August 2012 Issue - Federated Mountain Clubs of NZ

hut will be closed and dismantled in May 2013to enable construction of the new hut in a similarlocation.Nelson Lakes National ParkFollowing the major avalanche behind John TaitHut four years ago, remedial work has beencarried out behind the hut to divert water andsnow. As well, DOC may periodically close thehut when this is warranted.The pre-Christmas floods resulted in the lossof the West Sabine swing-bridge and a replacementis planned for spring. One of the Travers Valleyswing-bridge towers was also damaged but areplacement bridge has been installed.No definite long-term plan has beendecided about the shelters on Mt Robert. Asa short-term measure DOC is consideringlocking Relax Shelter, to preserve its historicfabric. During May some remedial work wasundertaken on Bushedge Shelter includingremoving lead head nails. Another stage hasbeen completed of the Paddys track upgradeon Mt Robert. The Paddys-Pinchgut upgradeprogramme will take another year.West CoastDuring March, Cedar Flat Hut, inland fromHokitika, was extended from six bunks to twelvebunks. During April, DOC renovated KirwansHut in Victoria Forest Park, near Reefton.The hut’s eight classic wooden windows werecontinually leaking so they have been replacedwith double-glazed aluminium windows.Tararua Footprints guidebookavailable onlineMerv Rodgers’s comprehensive guidebookto the tramping tracks and routes of TararuaForest Park is now available online. TheTararua Footprints, A Tramper’s Guide to theTararua Ranges guidebook was published byCanterbury University Press in 1996, but hasbeen out of print for at least ten years. While theguidebook has not been updated, much of theinformation on times is still relevant and useful.Rodgers, a Tararua Tramping Club stalwart, hasgenerously made the book available free. See:http://ttc.org.nz/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/TararuaFootprints/HomePage.FMCAugust 2012 • FMC Bulletin 21