Flora Hut to stay says DOC
Media contacts:
Martin Rodd, Motueka Area Manager, phone +64 3 528 1810
Trish Grant, DOC Nelson/Marlborough Communications Adviser, phone +64 3 546 3146
Date: 06 May 2008
The Department of Conservation said today Flora Hut in Kahurangi National Park is to be retained because of strong community support for the hut particularly as an easily-accessed backcountry hut to take young children to.
Flora Hut had been earmarked to be replaced by a shelter following a 2003-04 DOC nationwide review of recreation facilities carried out in consultation with the public. This was because it was one of several huts not far from the Flora car park road, the others being Mt Arthur Hut and Grid Iron Hut and shelter, and also because of repeated vandalism to Flora Hut. Public submissions about Flora Hut to the DOC Recreation Opportunities Review had at the time indicated support for it being replaced with a shelter.
Flora Hut
DOC Motueka Area Manager Martin Rodd said recent strong community requests for Flora Hut to stay had shown how highly valued the hut was, leading to the department reconsidering its future with the decision now made to retain the hut.
"Numerous people have contacted us in the past few months asking for Flora Hut to be retained. The most frequent comment has been that Flora Hut should be kept because its accessibility is good for young children and older people. Many people told us they had taken their young children to Flora Hut to give them early experience of a back country hut. This is just what we want to see, young people getting into outdoor recreation.
"Added to that is the conservation experience children and others can have in the Flora area thanks to the good results being achieved by the community group Friends of Flora in controlling pests to enhance the area's birdlife. People at the hut now have an increased chance of seeing blue duck in the nearby Flora Stream due to the efforts of the Friends and DOC in trapping stoats and boosting whio numbers there.
"We've had offers from people to help look after the hut, doing such things as providing firewood or helping with painting. We are very appreciative of those offers of active support and we will be taking them up.
"We are thrilled at the strong support that has been shown for back country facilities and look forward to seeing visitors continuing to enjoy Flora Hut as an accessible family-orientated experience. With this level of community support for Flora Hut I don't think we will be seeing the vandalism to the hut that has occurred in the past. Flora Hut is clearly a much-loved hut."
Flora Hut was originally built in 1928. It was largely rebuilt in 1972 but kept in the character of the original hut.