Kawakawa Hut
Kawakawa Hut is a six-bunk backcountry hut in the Aorangi Forest Park area of the Wairarapa, run by the Department of Conservation. It’s a wood-heated hut with a fireplace, plus a pit latrine toilet. Drinking water is provided only as untreated water, and mattresses are included.
Use is first come, first served—no bookings are required. Fees apply; you’ll need a Standard Hut Ticket for each night in the honesty box, or you can use a Backcountry Hut Pass for unlimited use at most Standard and Serviced huts for a 12-month period. The hut was built in 1965 by the New Zealand Forest Service for pest animal control work, and it was transported to its current site by the army. There is no public access from Cape Palliser Road via Kawakawa Stream because that section is through private land closed to the public.