Jacks Hut

Jacks Hut is a small restored roadman’s cottage beside SH73, about 5 km west of Arthur’s Pass township. It is a quick heritage stop to see a rare surviving example of the homes that once served the pass road. It is not overnight accommodation; plan on an outside visit, with its historic interpretation visible through the windows.

Built near Rough Creek in 1879 for roadman Jack Murray, the cottage was moved to its present position in 1909–10. Roadman Ned Roberts lived here later, and Jack O’Kane was the last roadman occupant. Roadmen maintained the early highways and lived with their families in cottages along the sections they were responsible for; the job disappeared as motor traffic and mechanised maintenance arrived.

After the roadmen’s era, Grace and Guy Butler bought the hut in 1923 and did it up as a family crib in 1928. The Coach Road over Arthur’s Pass had officially opened in 1866; the rail tunnel opened in 1923 and ended the coaching era. Jacks Hut was restored in 2004.

Look for the low, flared corrugated walls, pale pitched roof and paired front windows. A wider view that keeps the cottage and forest edge together shows how small this roadside home is; the windows and central door make its shape easy to pick out.