Climbing Huts Around New Zealand

Looking at a listing of huts and lodges that are of important to the climbing community it becomes clear that there are a number of categories. First those base lodges set up by climbing organizations for the use of members, which are either located at or near a road end, or are well equipped with electricity and running water. These include:

Egmont Lodge (Taranaki Alpine Club)
Homer Hut (NZAC)
Porter Lodge (NZAC)
Unwin Lodge (NZAC)
Kenndy Lodge (CMC)
Ruapehu Hut (NZAC)
Wyn Erwin (CMC)

Two huts are relatively easy to access and therefore are popular with non climbing tourists and therefore are required to be thought of separately in spite of their clear importance to climbers.

Mueller Hut (DoC)
Aspiring (NZAC)

There are the high use huts which receive a large amount of use from climbers:

Tasman Saddle Hut (DoC)
Kelman Hut (DoC)
Plateau Hut (DoC)
French Ridge (NZAC)
Centennial (NZAC)
Pioneer (NZAC)
Colin Todd (NZAC)

The last grouping includes those huts with significance to NZ climbing, but which are not of high use and for which a standard design could be a useful tool for their eventual replacement and continuation into the future.

Whangaehu (NZAC)
Syme Hut (DoC)
Barker Hut (CMC)
Murchison (NZAC)
Godley (NZAC)
De la Beche (NZAC)
Beetham (site only)
Copland Shelter (DoC)
Hooker Hut (DoC)
Gardner Hut (DoC)
Empress Hut (DoC)
Sefton Biv (DoC)
Hasst Hut (DoC)
Ball Hut (DoC)
Barron Saddle Hut (DoC)
Almer Hut (DoC)
Chancellor Hut (DoC)
Esquilant (NZAC)
Liverpool Hut (DoC)
Mt Brewster Hut (DoC)

Other huts considered due to their ownership or history but omitted from the grouping include:

Wye Creek (proposed) - a large level of opposition to this hut was received when proposed. Still an interesting site idea providing access to ice climbing in winter. In any case a hut in this location would need to be bigger than the design proposed here.

Dome Shelter (DoC) – the summit area of Mt Ruspehu is not really an appropriate place for a hut and the current structure is really only an emergency shelter.

Elcho (NZAC) – although run by the alpine club this is a low level tramping hut giving access to the nearby mountains.

Cameron Hut (CMC) – another low level tramping hut run by an alpine club that although giving access to the mountains does not really qualify as required a full alpine design.

Cascade (NZAC) – an historic low level tramping hut giving access to the mountains.

Caroline Hut (private guiding hut) - situated on the Ball Pass crossing, this hut would require a very large replacement if ever it came into public ownership.

Black Peak Hut (Private guiding hut) - I haven't visited this hut so cannot really comment.