I RECENTLY took a trip to Otapukawa Hut in Te Urewera.  

I first went to this hut in 1989 and have fond memories of the many adventures and time spent in the hut and surrounding bush.  

The reason for this recent trip was to share this beautiful part of the country with my 11-year-old nephew, as I had experienced it many years before.

To spend time with him, to let him experience living in the bush without the disruptions of technology and the outside world, to teach him bush craft etc.  

We were pleasantly surprised to find the hut looking awesome and very tidy.  

It was like seeing an old friend after many years. With the fire lit and some food cooking, I sat back to read the many instalments in the hut book. There were plenty of familiar names and several generations still frequenting Otapukawa Hut.

Most of these people were local and expressed the same opinion about how great the hut was looking and how much it meant to them.  

The next morning after an unsuccessful hunt (due, I think, to my nephew’s big noisy feet and constant chatter) we headed home, stopping at the Lions Hut, so I could show him around there.  

This hut also brings back many memories of fun times on school camp, organised by the nuns from Matatā St Joseph’s School … walking granny’s track, swimming five or six times a day in the river, and the dreaded run down to Ogilvies bridge and back.  

On arrival at the hut, we were shocked to find one of the big windows smashed. On further investigation, it turned out that a kereru had flown through the window and was still alive inside.  

We left after taking the window measurements and a photo to inform the appropriate people. Since that weekend, it has been bought to my attention, that Otapukawa Hut and others are going to be burnt down before the end of the year.  

This information has prompted me to write this piece, which is not something I would usually do, but I want others to be aware of this before it’s too late.  

If this information is true, why is this still happening and what can be done to save these huts that mean so much to a lot of people?  

These huts enable a peaceful, simple way of life and the people who use them arrive and leave happy, with only a minor footprint, respecting the whenua.  

Many people would be prepared to take care of this particular hut in order to preserve it, so why must it be destroyed, robbing existing and future generations from experiencing all that this area has to offer?

Let’s save these huts, however that may be, because I would hate to see an old friend burnt to the ground.

– Adam Brownless