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AUTC Leitch's Hut trip report

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Updated: Jan 17


- Aurthor: Johnny Stavropoulos
- Aurthor: Johnny Stavropoulos


Trip leader: Will Griffiths

Honorable mention: Country White wine






Our journey to Leitch’s hut got off to a slightly troubling start; while unloading cars at the track entrance on Saturday morning members of the group appeared hauling items such as an entire metal barbecue, a tent bag wider than its owner was tall, and a tote bag borne by one walker who appeared to have taken a wrong turn on her way to a yoga class in Remuera and arrived at a hut trail instead.


Nevertheless, we shared out the load and made decent time down Leitch’s Track - a fact we were kept well aware of by Sean’s highly committed Strava tracking. Fortunately, there was a river conveniently situated right next to the hut which we could use to wash off some of the sweat of the hike. Unfortunately, the river was about a foot deep, leaving little opportunity for coverage for one member of the group whose bright-coloured boxers failed to leave much to the imagination when wet. This did not deter some good fun and splashing around in the river however, and with the dirt cleansed from our bodies we were ready to make camp for the night.



Upon arrival to the hut, we quickly set about getting ourselves ready for an absolute feast. Miles showed off his suitability for military life by taking up various weaponry to dispose of an unfortunate mouse and chop firewood, while our leader Will displayed commendable tenacity, spending about 10 minutes straight blowing into the fire pit until it was able to survive without him.


Despite being a bit unwieldy to carry, our chilly bin was greatly appreciated when we poured out its cornucopia of sausages, pork, and chicken - all supported by a hearty helping of butter (with a bit of instant mash added in) and some questionably charred carrots - not to mention a couple of bags of goon that made several laps around the campfire. Our high-class dinner also featured some musical accompaniment; despite shock at one international student breaching unwritten etiquette by bringing a speaker to a tramp, he was ultimately forgiven thanks to his compatriot’s excellent playlist of “granola girl” music (a fascinating new piece of international slang).


In the end, the hut proved somewhat superfluous, thanks to Lucas’ 3-room, 12-person monster-tent (including a built in awning for the entrance) - which managed to outdo the average doc hut in both capacity and classiness. The hut did however provide for us with a couple of pairs of boxing gloves, which turned out to be perfect for settling an ongoing frenemies relationship within the group with some good old fashioned croc fighting, ultimately leading to a heartwarming reconciliation (though this did not lead to any less bickering the following day).


As the evening turned to night and marshmallows and drinks were shared around, campfire music took a strange turn into the pop works of Chappell Roan and Olivia Rodrigo, but not to any less enthusiasm from the singers. The revelries were only briefly interrupted when a member of the group turned up with feet covered in bramble scratches, prompting a quickfire medical response to get them back into walking shape by the next day. As was well in the end however, as our patient was not only ready for the walk back but even managed to make a return to the campfire to join in a line dance taught by an Irish international in a cultural exchange for some classic Kiwi jump jams. Any who thought their musical experience was over by the next of the night found themselves sorely mistaken as they awoke on Sunday morning to the sounds of crazy frog, thanks to a liberal interpretation of our trip leader’s instruction to make sure everyone was up at 8.


Ears ringing, the group packed up and made a slightly more muted journey back to our cars - though with some impressive showings of speed from certain members despite their hangovers, showing just how motivating the promise of a chippy stop on the drive back can be.


All in all, our trip to Leitch’s hut was thoroughly enjoyed by all; sharing food, goon, banter and memories made for a wonderful evening of bonding, and the few hiccups experienced along the way were consistently met with good cheer and a spirit of communal helpfulness. A solid hut in an excellent location, accessible with a relatively easy 3-hour tramp, Leitch’s hut comes highly commended as a destination for trips aiming for a fun evening of bonding around a campfire. Thanks from the group goes to our trip leader Will Griffiths, various members of the group who supplied communal resources like barbecues and tents, and to everyone else for bringing excellent vibes to the weekend. Chur!






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