Source: Department of Conservation
A six-person hut in near Maruia on the South Island’s West Coast has received a major makeover, with a refurbished roof, new piles and a smart paint job.
The work was planned and led by ranger Matt Ainge, with team members Ben Pigott, Mike Detlaff, David Deck, Darrell Haworth (all DOC staffers from a range of teams) and John Edwards (volunteer).
Matt says, “the entire objective of this work was to protect this hut for generations to come, while leaving the hut in the original condition as we had found it.”
First things first, Ranger Darrell surveyed a rotten tree for the presence of bats, of which there were none. The tree then needed to come down as the hut was in the fall zone.
The hut was built in the 1960’s. Over the years it has received minimal maintenance, so a major spruce up was required. The job required the team to entirely re-pile the hut and replace almost all the bearers as some were completely rotten. The team discussed the work needed, which required digging under the hut to dig out and replace each pile, and repair and replace the bearers.
They then got stuck into the large amount of earthworks needed to unearth the hut in order to re-pile it. Getting down and dirty on the job. Lying down while shovelling was hard work.
While the re-piling was underway, the paint preparation was also started.
After the underneath of the hut was dug out, a subfloor was put in the porch entry for stacking up the firewood, with the original porch step being put back in the same place where it came out. A front step was also added so hut users can easily gain access to the hut.
Large rocks were stacked under and around the entire fireplace structure to help future stabilization.
The hut roof was taken off, wire brushed, metal primed, and laps painted before going back on the same position it came off.
Afterwards, the ridge cap, barge flashings, and lead head nails were all replaced.
The inside of the hut also received attention, a new fire shroud and insert was put in the open fireplace to protect the outer steel and concrete with rollout protection on the front to minimise the chances of logs rolling out of the fire. A stainless-steel bench was also added inside over the existing painted timber bench. More bunk slats were added to the existing beds, and the entire inside was cleaned and the floor treated with linseed oil.
Paint prep complete, the hut was ready for a coat of orange paint.
Matt says, “Apart from the fact that this job was a complete labour of love, it was great to have a range of people from different teams all working together, sharing knowledge, learning from each other and working together towards a common goal: protecting and maintaining the back country for all to enjoy.”
Find out more about Wheel Creek Hut in Victoria Forest Park.
