High-spec Pouakai Hut replacement built to withstand 300km/h winds

The unique challenges of building in the sub-alpine environment has meant everything including the kitchen sink - four times over - has had to be helicoptered into the Pouākai Hut rebuild site in Te Papakurua o Taranaki - the region's national park.

The new 300sqm, 36-bunk building is replacing a hut half its size, which was built in 1981 and could no longer cope with traffic to the popular Pouākai Tarns.

The Pouākai Hut replacement:

• 1190 metres above sea level.
• solar power, with lights triggered by hours of darkness.
• Four builders have lived on-site for six months.
• 36 bunks - 34 for visitors, two for wardens.
• Insulation some of it up to 27cm thick.
• Windwall installed to withstand 300kmh gusts.
• A new two toilet block, four toilets in total.
• Huge visitor and overnight stay decks to enjoy expansive views.

Midwest Helicopters' pilot, Mark Gilmer, has been running regular four-minute shuttles from Mangorei Road to the Pouākai Hut in his Hughes 500 over the past six months.

The Stratford local, who had experience flying in Fiji and Papua New Guinea, had flown everything imaginable up to the construction site.

"A lot of timber, some steel framing, things like that. Flying all the windows up, the kitchen sinks. Yeah a bit of everything and anything really and also flying the contractors up there.

He said the biggest challenge had been the fickle weather conditions and nailing equipment drops.

"It's just being precise with your loads and landing them on the deck pretty close to the building, so obviously making sure you are in control of that load."

Lead contractor Michael Johns, and his team, had been on site since November.

"We started with the demolition of the old Pouākai Hut which we pulled down bit by bit and had to fly all that out and then flying all the materials back up to start the new build which we've worked on right through from one end to the other to give us a bit of area to be able land materials because there's not a lot of flat land up here."

Johns said some loads were trickier than others.

"Well you've just seen today the sink benches nice big things that fly like bat wings. We've had a few of those come up. A couple of diggers were flown up here, so we got a 1.7 tonne digger flown in that put in all the screw piles for us and lots of timber and roofing iron."

It had been a unique experience for his crew who stayed on the mountain for several days at a time.

"Certainly we're right on that sub-alpine, so the temperature can drop on you pretty quick up here. Otherwise you get beautiful days and lots of people coming past.

"You can spot the locals because the locals are really interested in what's going on up here and they all want to come up and stay and you can see all the tourists going past heading through to the tarns looking for the hut that isn't here any more."

Department of Conservation project manager, Wayne Boness, says the $2.4 million hut, designed in collaboration with Ngā Mahanga a Tairi hapu, would be a far cry from its predecessor.

"The hut will sleep 34 public and we've got a two bed wardens' quarters as well with its own kitchen. There's four bunkrooms, so they're split into three nines and a seven and then there's a common cooking dining area and this big day-visitor deck because as well as people coming to stay at the hut you've got a large amount of people passing through visiting the tarns."

The building was actually in two separate buildings part to account for wind pressures.

"We are in an environment where we get, you know, 300kmh winds, snow loads, so the real extremes of temperature. When it rains up here the rains doesn't just fall straight down normally it's wind driven so it's coming sideways and up hill at you and things like that."

The hut would have solar power, heating in the common room and ceiling, wall and underfloor insulation.

Boness said crucially it would have four toilets compared to its predecessor's two. They would have expanded storage capacity reducing the number of helicopter flights required to empty them and two would be positioned for the use of day walkers and the other two for people staying overnight.

Trampers making their way to the famous Pouākai tarns or mountain lakes were excited about the new hut.

New Plymouth local David Officer was a fan.

"From what I've heard it sounds awesome. It sounds like it would be great now to come and stay overnight instead of doing this just as a day hike."

His friend Lee-anne Alcantara could see the upside to bunkrooms separate from the common areas.

"I remember the old hut was well a bit old and having done overnights before if you're trying to sleep earlier it can get a bit rowdy in the living area."

Polish visitor Maria was not so keen.

"I prefer my trails with a little people as possible so probably not. I think it's a nice day trek and I don't think you necessarily need a bigger place to stay."

But travel companion Frederick of Finland could imagine something even more grand.

"It's definitely a positive to have a place to rest. I know that in a lot of huts in the Dolomites they'll have ice beer along the way so there's definitely positives to that as well, but I don't know if this place will have a cafe as well."

Weather conditions permitting the new Pouākai Hut was expected to open to the public in June.

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