Today's trip to Green Hut Site in the Silver Peaks was a special one as on this day 90 years ago, 3 June 1933, the clubs first hut, just below Green Hill was opened. Taking just three months to build the hut, it became the main base of club activity in the Silver Peaks until the late 1940's when Jubilee Hut was built and became more important to the club. Sadly Green Hut was removed in 1988 due to vandalism and today there is just a small clearing amongst the bush to mark the site.
Maybe it was the promise of cake or maybe it was because the winter sun was shining - whatever the reason, 21 people gathered at 10 am for the one hour walk to celebrate Green Hut's 90th birthday. A mixture of older club members who remembered the hut, members from the Green Hut track cutting group and newer club members with no knowledge of the hut gathered for the 60m climb up the hill. Usually this first climb is at a fast pace but today with some of the older club members present, the climb was at a leisurely pace which gave us time to chat to the people in front and behind as the track wound it's way through the manuka.
After reaching the crest of the climb, the track sidles around on the contour line and we were able to stop and admire the expansive views of the Silver Peaks. Our destination was visible, just below the dip in the ridge line with Green Peak slightly in front of and to the left of the Pulpit Rock which is the dominating peak from this angle. (Green Hut site is marked with a red X in the picture below)
The trees have grown a lot over the 35+ years that I have been coming to the Silver Peaks and even more so from 90 years ago when Green Hut was built. 90 years ago, bullocks were used to drag a wagon over the tussock tops to the ridge above Green Hut Site and then the hut building material was carried by hand down to the site. Today the landscape is completely different and the trees would make that task impossible.
There has been a lot of work on the track in recent years with the surface being a lot drier and not so much mud as in previous years, in fact despite being early winter and having had a number of wet days recently, the track is in surprisingly good condition. Because the track was in such good condition we were able to take our time and look around, being rewarded with glimpses between the trees of wonderful views looking towards Swampy Summit on our left and to the hills inland on our right.
After an hour of walking, we arrived at Green Hut Site which was to be the place of our celebrations. The area today is hardly recognizable as the original site as the trees have grown, covering the hill behind where the hut was as well as growing on the actual hut site. We were very heartened to see the two seats that were recently installed by the Green Hut Track Group were still in place and some of the group wasted no time in making use of them. As was fitting for the occasion, a couple of speeches were made giving a brief outline of the hut and it's history along with the establishment of the Green Hut Track Group who maintain the tracks in the Silver Peaks.
After the cake cutting ceremony it was time to find a place in the sun for lunch and a chat with those around you. Some of the fitter, more enthusiastic of the group decided to head up Green Hill, arriving back in time to join the rest of the group on the walk back to the cars. We retraced our steps, stopping often to admire the views and enjoy the sun.
During the walk, it was great to see the camaraderie of the OTMC with those fitter, walking alongside and encouraging the older club members, swapping stories of past trips in the Silver Peaks and memories of Green Hut. All up a shorter day trip with only two hours of walking and a trip I was very pleased to have been apart of.
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