Leaning Lodge Hut

Leaning Lodge Hut is an alpine backcountry hut on the Rock and Pillar Range in Otago, managed by the Leaning Lodge Trust and used year-round in a high, winter-prone environment. It sits at 1,220 m and is part of the Rock and Pillar Conservation Area approach from the Kinvara Station area near Middlemarch.

The hut provides 10 bunk beds with mattresses and uses lighting powered by solar. Water is available from a nearby stream (boil before use) and toilets are non-flush. Leave the hut clean and tidy and take all rubbish out; fill in the hut book with your names, stay dates, and intentions so Search and Rescue teams can act if plans change.

Bookings are required all year, and hut stays require a DOC booking made online. Fees are adult (18+) $16 per night, child/youth (5–17) $8 per night, and infant (0–4) free; Backcountry Hut Passes and Backcountry Hut Tickets cannot be used at this hut. Plan on arriving well before dark—snow and ice are expected in winter, and higher on the access track conditions can be icy/slick, with crampons sometimes required. The route starts from the DOC carpark at Kinvara Station, follows Kinvara Road track, then turns left about 7.8 km and continues a further 1.2 km to the hut.