Hike (part II)

On a lot of the tramping routes in New Zealand, the Department of Conservation maintains huts for people to stay in overnight. For a small fee, you get to sleep in a dry, warm location each evening. On some of the major routes, you have to reserve them in advance, but in most locations, they are first come first serve. We were on a pretty popular route, but not one that required reservations. There is always a slight chance the hut would be full when you arrived and you would have to tent camp or push on for the next hut (which would almost certainly be at least 3 additional hours of hiking.) We were there towards the end of the season, mostly on weekdays, so there was generally plenty of space. The one Friday night we stayed in a hut, it got pretty crowded.

The best hut we stayed at was the Upper Travers Hut the night before crossing the Travers Saddle. It was above the tree line and quite uncrowded. (For many hikers, meeting fellow trampers and socializing is an exciting and enjoyable part of the adventure. For some of us introverts, the "communal living" as Don called it, was more something to be endured. )

Upper Travers Hut

Inside the hut, there is usually a wood stove, and space for cooking. Depending on the size of the hut, there can be from just a couple to 30 or more bunk beds each with a sleeping pad. All you have to do is supply the sleeping bag. There is generally a source of rainwater. Outside, there are vaulted toilets. As can be seen in this photo, everybody is looking for places to hang all their damp hiking clothes to dry.

Common area in Upper Travers Hut

A gourmet dinner

Most of the huts had an outdoor deck with benches where people could put on their boots and get ready. In the photo below, the hut had a roof over it, though this was not universal. They all had a protected room where you entered. Presumably in bad weather, this is where you could shed your wet/rainy gear. It seemed that boots and hiking sticks were generally left out in this room. In the photo below, this is the small room visible through the window on the left. 

Getting ready to depart the John Tait hut