50th celebration of High School Tramping Hut - October 2015
A group of Wanganui High School students, teachers and parent helpers on a Hut working bee.
Back in the 1960s the Tongariro Parks Board wanted to expand the number of huts in the Park. Wanganui High School accepted the challenge. It took a year to build their hut, it cost only $490 and was opened in October 1965. On opening night, nearly 100 stayed overnight in the hut and in nine tents. This Sunday, October 31, the school is inviting “all past and present WHS trampers, Duke of Edinburgh students, parents and staff” to meet at the hut to celebrate the 50th milestone.
The hut was named after chemistry teacher Mr R Lupton, a keen tramper who donated the wood from his Bastia Hill property. Mr Brian Phillips, a builder donated his services as well and the army took the timber up to where the track begins. Volunteers carried all the bricks, cement and hard board by hand to the site, which normally takes around 90 minutes to tramp into. The hard work continues today. Pitzac donates firewood and volunteers carry it into the hut.
DOC has helped as well. They dropped in by helicopter a 3,000 litre tank eight years ago, when the long drop was replaced by a more up to date toilet. However, as ex teacher and keen tramper Terry O’Connor told the RCP, “the students had to dig the huge hole first”. DOC also provided a water tank and outdoor hand basin.
Terry’s wife Claire is the teacher in charge of the Duke of Edinburgh scheme at the school and says that the hut is used mainly for teaching bush-craft skills. It is a great location, she says, for the “newbies” as a learner’s trip as it contains some good up and down tramping as well as a bit of bolder hopping. The hut is on the ridge of the bush line and can get heavy snowfalls. Terry says that many students have never been to the snow.
Strictly speaking the hut is really an eight sleeper but it all depends how close you want to get. There is a wood burner but gas cookers are used for cooking. Terry and Claire believe that it is the only school tramping hut on Tongariro and it is used by other school and community groups.
Bookings can be made through Claire on 349 0178 or at terryoc@extra.xo.nz
(River City Press article on 28/10/15)
