The new Mintaro Hut on the Milford Track opened this month. Photo / Matthew Clark
The new Mintaro Hut on the Milford Track opened this month. Photo / Matthew Clark
Outdoor lovers heading to walk the Milford Track are in for a treat as one of the three huts on the iconic Great Walk reopens after an extensive upgrade.
The new Mintaro Hut opened this month.
The new build replaces the original hut which was found to be sitting ina potential rockfall zone.
The Milford Track is an iconic New Zealand Great Walk. Photo / DoC
The Mintaro is famed for its stunning views of the steep-sided Clinton Valley.
It's also a very welcome rest spot before the mighty climb up the Mackinnon Pass - usually day three of the four-day journey.
Official documents from 2018 showed the initial price tag for the hut was $1.8m, which included a 15 per cent contingency, design, planning and the build.
But that cost almost doubled as weather and Covid delays hampered the project.
The new hut was built 1.5km from the old site and the final cost is estimated as being $3.4 million.
"This is a much-needed replacement; the old Mintaro hut is more than 30 years old and was recently identified as being in a potential rockfall zone in the event of a significant earthquake - magnitude 7.5 or greater on the Alpine Fault or Fiordland subduction zone,' said DOC southern South Island operations director Aaron Fleming.
"The estimated total cost of the project includes the new hut, the warden's quarters, a new suspension bridge, track rerouting, and ablution block.
"The cost reflects the remoteness of the site and the complexity of working in a remote environment.
"The end result is far superior facilities equipped to handle the changeable backcountry conditions and most importantly, out of the path of predictable rockfall paths."
Fleming said the new facilities have been built to a high standard and shoul last more than 50 years without the need for "significant upgrades or renovations".
