Newly restored Department of Conservation hut at Cape Brett offers some of the best views in Northland

DoC’s Cape Brett Hut – with stunning views over the Bay of Islands and out to the ocean – is open for bookings again after an extensive restoration.

To enjoy some of the best views in the Bay of Islands this summer you could book the exclusive, cliff-top Rahimoana villa at Eagle’s Nest in Russell for a mere $15,000 a night.

Or, you could spend just $25 a night for an arguably even more stunning view overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the iconic Hole in the Rock.

The only catch – if you could call it that – is you have to make your own way to historic Cape Brett Hut on foot.

Also, unlike Rahimoana, it doesn’t come with a Porsche or a personal chef, but those are minor sacrifices given its other attractions.

Cape Brett Hut is one of just a handful of huts operated by the Department of Conservation (DoC) in Northland, but it is one of the most spectacularly located in the country.

A former lightkeeper’s cottage, it perches on the tip of the rugged Cape Brett peninsula, at the foot of Rakaumangamanga, a mountain renowned as a waypoint for Polynesian navigators.

Just offshore, the famed Hole in the Rock – original name Motukōkako – lures a steady stream of tourist boats.

In recent years, the hut had been showing its age and there were frequent problems with its water supply.

A major renovation last year, however, means the cottage – built in the early 1900s to house a lightkeeper’s family – is back to looking its best and ready to withstand the Cape’s sometimes ferocious conditions.

Cape Brett Hut, Cape Brett Scenic Reserve, Bay of Islands, Northland. Photo / Shaun Barnett

DoC Bay of Islands operations manager Bronwyn Bauer-Hunt said the seven-week, $290,000 restoration project focused on preserving the hut’s heritage while ensuring a high standard of comfort and durability for future visitors.

Inside the hut, the restoration team carried out a full repaint, sanded and revarnished the floors and replaced the “ugly” 1970s doors with kauri versions in the building’s original style.

Outside, rotten weatherboards were replaced and window frames restored. New flashings and drainpipes were installed and the exterior was given six layers of paint.

The historic Cape Brett Hut before restoration work started

Bauer-Hunt said she was thrilled to welcome visitors back to the hut, and its stunning surroundings, this summer.

The cottage could sleep up to 23 people and attracted about 2000 visitors a year.

“Although it’s a challenging hike to reach the hut, it’s very popular, providing a unique experience for those seeking adventure and a connection to New Zealand’s natural and historical heritage.”

Options for reaching the hut included taking a water taxi to Deep Water Cove, followed by a two-hour hike.

Weather permitting, water taxi passengers could sometimes disembark directly on to the rocks below the hut.

Those who wanted the full Cape Brett experience could walk from Rāwhiti on a physically demanding track that took up to eight hours each way.

Motukōkako, or Hole in the Rock, at the Bay of Islands.

That route crossed private land owned by the 3B2 Trust. The track fee, like accommodation at the hut, could be booked and paid for online.

The historic lighthouse, a short scramble uphill from the cottage, was built in 1910 from cast-iron parts shipped from Thames.

It was decommissioned in 1978 and restored in 2007.

Other standout DoC accommodation in Northland includes Lane Cove Hut in Whangaroa Harbour’s Pekapeka Bay – accessible by boat as well as on foot – and the more basic Peach Cove Hut at Whangārei’s Bream Head.