A new hut on private land on Dalrachney Station in the Lindis Pass an hour from Wanaka offers trampers and mountain bikers views as far south as Mt Aspiring, north to Aoraki/Mt Cook and west into the Southern Alps.

The Lindis Ridge Hut is 1500m above sea level on land the Aubrey family has owned and worked for 70 years as a beef and merino farm.

Property owner Rick Aubrey said he decided to build the hut and offer trips to the public because he and his friends enjoy getting into the outdoors and he thought “why not here”.

“Lindis Hut is one of the highest huts on freehold land in the South Island,” said Aubrey.

A three day independent tramp, staying at two huts on the station costs $130 per person.

Aubrey said it wasn’t easy building Lindis Hut, which cost about $50,000.

“It’s pretty high and exposed up there and the wind can really blow,” he said. “The most difficult thing was the logistics of getting it up there. Most of it was prefab so we carted it up in pieces on trucks.”

Aubrey said the public has expressed a lot of interest in the hut and he now has bookings right through to Labour Weekend.