DOC hut off-limits over safety fears

A 20-bunk hut on the popular Mt Holdsworth-Jumbo circuit in Wairarapa has been closed until further notice after an engineer’s report found the building was unsafe.

Bunks and gas have been removed from Jumbo Hut in the Tararua Range, which has about 1600 bed nights a year. The hut will require strengthening work before reopening.

Department of Conservation ranger Jim Flack said the hut might be unsafe in extreme winds or heavy snow.

‘‘If the weather’s nice there’s no concern, but you can’t always guarantee that in a mountain environment,’’ he said.

The decision was made late on Thursday after a routine inspection, Flack said. Signs were being placed on the route to warn trampers of the closure.

‘‘We are letting all the tramping clubs know in the lower part of the North Island, same with schools, because there might be school trips planned,’’ Flack said.

‘‘There are actually plans to replace it completely in the next few years. The hut was built in 1981 and it’s a very extreme environment. Buildings don’t last as long at the top of a mountain.’’

Flack could not say when the strengthening work would be carried out.

‘‘It’s about how much you can fit in a helicopter and when there’s good weather to fly it.’’

Acting DOC operations manager Briggs Pilkington said work would mainly consist of providing extra bracing for the existing structure.

‘‘We hope to get the hut open again for the busy summer season, October to April, but that will depend on weather.‘‘

In summer, Jumbo Hut operates an online booking system to deal with high visitor numbers. Flack said this was not needed during winter when demand was far lower.

The hut is about a four-hour tramp from the car park on Holdsworth Rd near Masterton. It is one of two huts above the bushline in the area.

Alternative accommodation is available at Powell Hut, about four hours’ tramp from Jumbo, or Atiwhakatu Hut, which can be reached in about two hours.