TE WHARE OKIOKI

Kaimai Rideway, Kaimai Mamaku Forest Park - September 2021

TE WHARE OKIOKI IN MIST

​Te Whare Okioki is the newest hut in the Kaimai Range, built by the Kaimai Ridgeway Trust (KRT). It was developed as part of a long-term project to complete a track and hut network along the length of this old volcanic range that separates the Waikato from the Bay of Plenty. The new 12-bunk hut was opened two years ago, in October 2019.
 
The KRT’s Stan Lowe recently reported on a recent working bee in the area.

The Old Ngamuwahine Shelter, which the new whare replaced

​Three members of the New Zealand Deerstalkers’ Association – Colin Forsyth, Stan Lowe, and Les Nelson – participated in the working bee.

DOC ranger Warren Geraghty supervised flying in four bales of firewood plus 3.5 tonnes of metal into Te Whare Okioki. Some of the metal was intended for the helipad and the balance for nearby pathways.
 Unfortunately poor weather prevented us from getting all the metal flown in, but we intend to complete this as soon as practical.

 We placed the metal, stacked the firewood, fixed the chimney leak, cleared debris from the spouting and gutters, cleaned the solar panel and clearlite, scrubbed the deck tables and completed a general tidy-up. We also erected a DOC outside fire ban sign on the woodshed wall.

​In addition to the firewood we flew in, we split most of the rings of tawa that had been previously cut and stacked them in the woodshed.
 
Thanks to Warren and other DOC staff for help with the loading and keeping the fly zone safe.