Image: Lucy Rattray | DOC
View of Purity Hut on a sunny day with blue sky. Some hiking bags are on the ground out the front of the hut.
Purity Hut

Located in Ruahine Forest Park in the Manawatu/Whanganui region

This is a standard six bunk hut in the Manawatū region.

Permission needed to access the hut 

Access to the hut is via a working farm. You need the landowner's permission to walk to Purity Hut from the carpark at the end of Mangakukeke Road. 

  • Contact DOC Manawatū Office for the landowner's contact details.
  • Email the farm owner to request access over the farm – at least 48 hours before your visit. 

Facilities

  • Water source - tank
  • Heating source - woodstove

Fees

  • Adult (18+ years): $10 per night
  • Youth (5–17 years): $5 per night
  • Child/Infant (0–4 years): free

Bookings aren't required. But before you go, buy 1 Standard Hut Ticket (blue for adults, yellow for youth) for each night's stay. Put this in the honesty box at the hut. Or buy a Backcountry Hut Pass that gives unlimited use at most Standard and Serviced huts for a 12 month period.

About hut tickets and passesRetailers that sell hut tickets and passes

Heading north from Mangaweka, turn right off SH1, cross Rangitikei River by Awastone Campground and follow Ruahine Road. Once past Awastone Campground turn left at Kawhatau Valley Road – follow this road (note after Kawhatau Outdoor Education Centre it becomes Upper Kawhatau Road). Take the next right turn onto Mangakukeke Road and follow it all the way to the end. Access to Purity is from the driveway on the left at the end of the road.

Access is closed from 1st June to 31st October and may be closed at other times of the year for farm management purposes. You must gain permission (at all times of the year) to cross farmland/access to the hut – from the carpark at the end of Mangakukeke Road. This needs to be arranged at least 48 hours ahead of your visit.

Contact DOC Manawatū Office for the landowner's contact details.

Tracks to this hut

Location

NZTopo50 map sheet: BK36
Grid/NZTM2000 coordinates: E1861493, N5587627

Access to Purity Hut involves first gaining permission to walk across an active working farm.

Hazards

The farm is an active workplace. Hazards change daily and may include moving stock, farm vehicles, electric fences, irrigation equipment, uneven ground, and chemicals used for pest or weed control. Animals may react unpredictably to people, dogs, or sudden movements, even if they appear calm.

  • Always stick to the marked routes
  • Leave gates exactly as you find them
  • Keep well clear of machinery
  • Closely supervise children at all times

Dogs

If your dog has been permitted (check with the landowner when you request access permission) keep it under strict control. Dogs can frighten/injure livestock very quickly.

Firearms prohibited

Visitors must not hunt or bring loaded firearms onto private property, nor use spotlights or light fires.

Sick/dead farm animals

Occasionally, walkers may come across a sick or dead animal on farmland. If this happens to you, do not touch the animal, as there may be disease risks or other hazards. Notify the farmer or land manager as soon as possible.

Ongoing access 

Respecting farm rules and reporting concerns helps protect your own safety, supports animal welfare, and ensures farms can continue to be shared responsibly with the public.

Abuse of access rights will result in trespass, prosecution and permanent closure of public access.