Thread: Old Huts Gone from the Land

Greetings All,
As promised I have had a hunt through what I can find of my old photos for old huts with limited success but I did find the following.

The photo shows two of my cobbers relaxing inside Kaweka Hut in the mid 1980's. We had walked in to the old Kiwi Saddle Hut where we stayed the previous night but neglected to take any photo's. The following day, feeling pretty good we decided to walk out via Castle Camp and Kaweka Hut. In the photo you can see the bush frame and the malthoid original cladding. The three of us were all in our thirties and had decided, over a Friday night beersie or two, to do a few walks in the hills. This was one of them.
Regards Grandpamac.

Greetings All,
Below is a very bad photo of Ellis or Murderers Hut. It still exists and has been restored since this late 1970's photo. I have posted it because it was constructed the same way as Black Whare aka Happy (or Hapi) Valley Hut previously mentioned. Both wer constructed using timber from trees felled on site and pit sawn. Ellis Hut is larger and gable ended with two rooms. It was also lined with hand dressed t&g boarding interior wall lining. Papered with newspam=pers from the early 1900's. Black Whare was smaller with a hip roof and unlined. From memory both had timber floors and were built in the 1880 1900 period.

Regards Grandpamac.

Originally Posted by grandpamac

Greetings All,
Below is a very bad photo of Ellis or Murderers Hut. It still exists and has been restored since this late 1970's photo. I have posted it because it was constructed the same way as Black Whare aka Happy (or Hapi) Valley Hut previously mentioned. Both wer constructed using timber from trees felled on site and pit sawn. Ellis Hut is larger and gable ended with two rooms. It was also lined with hand dressed t&g boarding interior wall lining. Papered with newspam=pers from the early 1900's. Black Whare was smaller with a hip roof and unlined. From memory both had timber floors and were built in the 1880 1900 period.
Attachment 187737
Regards Grandpamac.

Thats a Land Crab if I'm not mistaken

Originally Posted by XR500

Thats a Land Crab if I'm not mistaken

Close. It's an Austin Maxi. They used some Land Crab (Austin 1800) components but the engine and transmision were diferent. Mine was a 74. All Maxi's had a 5 speed gearbox, pretty unusual at the time. I swapped it for a 69 Landrover. Some in my wider family thought I was nuts. The Landrover was still running over 20 years later.
GPM

There is an old hut in the Kaimai's that very few know about, built out of stones...it is not in an area frequented much by hunters, if at all...up Thompson's Track there is a stream which I think is called Mcgill's, it is the one with the old concrete and rebar from the days of hydro for the cowshed...the hut is on the left bank out of reach of flooding and apparently 35 acres of land nearby were cultivated back in the day...I imagine young farm boys built it as a place to get away-from-it-all or was used back in the days of cultivation for whatever purpose. It is some years since I last saw the place and I think the roof had caved in many moons ago.