Powell Hut Tararua Range – the 2019 rebuild from start to finish.
From January 2019 to June 2019 Powell Hut in the Tararua Range was rebuilt. This story with photos tracks the progress from the first foundations to a completed hut that will provide comfortable mountain accommodation to an estimated 3,000 visitors per year.
If you came past Powell Hut at New Years 2018 and found the track open, gas on, mattresses still there, and water in the tank – well since then none of that is available any longer.
Powell Hut, as we have known it for some time, is now no longer accessible while it gets a complete rebuild.
Four of us walked past the ‘construction site’ on Saturday and witnessed a hive of activity – demolition is well underway with several workers and a mechanical digger digging away.
While the hut is still standing (it looked to be used for accommodation for the workers) the deck has gone making the building look like an old school house.
So, sometime in the last two weeks they have boarded across the track with the usual ‘track closed/danger’ signs a short distance below the hut.
A temporary track has been cut in the bush. It sidles around the hut on the eastern side.
The diversion comes out just above the hut and in closer proximity to it providing a safe viewing point to watch the activity. (Mountain House Shelter, an hour below the hut, continues to provide shelter, water and a toilet).
Powell Hut update at 30 January 2019.
Demolition complete, site leveled and some new piles in place.
Further updates to come.
Powell Hut update at 7 February 2019. Wall and roof framing in place. RAB board (rigid air-barrier) mostly fixed to exterior of walls.
Currently there are six builders on site – working for 10 days (living in a dog-box sized shed) then 4 days off.
Note that access to the site is prohibited (as it should be for an active construction site) so I gave my camera to a builder from McIntyre Construction who kindly took the photo from the heli-pad.
Further updates to come.
Powell Hut update at 18 February 2019.
Roof cladding fixed – but no final external cladding to walls yet. There will be a large mostly roofed balcony running the full length of the east side.
Next visit will try and get one of the builders to take a few photos of the inside.
Further updates to come – stay tuned.
Powell Hut update at 6 March 2019.
The first impression with the scaffolding gone is the UUGE deck – 100 sq m of outdoor living!
Wall cladding is fixed to north side and part east side and first sliding window fitted.
Inside the wall framing is complete and fixing the plywood linings is the next rainy day job.
The amount of timber in the building is mind boggling for a tramping hut – 10 tonnes in the flooring and sub floor (and more to be added) – 8 tonnes in the walls and 6 tonnes in the roof framing.
The interior layout includes 4 bunkrooms (2 with 10 bunks and 2 with 6 bunks). There is a kitchen and social area that is much the same as the last hut.
There is a large entry foyer with grill floor for boots and wet gear and a separate custodians room.
Heating will be wood burner.
Construction is a bit behind schedule due to some spells of very bad weather (no surprises there).
Further updates to come – watch this space (thanks to McIntyre Construction for assistance with photos).
Powell Hut update at 23 March 2019.
Another misty day but pleasantly calm.
All the windows have been installed but some flashings still to be fixed in place. These will essentially complete the outside of the building except for some additional sub-floor bracing.
The front bunkrooms will have a great view of the sunrise and will likely be the first-choice rooms
All the interior wall and ceiling insulation is installed. The woodburner from the old hut will be removed and replaced by a new one of the same model.
So starting to look like a real hut now – but still plenty of fit-out work required inside before it is finished. The front deck still seems HUUGE.
Thanks to McIntyre Construction for assistance with photos.
Powell Hut update 11 April 2019.
Interior work is progressing.
The builder expects to be completed in 3 to 4 weeks – all going well. But now depends a lot on the sub-trades – painters, plumber (for the water tank and supply and the new woodburner, and the electrician and alarm installer. Yes! there will be a fire alarm system installed with smoke and heat detectors.
Watch this space for further update.
As usual a big thanks to the guys from McIntyre Contractors for assistance with the photos and all the info.
Powell Hut update 2 May 2019.
Building work almost complete.
The builder expects to be off-site in the next few weeks but the hut cannot open until it receives final sign-off from the Building Consent Authority. And before this happens a fire alarm system (with its solar power) needs to be installed and a decision made on grey-water disposal. So DOC are saying prob end June opening.
There are a couple of unusual features in the building:
Having a fire alarm system will be interesting. It certainly will increase occupant safety but may cause unintended problems. And it is a significant extra cost to DOC who must fly a technician to the hut every 6 months to maintain the alarm in compliance with the Building Code.
Additionally there is a passive ventilation system installed – principally to remove internal condensation from breathing and cooking. This makes sense especially for building maintenance purposes given moisture causes problems with the building structure in the long term. But because it cannot be adjusted it may make for a cold hut in winter even though the hut is fully insulated.
But regardless it will be a wonderful front-country facility – hopefully it will be well appreciated and visitors will pay their fees to offset the $750,000 price tag.
Powell Hut update 14 May 2019.
The builder expects to be off-site at the end of the week. The gas fitter also – if he can get the final lengths of pipe choppered up. Flights were cancelled early morning when the wind reached near gale. The painters need a few more days to touch up walls then clear seal the floors and bunks etc.
So what next? The hut apparently remains unoccupied until DOC and others get the fire alarm system installed and the CCC (Code Compliance Certificate) issued by the Local Territorial Authority. When that will happen no-one seems to be sure.
But in the meantime hopefully people passing by will realise the area remains a construction site and entry is still forbidden and not be tempted to trespass and clamber around.
The new hut will be a fabulous addition the Tararau huts, but it seems certain the approx 3,000 annual bunk users will be mostly families, school groups, Holdsworth – Jumbo circuit walkers and similar while club trampers and others seeking a real back-country experience will walk right past carrying their tents or go looking for more remote huts.
It is interesting to compare the new facility with the oldest remaining hut in the Tararuas – Sayer Hut. There may be plenty of club members that would actually prefer staying at Sayer. You can take a look around this hut here.
This is the final post to the forum on the Powell Hut rebuild. It has been fun following progress. Tony from McIntyre Contractors was always happy to help with photos and chat about progress. And he had plenty of stories to tell- mostly to do with very scary helicopter flights.
So now if you want to experience the finished product you will need to wait until it is officially opened then go and see for yourself. In the meantime take a look at some other Tararua Range photos. Happy tramping
DOC has confirmed that the official opening of the new Powell Hut will be on Friday 21 June 2019. Staying on the Friday night will be by booking only but after that it’s open for business.
Happy tramping
DOC have amended their alert notice on the Powell Hut webpage (link below). The new hut will be now open from Friday 12 July 2019 (delayed from 21 June 2019).
It’s been great to see the level of interest in this post. I started the post expecting it to be a one comment topic. Tony however saw an opportunity to keep us informed by creating a photo chronology of the building’s construction and his efforts have clearly been of interest.
Thanks again to Tony (and the assistance he got from McIntyre Contractors) for keeping us updated on the rebuild from the comfort of our homes.
Powell Hut is open for business.
DOCs media release is here: https://www.doc.govt.nz/news/media-releases/2019/iconic-power-hut-opens-its-doors/
A article published yesterday is here: https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/113981712/new-powell-hut-to-keep-kiwis-in-touch-with-their-outdoor-heritage
