Photo of the week: Mt Fell hut on the move

Staff from DOC and the New Zealand Defence Force spent the weekend in Mount Richmond Forest Park, tasked with moving Mt Fell Hut – by helicopter.

Mt Fell Hut, weighing 1700kgs, was relocated to a site approximately 300m from it’s previous site on a slow moving slip. The RNZAF NH90 is the only helicopter in New Zealand that could lift such weight at 1220m above sea level.

Built in 1964, the 6 bunk hut is situated below an alpine meadow south of the summit of Mt Fell. The ridgeline above the hut is a popular stop for people climbing Mt Fell offering scenic views of the Wairau Plains, Nelson Bay, Tasman Bay, the Pelorus Valley and Wellington.

The hut is planned to reopen at its new location by Christmas 2016. More on the move can be found here.

Photos supplied by the New Zealand Defence Force.