Top Crawford Hut
(Top Crawford Hut looking into the head of the valley: Photo Andrew Buglass 2005)
Maintenance status
Top Crawford Hut is currently designated as minimal maintenance. There is a long-term
plan to shift the Hut up to the Crawford Biv
site at the head of the valley when the Biv reaches the end of its natural life.
The tracks in the Crawford are fully maintain currently.
Location
Kokatahi
catchment: Grid Ref: 2367650E/ 5805970N.
Map J33. Altitude 750m. Top Crawford Hut is located on the TL of
the Crawford River, a tributary of the Kokatahi River. It is midway
up the valley and well above the River in a clearing in the montane zone.
The Crawford valley is part of the Styx,
Lathrop Saddle, Kokatahi, Zit Saddle, Toaroha circuit, a
fairly popular back-country
route of moderate difficulty.
Access
DOC re-cut the tracks in the Crawford and upper Kokatahi
in 2004. Prior to this they had gotten pretty overgrown and the valleys were a bit of
a wilderness experience.
Track times between huts are much improved these days and getting to Top Crawford from
Crawford Junction Hut takes around 2.5 hours currently, and
around 1.5 hours down from
Crawford Biv.
From Crawford Junction there is a short section of boulderhopping
to a track which takes you through some nice rata/ kamahi forest to Farquharson Creek.
This is a big
fast flowing stream, unbridged following a flood some years back, and is
uncrossable after heavy rain. After the Farquharson the track
follows the river, or close to it for a while. There follows a 45 minute climb after which
the track flattens and sidles for the remainder of the journey to the Hut.
There is a short section
prior to the climb where
the trackcutters ran out of orange markers. Two unmarked entrances between
riverbed and track were cruise-taped in 2005.
There is an open clearing next to the Hut that would provide helicopter access.
Type
Crawford is a standard 4-bunk NZFS design built in the mid-60's. The fireplace was removed in
2003 for "safety reasons." There is a roof-fed watertank and a toilet.
Condition
The Hut received new windows, was repainted and sealed, had some interior repairs done, and
the piles diagonally
braced by DOC in the summer of 2004. Some moisture is still getting in the SE corner of
the Hut under the bunk.
One of the bearers supporting the watertank platform has slipped off its uphill pile. The tank
now rests on a
weaker side strut and the platform is beginning to sag. The bearer was propped up
with bits of the old concrete hearth in March 2005 to try and
prevent further collapse.
Routes
There is likely to be side-creek access in the vicinity
of the Hut to the Mt. Learmont tops, although I don't have any information from
anyone that's done this. A permolat marker near the toilet marks the beginning of an
old survey line which heads directly up the hill behind the Hut. The vegetation is dense however,
and following the line is no different to scrub-bashing. Some options
may exist for creek access to the Browning Range on the other side the Crawford, again
unverified at this stage.
Repairs
The leak needs to be located and repaired, and the watertank stand fixing.
Provisions on Site
Kero cooker - no kero, one billy, a shovel, a broom, a flat file, a brush and hearth shovel. There are
assorted bits of timber under the Hut.