Doc plans hut at Pakitaki

The Department of Conservation's Wanaka area office plans to establish new tracks, routes and tramping facilities this coming season.

Community relations programme manager Annette Smith said the new eight-bunk Pakitaki Hut will be built this summer, while Stody's Hut, an old musterer's hut, will be upgraded to "basic" standard.

Both huts are accessed from a 13.5km new section of the Te Araroa Trail, linking Lake Hawea over Breast Hill to the Lindis area, via Johns Creek.

Visitor and historic assets manager Chris Sydney said the new route was made available through the Lake Hawea Station tenure review.

A basic foot track has now been cut.

The Upper Clutha Tracks Trust has been involved in the project.

The new route should also allow trampers to complete a trip of Breast Hill from Lake Hawea, with Johns Creek and Timaru River the entry and exit points.

The alpine Johns Creek route was the preferred Te Araroa Trail, but the Timaru Creek track provided a good alternative, especially if the weather was unfavourable on the mountain tops, Mr Sydney said.

Another project for this season is a short extension of the Glacier Burn access track from the East Matukituki Valley towards the Avalanche and Rob Roy Glaciers.

The Liverpool Hut, recently destroyed by floods, will be rebuilt, and Doc will also repair the upper Rob Roy Track, which was also damaged by floods.

Work will begin on the Upper Clutha River Track between the Luggate Red Bridge and Luggate, along a route that follows the Clutha River and Luggate Creek.

Ms Smith said the Wanaka Doc area office now maintains about 750km of tracks and routes, 600 track structures (such as bridges and shelters), 25 back-country huts and four huts owned by the New Zealand Alpine Club.