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Ruahine Forest Park, Hawke’s Bay - February and April 2023 Dianes Hut was built in 1978 by the Tressider family in memory of Diane Tressider, a farmer and hunter respected for her hard work and ability with a rifle. She was arguably a woman ahead of her time. The 6-bunk hut sits in steep Northern Ruahine country, perched on a tiny clearing 20m above Koau Stream (a tributary of the Ngaururoro and home to whio). For their tribute, the family designed an unusual but homely hut, featuring an extra-high ceiling, river stone/concrete floor and a golf club-style interior, with louvre windows and a Little Dorrit potbelly stove. The hut hadn’t suffered the dampness or rotting one might have expected for its age, possibly on account of the drainage provided by its river stone foundations. Nevertheless, the hut was in need of a thorough makeover.  The finished Dianes. The team who took on the work included Tina Christie, Steve Wilman, Anthony Behrens, Fiona Burleigh and Richard Wynyard. Fiona, Tina and Steve had previously worked on BCT projects. In Anthony’s words, ‘we were experienced chippies and me, a humble hammer hand.” Anthony and Fiona had voted the hut a favourite when they stayed there during their ‘Spine of the Fish’ Ruahine traverse, in 2017, and were keen to help with this restoration.  Steve cleans up the exposed framing before the new roof is installed. Owen, from Mid West Helicopters, flew the team and building supplies in from the Taruarau River, past Shutes Hut and up the steep and narrow Koau Stream. Dianes sits on a tiny flat clearing in a steep little gully 60 metres below the chopper pad. With rain forecast and a reroofing of the hut planned, a decent ‘kitchen and dining room’ was quickly set up under a tarp. Over the next few days the hut was pretty much completely pulled apart. Just the inside and outside walls were left and the old louvre windows got a reprieve, while everything else was dismantled and replaced. The roof was removed, new pre-painted ply ceiling, exposed rafters and Clearlight skylights installed, and a scoria-coloured Coloursteel roof, along with guttering, was put up.  Steve appears through the "mist" after hours grinding the floor back. The interior was also transformed. Steve spent more than a day grinding down the rough concrete/stone floor then covering the most vulnerable areas with a waterproof epoxy. A stainless-steel workbench and woodburner were installed. Outside, a new woodshed and meat safe were built. (The area is well-regarded for its hunting. Following in Diane’s tradition, Steve and Tina had taken two deer off the face opposite the hut while on an earlier scoping trip.) Painting, both inside and outside of the hut was still underway when the crew was due to fly out, though with heavy rain, wind and lightening forecast they were resigned to being stranded for some days. In Anthony’s words: “We were wet, knackered and not looking forward to the next few days. We also had no food left. Then the message came. ‘There’s a clear spell in the weather. I’ll be with you in an hour and a half.’ I’ve never seen a building site cleared so fast. Everything was packed up ready for the sling loads and Owen was soon hovering above.” They resolved to return on foot and finish the job but were thwarted when the weather took a bigger turn, and all access roads were taken out by Cyclone Gabrielle.  Fiona and Steve sort the hut sign. Thus, the return trip was again by helicopter, in April, when the team (minus Richard) flew in to add the final touches. Painting of the woodshed, wharepaku and both inside and outside of the hut was completed. The fire was properly attached, lining and floor added to the porch, bunks were painted and a ladder installed. Whio visited the stream below the hut every night and ruru also kept the team company, said Anthony. ‘Not many people visit Dianes. It’s a long way from nowhere but it’s well worth the trip if you want a slice of Ruahine heaven. Just tip your hat to Diane as you leave.” Photos: Anthony Behrens Comments are closed.
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