A long-treasured tramping hut in the Matukituki Valley will get a second life as the result of a fundraising collaboration.

Aspiring Hut has been an important location for outdoor enthusiasts since it opened in 1949, with mountaineers using it as a base for trips to Mount Aspiring and the surrounding peaks and trampers and families visiting it as a destination in its own right.

The hut’s owner, New Zealand Alpine Club (NZAC), is working in partnership with the Department of Conservation (DOC), Backcountry Trust (BCT), and Tūpiki Trust, for a major refurbishment which will future-proof the 70+-year-old hut.

NZAC general manager Karen Leacock said the usage of the hut - which received more than 3,000 bed nights annually pre-Covid - had changed over time and more families than ever are using it as a first experience for children on an overnight tramp.

“Smaller bunk rooms and bookable spaces are important for these groups so we are taking the opportunity to improve the layout of the hut so that families and groups will continue to enjoy the asset well into the future.”

The work will also address essential earthquake strengthening needs which were identified in 2013 when the hut was determined to have between 30 and 80 percent of the current Building Code seismic strength.

Karen said improving the layout of the hut would also make it more appealing to training groups heading for the higher altitudes by foot “negating the need for widespread use of helicopters which we see in other areas”.

An artists’ impression of the renovated hut.

The design aims to preserve the history of the hut where possible, including by retaining its historic stonework, but building a new structure inside the shell and expanding it slightly to provide more sleeping area.

Funding for the $1.1M project has been secured from the government’s Jobs for Nature fund ($350,000), Tupuki Trust ($200,000), the Otago Community Trust ($100,000), FMC Forest and Mountain Trust $20,000, and NZAC has committed $150,000.

This leaves a funding shortfall of $280,000 and members of the public who wish to make a donation towards the Aspiring Hut refurbishment can do so here.

Work begins on the Aspiring Hut upgrade this month and it is due to be completed by February 2023.

PHOTOS: Supplied