Kime Hut
Kime Hut is a 20-bunk backcountry hut managed by the Department of Conservation in Tararua Forest Park, on the Southern Crossing. It sits below Hut Mound (1440m) and is above the bushline, so there’s no heating and it can be very cold. The hut is first-come, first-served—no standard bookings are required—but you need a Standard Hut Ticket in the honesty box for each night (or a Backcountry Hut Pass that allows unlimited use at most Standard and Serviced huts).
Sleeping is in bunks (mattresses provided), with pit latrine toilets. Drinking water is untreated, so plan on bringing treatment. Kime Hut was opened in June 1930 (the first hut) and a replacement hut was built and opened in 2014; it’s a common base for tramping routes across the Southern Crossing, with best access via Ōtaki Forks.