A rudimentry hut existed when Wattie Watson bought Routeburn in 1954, however, due to its rough condition, he, Dick Watson, & Bill & Angus Jenkins, rebuilt the framework from beech saplings in the autumn of 1960. Spring, 1960, saw the return & finish the project, by recycling the flat iron from the old structure to clad the walls. The malthoid lining & roofing iron were flown in by Tex Smith in his Cessna. The completed hut had four sacking bunks & a fireplace so quite adequate for the needs of the farm. It was refurbished in early 2016 by students of the Phys-Ed dept at the Uni. of Otago. Two windows were added, plus a new floor has been poured. Edit Hut