Leitchs Hut
Leitchs Hut is a Department of Conservation standard backcountry hut in the Whareorino Conservation Area (Waikato). It sleeps 16 in 16 bunk beds and includes mattresses, a wood-burning stove for heating, and a toilet. You’ll need to carry a portable stove for cooking; drinking water is untreated.
Hut use is “standard bookings not required” on a first-come, first-served basis, but you still need to buy a hut ticket if you want to camp and use hut facilities. Place the ticket for your stay in the honesty box at the hut. Fees run as $10 per night for adults (18+), $5 per night for youth (5–17), and free for children/infants (0–4); a hut pass also covers unlimited use at most standard and serviced huts for 12 months. There are four tracks leading to the hut, with typical walking times ranging from about 2–3 hours from the road end up to around 14 hours return. Some approaches (Waikawau and Mangatoa tracks) have overgrown vegetation, windfalls, and loss of marking in places.