An overnight tramp to an accessible hut on the Ruahine tops.

Several huts have occupied the tops in the vicinity of Pohangina Saddle, an area infamous for its ferocious winds. The first, called the Tin Hut, or Pohangina Hut, was built in the late 19th century but burned down in 1946. Tussock, gathered to serve as mattresses, caught fire, and the two occupants were unable to put out the blaze. Fanned by furious northwest winds, the hut and a large surrounding area burned, chasing the two men as they fled. 

A rough A-frame shelter was built next using corrugated iron salvaged from the ruins, and this served for a few years. Then, in 1957, a year after becoming responsible for deer control, the Forest Service erected a third hut, this one made of aluminium. It was officially called Longview, but trampers soon dubbed the shiny metal structure ‘Silver City’, partly in reference to the expense of the building. 

Weather measurements have confirmed Pohangina Saddle as one of the windiest places in the Ruahine Range, if not the country. When the battered Silver City was replaced in the late 1970s, the new structure – a joint project between the Forest Service and the Napier branch of the New Zealand Deerstalkers’ Association – was located in a more sheltered place, below the brow of the hill. It’s now over 40 years old and has proved the wise choice of its location rather well.

As the name Longview suggests, there are good views eastwards across the hill country of Hawke’s Bay. In the right weather (not high winds!), it’s a suitable tramp for school-age children and a good introduction to overnight trips for those new to tramping. 

From the car park near the end of Kashmir Road, the track climbs steadily, surmounting small knolls en route, through scrubby forest that still bears the mark of past fires. Higher up the terrain steepens and passes some eroded edges marked by waratahs. Views over the Makaretu Valley unfold and, from the ridge crest, increasingly good views of the Ngamoko Range expand. Curiously, this subsidiary range is higher than the main Ruahine Range, where Longview Hut is located. 

Near Pohangina Saddle the track bends south-west to a junction above Longview Hut, which is reached following a short, sharp descent. 

The hut is surrounded by dracophyllum, tussock, leatherwood and other subalpine plants. It has platform bunks with room for 12 and a sun-welcoming outlook to the north-east. 

Experienced trampers wanting a longer tramp can take the track south of Longview, past Rocky Knob, and drop to Makaretu Hut. From there, a river route down the Makaretu River South Branch and up the North Branch leads back to Moorcock Saddle. Hut baggers can make short detours to visit Happy Daze and Awatere huts en route.