Tiraumea Hut

Tiraumea Hut is a six-bunk Standard hut at 520 metres in the Braeburn Range, set in a grassy clearing close to the Tiraumea River. It is an overnight stop on the remote tramping link between Tutaki and the D’Urville side of Nelson Lakes, not a quick roadside visit. Come for a small, basic hut stay as part of a proper backcountry trip.

From the Tutaki side, the hut is about 15 kilometres in. The route crosses grassy river flats, boggy tussock and beech forest, then crosses the river again and again; expect dozens of fords, with more than 40 counted on one trip. Allow roughly five to six hours from Tutaki and plan around river conditions. This is a demanding day where route-finding and water crossings matter more than keeping a pace. From Tiraumea Hut, the D’Urville Hut link is listed at about two and a half hours, with Morgan Hut farther on at about five.

There are six bunks with mattresses, a wood stove and a long-drop toilet. Bunks are first come, first served, with no bed reservations. There is no food service, and no treated water supply was confirmed, so bring your food and a way to treat water from the nearby natural source.

Tiraumea was built by the New Zealand Forest Service in the 1960s as an S70 six-bunk hut. Its heating has changed from an open fire to a potbelly stove and then to a Wagener Sparky wood stove, but the compact shelter still has the plain, practical feel of a hut made for overnight tramping.