MARTINS CREEK
The first hut there had been built by the Island Hill runholders Sanford and Dolly Leask as a holiday bach. They built it mainly from materials they salvaged from the beach. It was still in existence in the 1960s but the only sign by 1979 was a windswept macrocarpa tree and the waterlillies on a nearby pond that Dolly had planted.
In the 1980s Lands and Survey built a hut there after a hunter was burnt when polythene caught fire in aimprovisedshelter. It was pretty small and rough with four bunks and an open fire which continually smoked regardless of the wind direction. During the 1990's Ray Phillips, John DeLury and others enlarged the hut again using a lot of flotsam. They installed opening windows and a potbelly stove which made the hut more comfortable and safer.
Due the way the hut was originally constructed it was impossible to keep it rat proof and in 2008 it was demolished and removed when the Trust built a new four bunk hut further along the clearing. The hut builders Ray Phillips, Nigel Hodge, Alex Kidd, Bill & Kathy Duncan, Doug Gordon. RHCT received generous financial assistance from Community Trust of Southland to complete this and Homestead huts. Only four bunks.
Access, usually by fixed wing from Invercargill. The hut is a five minute walk from the beach. Be warned, after periods of heavy rain the access track fills with water and can be impassable. The flat below the hut can also flood. During these times there is a rough cut track on the south side of the track which will get to the hut.
CAVALIER
For a number of years there was a rough bivvy at this site. During the 1980's NZ Forest Service staff relocated a small hut from Kakapo Research and added an open roofed area and a half drum fire . Hunters subsequently closed it in with makeshift tarpaulins and it became rather untidy. In 1996 the ranchslider was transferred to the outside wall and the hut was closed in and a pot belly stove installed by Ray Phillips, John DeLury and N Miller at John and Rays expense. This became the spark for the involvement of hunters in the formation of the Trust. Subsequent work including a 1000 watertank, deck and veranda have been completed by the Trust. There are only four bunks in this hut.
Access. Usual access is by fixed wing airplane from Invercargill which is about half hour flight. The hut is a short two minute walk from the beach.
There is no cellphone reception.
Cavalier Creek is named after the ketch Cavalier, which was wrecked there in 1901 on its way south to pick up people from the Muttonbird Islands. Wreck Creek may be named after this event but wreckage of an unidentified vessel was found at Mason Bay in 1865.
SOUTHWEST ARM
Construction of the hut at Southwest Arm took place in February 2004 . The builders from Southland Branch NZDA were Ray Phillips, Euan & Alex Butters, David Howden, Mike Dillon, Noel Ryan, John Scobie and Roger McNaughton.
This hut is built among tall rimu trees. Leaves fall on the roof and spouting and ferment creating a taint in the water. It is a little bitter but not harmful. Hut users can help by keeping the spouting clear of leaf litter and flushing the watertank during heavy rain.
Access: By charter from Bluff or by Ferry and water taxi from Halfmoon Bay. There is a mooring but just how reliable is anyones guess, be prepared. Having a dinghy and outboard is a distinct advantage. No Cellphone reception from the hut.
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This is the view in front of the hut. At high tide the water covers the stone beach. Southwest Arm and be extremely difficult in high winds and the chop can be worse than in open sea. It may be necessary to have people stand in the water to hold your dinghy steady for unloading/loading. |
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The upper reaches of Southwest Arm have extensive mudflats. Be careful if you are up there on a falling tide. Once you get out of the main channel it is easy to run aground. |
HOMESTEAD
This is the northernmost block of the three on Mason Bay on the West Coast of the Island. It is noted for it's diverse habitat types ranging from dune country, former farmland , swamps and native forest. Note, only four bunks in this hut.
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Once farming ceased on the former Island Hill Run in 1986 the land has been reverting to native and most of the former paddocks are now being taken over by red tussock and flax. The last runholder trapped whitetail and kept them in the paddock where the hut is now. He built a deer quietening shed but keeping the deer in captivity was not successful and was abandoned after the first winter. In the early 1990's some enterprising Invercargill hunters converted the shed into a rough hut for hunters. |
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By 2008 this hut was deemed past its best use by date and a new hut was built by the Trust a short distance away. The Community Trust of Southland provided some funding to allow Homestead and Martins Creek huts to be built at the same time to save costs with freight. The builders were members of Southland, West Coast and South Otago Branches NZDA. This hut has only four bunks. |
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Access: Helicopter access is permitted at this hut. Most hunter use land on the beach using a fixed wing charter from Invercargill with Stewart Island Flights. Allow a good hour to walk from the beach to the hut with your gear. There are times when it is not possible to land at Duck Creek and you may need to walk to Martins Creek or even as far as Cavalier. Some hunters access Freshwater landing with a water taxi and walk the track to the Hunters hut which will take about four hours. |
There is no cellphone reception at the hut. You can access Stewart Island Flights on marine radio from the hut by prior arrangement.