Date:  21 December 2017

DOC reopened the popular Jumbo Hut, west of Masterton, today after completing strengthening work.

The picturesque Waiohine Gorge Campsite, west of Carterton, is open for campers now the road has been reinstated after a slip earlier this year.

"Jumbo Hut is the second most visited hut in the park, and Waiohine Gorge is a spectacular camping site that attracts a lot of people over summer," says Acting DOC Wairarapa Operations Manager Jim Flack.

"People love visiting these places and it was a priority to get them open again in time for the holiday season."

Jumbo Hut was closed in July this year after engineers judged the hut might be unsafe in extreme high winds and heavy snow fall.

The hut was braced inside and out to the latest building standard for extreme alpine weather.

"We closed the hut as a safety precaution until the strengthening work was complete. People's safety is our highest priority. Tararua Forest Park can be an extreme environment and we didn't want to take any chances," says Mr Flack.

The 36-year-old Jumbo hut is above the bush-line at an altitude of 1230m and clearly visible from Masterton. More than 2000 people visit it each year.

Mr Flack says campers and trampers can drive all the way to the Waiohine Gorge Campsite now the road is open again.

"It's a secluded spot with great views up into the ranges and fantastic swimming holes – a great place for people to connect with nature."

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