Elcho Hut window replacement

Elcho Hut

Elcho Hut was built by the New Zealand Alpine Club in 1938 and this 12 bunk hut has stood the test of time nestled into its strategic location next to the Elcho Stream. It is one of the classic old club huts in the Southern Alps and has had regular maintenance over the years by the keen volunteers from the North Otago Section of the NZ Alpine Club. By 2016 the original old wooden windows had become rotten and the decision was made to replace them with some new, aluminium-framed windows of the same size.​

The club applied to the Backcountry Trust for support of the maintenance project and by early 2017 Nick Shearer had got a group of volunteers together for the job. The hut was accessed up the Hopkins Valley by 4WDs, loaded up with new windows, trim, flashings, paint and materials. The group put in a solid few days on the hut and as well as the window replacement, the wood burner was fixed to the concrete pad, and the woodshed was restocked with firewood. 
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All up around 120 volunteer hours went into the refit, and the hut is once again, cozy and ready for hunters, trampers and climbers to enjoy the views outside the window. The following year many of the same group celebrated the huts 80th birthday and work continues by this section to maintain this much loved Canterbury hut.​

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