Powell Hut in Tararua Forest Park is being rebuilt next summer, and DOC wants public input on how it should be built.
The 28-bunk hut is on the Mt Holdsworth-Jumbo Circuit, and is a popular destination. DOC recreation manager Richard Davies said it’s being replaced because it’s been advised that it is unsafe in extreme wind conditions of 180km/hr, which isn’t uncommon for that part of the country.
“From a safety point of view, Powell Hut is in an important location in relation to the overall track, providing shelter there reduces the risk of hypothermia and overexposure,” Davies said.
The survey asks users how often they visit the hut, how they’d like to see the new hut built, and what sort of amenities, such as gas cookers, they’d like to see in the hut.
Davies said DOC is taking a strategic approach to recreation on conservation land, looking to “spread the load away from the visitor hotspots.” One of the department’s goals, Davies said, is to create more opportunities in the upper North Island.
Go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GFJX9RR to complete the short survey by May 14.