Dime a dozen
Mātaketake Hut and the Cattle Track, South Westland, New Zealand
We had a problem. There were simply too many places to go. Tess was due to compete in the Great Naseby Water Race, a 50km ultra marathon in Central Otago. We’d taken the week before off and decided that we would just make plans closer to time. So the week rolled around and in a cold shepherds hut in Hāwea we had a choice to make. Where to go? Brewster Hut perhaps? Lake Douglas? Or perhaps a little red hut known on the Mātaketake range? Mātaketake Hut was a new kid on the block, built by the Backcountry Trust in 2020 using money bequeathed by late conservationist Andy Dennis near the Haast — Pāringa Cattle Track. With a weather window and few days to kill it sounded like the perfect ‘taper’. We booked the hut for two nights, giving us time to explore nearby tops and hopefully get the legendary views the hut is known for. And who knows, maybe they’d be snow?