Huts with character

The northern Ruahine, accessed from the Napier-Taihape road, is an area steeped in colonial history. Much of the area was farmed in the late 1800s and evidence is still present in the form of huts and tracks.

The trip to Dianes begins on a silent track through sections of pine, which are the legacy of NZ Forest Service attempts to control erosion in the area. After a small climb to Komata Peak, the track then heads south with easy tramping along flat ground. It then drops steeply some 700m to the Taruarau River which marks the northern boundary of Ruahine Forest Park.

The Taruarau is waist-deep in normal flows but you could easily become stranded on either side if it’s been raining. Fortunately, there are campsites either side of the crossing and they make great destinations in their own right. After crossing the river, the track sidles above a small stream before unexpectedly popping into a large clearing containing the historic Shutes Hut. Unusually for the Ruahines, Shutes Hut is stone-built and for many years was the home of Alex Shute, a rabbiter, who helped construct the hut from local stone in 1920. Back then, this area was part of Big Hill Station and the marginal land around the hut was farmed, apparently holding around 1000 sheep. Today, all that remains of this venture are the hut, the pack track to Ruahine Hut and a few old totara strainer posts hidden in the bush.

Shutes Hut has recently been restored by DOC, but still retains the original open fireplace, stone walls, concrete floor and wooden bunks. It has a few other unusual features, including a large bound hut book dating to the late 1980s and an elaborate metal hut book container made for Lester Masters, a former Hawke’s Bay hunter who wrote many stories about the characters that hunted and farmed this land. It’s because of his book, Backcountry tales, that we know about Alex Shute, who apparently spent many months alone here and attempted to dissuade any visitors from lingering by pretending to be a bit unhinged. He was also partial to a beverage or two and named his dogs after various spirits, the most famous of which were Whiskey, Brandy and Gin.