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 although DOC
plans to shift the Hut up to the Crawford Biv
site at the head of the valley in 2011. Once there it will be fully maintained along
with the tracks in the Crawford and upper Kokatahi valleys.
Location
Kokatahi
catchment. Map BV19. Grid Ref: E1457668/ N5244337.
Altitude 745m. Top Crawford Hut is located on the TL of
the Crawford River midway
up the valley, in a clearing well above the River.
The Crawford flows into the Kokatahi and is on the Styx,
Lathrop Saddle, Kokatahi, Zit Saddle, Toaroha circuit, a
fairly popular back-country
route of moderate difficulty.
Access
DOC recut the tracks in the Crawford and upper Kokatahi
in 2004 and track times between huts are reasonably fast currently. From
Crawford Junction Hut boulderhop up the Crawford past the
swingbridge. A short section of track follows through rata/ kamahi forest to Farquharson Creek.
The Farquharson is big, fast flowing and unbridged, and would be uncrossable after heavy rain.
Cross and continue upriver following or staying close to the River for a bit. After this the track
climbs
reasonably steeply for 45 minutes, then flattens and sidles for
the remainder of the journey to the Hut. Allow 2.5 hours from Crawford Junction to Top Crawford Hut,
2.5 - 3 days from Toaroha roadend via Zit Saddle, or 1.5 - 2 days from the Kokatahi roadend.
Access from Crawford Biv down to Top Crawford Hut is relatively
simple and quick. From the Biv drop down to the River and cross to the TL. A 15-20 minute
section of boulderhopping takes you to the start of the track through the alpine forest.
The track is up and down intially, sidling and dropping down the side of the valley to Top Crawford
Hut. Allow 1.5 hours for the journey down from the BIv, or 2 days
from the Styx roadend via lathrop Saddle.
An open clearing next to the Hut 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.
A bearer supporting the watertank platform on the uphill side has slipped off its 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 there is no specific route information
available currently. A permolat marker near the toilet marks the beginning of an
old survey line which heads directly up the hill behind the Hut. The alpine/ montane
forest along the line is dense and difficult to push through and offers
no specific advantage over a general scrub-bash. Options
are also likely to exist for creek access to the Browning Range on the other side the Crawford.
Again, no specific route information is on hand.
Repairs
The leak needs to be located and repaired, and the watertank stand fixed. The Hut is
likely to be given a significant makeover when it is shifted to the head of the Crawford, as
was the case with Top Kokatahi Hut.
Provisions on Site
One Kero cooker (no kerosine), one billy, a shovel, a broom, a flat file, a brush and hearth shovel.
There are
assorted bits of timber under the Hut.