisted by members of the Peninsula Tramping Club completed outstanding work that needed doing. The project was made possible by a bequeath from the late Leo Maunders of the Club, who was a keen remote tramper. BCT generously agreed to match the bequest amount. In March this year with BCT and DOC support Liz flew a group in to finish the work, install a thunderbox loo, and do a bit of trackwork
Location
Toaroha catchment. Map BV19. Grid Ref: E1449075/ N5239244 (BV19 491 392). Altitude 970m. Yeats Ridge Hut is located on a flat section of ridge dividing the Zit Creek and Toaroha catchments. The surrounds are alpine peat bog with scattered scrub and open patches of tussock with views out over the Toaroha valley. Yeats can be done as an overnighter from the Toaroha roadend, or day trip from Cedar Flat Hut down in the main valley. Access from Yeats onto the Toaroha Range is relatively straightforward and there are good tops routes to a number of other remote huts and bivs in the area. Visits have increased markedly, passing the 30 per year mark due to the growing interest in the longer alpine circuits, and a loop incorporating Crystal Biv.
Access
The Yeats Ridge track turns off from the Top Toaroha track on the TL of Zit Creek, 30 minutes up the valley from Cedar Flat Hut. Zit Creek can be difficult or uncrossable after heavy rain. The track climbs from the turnoff onto a terrace, follows this briefly, then climbs again, very steeply, up the lower bush faces of Yeats Ridge. It flattens briefly in the montane zone, then climbs again through the sub-alpine zone to a flat bench with open tussock patches and tarns at 940m. This is followed for just under a kilometre, to a low scrubby rib that is crossed to reach the Hut. The open sections are marked by wooden stakes, poles, and permolat. The top end of the track was trimmed by Liz and friends in March 2025. Indy Hawthorne and Sam Holt had previously cleared some of the larger windthrow further down. Allow 2-2.5 hours to Yeats Hut from Cedar Flat Hut, or 6-7 hours from the Toaroha roadend.
Type
Yeats Hut is a New Zealand Forest Service S81 four-bunk design built in 1960. Bill Johnson helped with the building. The cupboard alcoves were removed at some point to create more space, and the bunks realigned along one wall. Yeats has no fireplace, woodburner, or toilet, and is unlined. A water tank was installed by Permolat volunteers in January 2014.
Condition
Yeats Ridge Hut blew off of its piles in the early 1980s and lay on its side until it was righted and repaired by the NZFS in 1984. It was painted and resealed by DOC in 2004. In 2014 the Hut was repainted by Permolat volunteers when they installed the water tank. They also secured some of the framing and iron cladding. DOC supplied the paint, the water tank and stand, and flew the materials to the Hut and Permolat funded the remaining materials. In 2016 Paul and friends installed a door flashing and a new doorstep, took in a new mattress, and surveyed a site for a toilet. The BCT/ PTC project involved replacing the roof and windows, re-piling the hut, making some door repairs to keep the rain from blowing under it, replacing rotten rafters and top plates, and some initial painting. The maintenance team was assisted by DOC Hokitika staff. In March Liz's group finished the internal and external painting and installed the loo. BCT provided the funding, DOC Hokitika supplied the Dulux paint, and their Recreation Team built the toilet.
Routes
The Toaroha Range tops can be accessed from Yeats Hut up the prominent spur that divides the Zit and Crystal Creek catchments. The spur forks at the 1300m contour and the SW fork can be used to access Crystal Biv. The spur is accessed across the basin below the Hut. Small wooden snow stakes are followed through patchy scrub to a low ridge bounding Zit Creek. A trail leads South along this to a broad face at the foot of the main spur. Permolat, then the odd warratah, mark a trail up through a band of alpine scrub to a flat bench with tarns at 1300m. Indy and Sam did a bit of trimming on this pitch in November. A side-spur that drops off in a SW direction provides access down to Crystal Biv. It is open easy travel down to the Biv which is visible in fine weather from around the 1200m mark. A band of scattered scrub above the Biv can be negotiated by veering North around the big tarn. Allow 1.5 hours to get from Yeats Hut to Crystal Biv.
Top Kokatahi Hut can be accessed by continuing up the main spur onto the Toaroha Range. A bluffy section of ridge around 1400m can be avoided by a short sidle on the Zit Creek side and a climb back up a steep tussock gut. Once on the crest of the Range there are several good routes down into the Kokatahi River from a series of obvious benches below Pt 1694m. Travel down the River is relatively easy to the Hut. An alternative is to sidle along the Range on the Kokatahi side at around the 1400m contour and drop directly down the ridge above the Hut. There is a short scrub bash right at the bottom but it's not too onerous. Ice axes may be necessary on some of the steeper bits on the Kokatahi side during the colder months. Allow four hours for the crossing in good conditions.
Adventure Biv can be accessed from Yeats Hut by continuing North along the Toaroha Range. There is a narrow section of ridge just before Zit Saddle that needs to be sidled on the Kokatahi side. The slopes are steep here and care is required in wet or icy conditions. Recently, and with the increased popularity of this traverse, a few parties have found this bit too exposed for comfort. It shouldn't be a problem for those confident with heights but take a rope if you are unsure. Continue from the Saddle to where the poled route from Top Kokatahi Hut crosses over. The route is incorrectly drawn on NZ topomaps, crosses over higher than marked, and drops into Toaroha down the spur due north of the one indicated (see the Adventure Biv page). The poles take you down a steep tussock face then down a narrow rib. This is followed by a short section of track through a band of scrub into the upper TR branch of Zit Creek. The route exits the TR of the Creek and sidles across a face with patchy alpine scrub onto Adventure Ridge. There is short section of cut track down the Ridge through the alpine scrub to the Biv. Don't try dropping down into Zit Creek directly from Zit Saddle unless you have a rope and a spare day up your sleeve. Allow five hours for the trip from Yeats Hut around to Adventure Biv. Ice axes should be carried for back-up during the colder months.
Mungo Hut can be accessed by heading South from point 1694m along to Mt Chamberlain. A short vertical pitch just South of Chamberlin can be avoided by sidling around some rock benches just below the summit on the Park Stream side. Access into Park Stream is down steep scree from the low point between Mt Chamberlain and Bannatyne. The top section of the gut is actively eroding, is snow-filled for most of the year, and often icy near the top. An ice axe and crampons should be carried during the colder months for this bit. Travel down the Park is straightforward to the start of a track on the TL near where the Stream veers SW. This enters the bush and climbs steeply for 5-10 minutes up to Mungo Hut. It was recut in 2012 by volunteers. Allow six hours from Yeats Hut to Mungo Hut in good conditions.
Repairs Needed
Nil for the hut currently. The hole for the thunderbox hole was dug into 1.5 metres of peat on top of solid rock and has unsurprisingly turned out to be a splasher. It'll need to be shifted at some point.
Provisions on Site
A shovel, a hearth shovel and broom, a full-sized broom, an ash bucket, a plastic basin, a camp oven minus lid, and a small billy minus lid. A bench seat, a 20-litre water bucket, some downpipe, sugar soap, brushes, sandpaper, various nails and screws, some permolat, a collapsable ladder, a crowbar, a hammer, a spade, painting trays with metal rollers (no roller foam sleeves), and some spare internal and external paint and primer, including metal primer. There are some leftover pieces of ply sarking under the bunk. Under the hut there are timber odds and sods and a bit of leftover iron cladding. There are also six big 300x300mm wood blocks that the hut was sitting on before it was re-piled.
Permolat started taking an interest in Yeats Ridge Hut after the Department of Conservation designated it as minimal maintenance in 2004. The track up to it from the Toaroha valley has been volunteer maintained since around that time as well, with Liz Wightwick and friends currently taking a lead role. In 2014 a water tank was installed as part of a Permolat/ DOC collaboration and in 2016 Paul Reid of Permolat received some High-Country Consortium funding to carry out additional maintenance. In February 2024 Back Country Trust carpenters assisted by members of the Peninsula Tramping Club completed outstanding work that needed doing. The project was made possible by a bequeath from the late Leo Maunders of the Club, who was a keen remote tramper. BCT generously agreed to match the bequest amount. In March this year with BCT and DOC support Liz flew a group in to finish the work, install a thunderbox loo, and do a bit of trackwork
Location
Toaroha catchment. Map BV19. Grid Ref: E1449075/ N5239244 (BV19 491 392). Altitude 970m. Yeats Ridge Hut is located on a flat section of ridge dividing the Zit Creek and Toaroha catchments. The surrounds are alpine peat bog with scattered scrub and open patches of tussock with views out over the Toaroha valley. Yeats can be done as an overnighter from the Toaroha roadend, or day trip from Cedar Flat Hut down in the main valley. Access from Yeats onto the Toaroha Range is relatively straightforward and there are good tops routes to a number of other remote huts and bivs in the area. Visits have increased markedly, passing the 30 per year mark due to the growing interest in the longer alpine circuits, and a loop incorporating Crystal Biv.
Access
The Yeats Ridge track turns off from the Top Toaroha track on the TL of Zit Creek, 30 minutes up the valley from Cedar Flat Hut. Zit Creek can be difficult or uncrossable after heavy rain. The track climbs from the turnoff onto a terrace, follows this briefly, then climbs again, very steeply, up the lower bush faces of Yeats Ridge. It flattens briefly in the montane zone, then climbs again through the sub-alpine zone to a flat bench with open tussock patches and tarns at 940m. This is followed for just under a kilometre, to a low scrubby rib that is crossed to reach the Hut. The open sections are marked by wooden stakes, poles, and permolat. The top end of the track was trimmed by Liz and friends in March 2025. Indy Hawthorne and Sam Holt had previously cleared some of the larger windthrow further down. Allow 2-2.5 hours to Yeats Hut from Cedar Flat Hut, or 6-7 hours from the Toaroha roadend.
Type
Yeats Hut is a New Zealand Forest Service S81 four-bunk design built in 1960. Bill Johnson helped with the building. The cupboard alcoves were removed at some point to create more space, and the bunks realigned along one wall. Yeats has no fireplace, woodburner, or toilet, and is unlined. A water tank was installed by Permolat volunteers in January 2014.
Condition
Yeats Ridge Hut blew off of its piles in the early 1980s and lay on its side until it was righted and repaired by the NZFS in 1984. It was painted and resealed by DOC in 2004. In 2014 the Hut was repainted by Permolat volunteers when they installed the water tank. They also secured some of the framing and iron cladding. DOC supplied the paint, the water tank and stand, and flew the materials to the Hut and Permolat funded the remaining materials. In 2016 Paul and friends installed a door flashing and a new doorstep, took in a new mattress, and surveyed a site for a toilet. The BCT/ PTC project involved replacing the roof and windows, re-piling the hut, making some door repairs to keep the rain from blowing under it, replacing rotten rafters and top plates, and some initial painting. The maintenance team was assisted by DOC Hokitika staff. In March Liz's group finished the internal and external painting and installed the loo. BCT provided the funding, DOC Hokitika supplied the Dulux paint, and their Recreation Team built the toilet.
Routes
The Toaroha Range tops can be accessed from Yeats Hut up the prominent spur that divides the Zit and Crystal Creek catchments. The spur forks at the 1300m contour and the SW fork can be used to access Crystal Biv. The spur is accessed across the basin below the Hut. Small wooden snow stakes are followed through patchy scrub to a low ridge bounding Zit Creek. A trail leads South along this to a broad face at the foot of the main spur. Permolat, then the odd warratah, mark a trail up through a band of alpine scrub to a flat bench with tarns at 1300m. Indy and Sam did a bit of trimming on this pitch in November. A side-spur that drops off in a SW direction provides access down to Crystal Biv. It is open easy travel down to the Biv which is visible in fine weather from around the 1200m mark. A band of scattered scrub above the Biv can be negotiated by veering North around the big tarn. Allow 1.5 hours to get from Yeats Hut to Crystal Biv.
Top Kokatahi Hut can be accessed by continuing up the main spur onto the Toaroha Range. A bluffy section of ridge around 1400m can be avoided by a short sidle on the Zit Creek side and a climb back up a steep tussock gut. Once on the crest of the Range there are several good routes down into the Kokatahi River from a series of obvious benches below Pt 1694m. Travel down the River is relatively easy to the Hut. An alternative is to sidle along the Range on the Kokatahi side at around the 1400m contour and drop directly down the ridge above the Hut. There is a short scrub bash right at the bottom but it's not too onerous. Ice axes may be necessary on some of the steeper bits on the Kokatahi side during the colder months. Allow four hours for the crossing in good conditions.
Adventure Biv can be accessed from Yeats Hut by continuing North along the Toaroha Range. There is a narrow section of ridge just before Zit Saddle that needs to be sidled on the Kokatahi side. The slopes are steep here and care is required in wet or icy conditions. Recently, and with the increased popularity of this traverse, a few parties have found this bit too exposed for comfort. It shouldn't be a problem for those confident with heights but take a rope if you are unsure. Continue from the Saddle to where the poled route from Top Kokatahi Hut crosses over. The route is incorrectly drawn on NZ topomaps, crosses over higher than marked, and drops into Toaroha down the spur due north of the one indicated (see the Adventure Biv page). The poles take you down a steep tussock face then down a narrow rib. This is followed by a short section of track through a band of scrub into the upper TR branch of Zit Creek. The route exits the TR of the Creek and sidles across a face with patchy alpine scrub onto Adventure Ridge. There is short section of cut track down the Ridge through the alpine scrub to the Biv. Don't try dropping down into Zit Creek directly from Zit Saddle unless you have a rope and a spare day up your sleeve. Allow five hours for the trip from Yeats Hut around to Adventure Biv. Ice axes should be carried for back-up during the colder months.
Mungo Hut can be accessed by heading South from point 1694m along to Mt Chamberlain. A short vertical pitch just South of Chamberlin can be avoided by sidling around some rock benches just below the summit on the Park Stream side. Access into Park Stream is down steep scree from the low point between Mt Chamberlain and Bannatyne. The top section of the gut is actively eroding, is snow-filled for most of the year, and often icy near the top. An ice axe and crampons should be carried during the colder months for this bit. Travel down the Park is straightforward to the start of a track on the TL near where the Stream veers SW. This enters the bush and climbs steeply for 5-10 minutes up to Mungo Hut. It was recut in 2012 by volunteers. Allow six hours from Yeats Hut to Mungo Hut in good conditions.
Repairs Needed
Nil for the hut currently. The hole for the thunderbox hole was dug into 1.5 metres of peat on top of solid rock and has unsurprisingly turned out to be a splasher. It'll need to be shifted at some point.
Provisions on Site
A shovel, a hearth shovel and broom, a full-sized broom, an ash bucket, a plastic basin, a camp oven minus lid, and a small billy minus lid. A bench seat, a 20-litre water bucket, some downpipe, sugar soap, brushes, sandpaper, various nails and screws, some permolat, a collapsable ladder, a crowbar, a hammer, a spade, painting trays with metal rollers (no roller foam sleeves), and some spare internal and external paint and primer, including metal primer. There are some leftover pieces of ply sarking under the bunk. Under the hut there are timber odds and sods and a bit of leftover iron cladding. There are also six big 300x300mm wood blocks that the hut was sitting on before it was re-piled.
