Army Hut in the Snowdon Conservation Area had fallen into disrepair in recent years and had some severe borer and rot issues. Permolat Southland decided to take on this challenging project and was granted a total of $12,000 in Round 7 to complete the job.

The hut was resting on rotting beach logs and the entire floor and sub frame of the hut had to be removed and replaced with new timber and piles. The replacement floor was a 19mm marine grade floor used in many modern huts. The fireplace was also removed and it was replaced with a new wood burner.

All the old lining in the hut was also stripped out and replaced with 7mm ply which was painted white. The old louvre windows were repaired and sandfly proofed and the hut was fully refitted on the interior.

A new woodshed was built replacing the one which had been attached to the hut which like many of these sorts of additions created problems on the hut itself.

The restoration involved nine volunteers in total who worked a total of over 500 hours on the six day mission. This was a great first project for Permolat Southland and a big thanks to Alastair Macdonald for organising this project.

Richard Janssen has set the standard with renovating the classic Canterbury version of the stand-up 2-person NZFS biv. In Round 5 of the funding, he was granted $10,000 to restore the neglected Mackenzie Biv in Lake Sumner Forest Park. Not only did they completely renovate the biv, including re-roofing the hut and restoring the small open fire, but they also built a toilet and woodshed for the hut. The work, pride and effort he and Al Kircher put into the restoration of this biv will take some beating. The open fireplaces of these little bivs are a unique feature but many are past it now and need restoring and Richard and Al show how to do it here so that the bivs retain their historic character but will be good to go for the next generation.

It's been a multi year project, but the restoration of one of the more remote huts on the West Coast, Frisco Hut high above Frisco Gorge on the Hokitika River, is complete. Paul Reid has masterminded this project which has involved many keen people from the Permolat Group on multiple work parties. The last group built a small woodshed for the new wood burner, cleared some more of the vegetation around the hut and painted the hut. This hut hadn't seen maintenance in many years and had become run down but is in a gem of a spot and with the work the group has done on the tracks in the area it is more accessible than ever to trampers used to this sort of West Coast country.

Pete Hurst and the Horse Trails South Trust have completed some great work over this past summer to restore the historic Amuri Pass Pack Track for trampers, hunters and horse riders.

This pack track had not been maintained for years and the team has been clearing vegetation and wind falls over some 57km of track between the Doubtful River near Lewis Pass and the Waiheke River on the West Coast. There has been a lot to organise for this with a 3 ton digger and fuel having to be transported up the West Coast side, specialist arbourists to come in and clear the bigger trees, as well as the volunteers that have put in some 550 hours of their time and labour over summer.

Pete reports that the Canterbury side of the track is finished, and included rerouting the existing tramping track back to the original benched track on the east side of the pass to avoid the swampy section on the pass itself. Horse paddocks have been completed at the historic Slaty Creek Hut as well as at Doubtful Hut on the Canterbury side.
 
 With a little bit more to go this spring between Torrent Creek and the pass, the digger and unimog have been ‘winterised’ onsite and the team will go in again in September to finish the job. A fantastic achievement by this group to maintain this 57km of track. For more photos check out the HTST facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HTSTNZ2017/

The Wanaka Faces hut recently restored by members of the Upper Clutha Deerstalkers, with support from the Department of Conservation, was originally built in the 1930’s as musterers accommodation for Glen Dene Station… read more here: Wanaka Faces Report

The Outdoor Recreation Consortium is all about local people caring for the places they love, and it has been great to be able to support Anne Meyer, Beverley Johnson and Max Polglase and Beverley Johnson adopt the Kill Devil carpark, the entrance to a true backcountry paradise.

The Kill Devil carpark is the gateway to the Waingaro River/Stanley river/Anatoki circuit, which has features like Riordans Hut, Waingaro Forks Hut, Soper Shelter and Lonely Lake Hut (a side trip). The whole area is a tribute to the local community (including DOC staff) who care passionately about this place.

Thanks Anne, Max and Bev for your contribution. Read their full report here: Final summary to The Consortium – Kill Devil Carpark 2017