Maungarau hut                             

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  There has been a hut at Maungarau for a very long time. It has been sited near to Maungarau trig from which one can have an amazing view.

DoC Whanganui controversially ceased maintenance on the tracks to the hut and removed the hut or relocated it to an unknown position.

Volunteers had built this new hut in 1997 with permission from the Minister of Conservation. Unfortunately this public arrogance riled DoC Wanganui, who removed it within a few years of its erection, even though it's permit was valid for another 10 years. Considering it was funded and built by the public, DoC's treatment of the users of this area is pretty amazing. (see link to right)

 
Maungarau around 1976 (above) and the 80's (below).


Removed by DoC in the late 90's

Below is the hut built by the public, and removed after DoC repeatedly changed the rules until it no longer passed. Eventually, without visiting the hut, a Doc Inspector decided the wind loading should be changed to "very high" so the screw in anchors accepted by the first inspector were now not good enough, and the wire not taut enough (decided from a photo?). Thus he finds the hut unsafe. Look at the trees - a real windy site. Yeah right.



 DoC also decided that to be safe this hut needed to have:
    The bunks removed
    The mattresses removed!!
    The cooking bench removed
    The shelves removed
    The water tank removed
    The external toilet removed

DoC removed the hut in 2005 - at a cost of $10,000. The shelter promised by the Recreational review if Maungarau was removed has not happened.

An article in Daily News 17th December stated Maungarau and Pokeka huts have been removed due to low usage, not due to unsafe structure. Considering the hut had no log book (it was free), how numbers of users was measured  DoC only knows.

 

  

    

Maungarau view 
 
 

The sad saga of Maungarau hut.

 

More on the Maungarau Hut saga