Huts on the Rock & Pillars

Perched at 1325 m in the Rock and Pillar Range, this historic alpine hut is owned and maintained by Strath Taieri Agriculture & Rural Tourism Trust (STARTT).

Facilities

• Rainwater in tank to right of entry door and nearby stream (boil before use)
• Gas cooker, cookware, cutlery, and crockery
• Two bunkrooms with 20 mattresses and a large common room with table tennis
• Dining area, small kitchen, gear room, and washroom/entry lobby
• Solar lighting throughout
• USB ports for chargers- need own cords
• No artificial heating

Payment to be online- details in hut – $12 adult, $5 school aged children.

Bookings recommended – email kate@strathburn.co.nz or text
027 443 8134

Built in 1946 by the Otago Ski Club for ski field development, ‘Big Hut’ hosted lively ski weekends until 1954. After falling into disrepair, it was weatherproofed in the 1980s by the Otago Tramping & Mountaineering Club and later restored on the outside led by Bruce Mason and then upgraded inside by STARTT, led by volunteer Geoff McHardy. Modern upgrades include insulation, double glazing, a new toilet block, and new kitchen.

The hut is owned by the Otago Tramping and Mountaineering Club (OTMC) and managed by the Leaning Lodge Trust.

Altitude: 1,220 m

Lighting – solar

• The hut must be left clean and tidy and all rubbish taken with you.
• Ensure you allow time to arrive at the hut well before dark, so you can find water and the location of the toilet.
• Fill in the hut book with the names, date of stay and intentions so if required Search and Rescue parties can use the information if your plans change once you have started your trip

Houses 10 mattresses. Water is available from a stream nearby. Boil all water before use.

Bookings are required and can be done through the DOC website.

Fees

• Adult (18+ years): $16 per night
• Child/Youth (5–17 years): $8 per night
• Infant (0–4 years): Free

The original hut was built by the Otago Ski Club in 1958, and named Leaning Lodge on account of its sloping floor. Then, the site was known as the Castle Rock ski field. A rope tow and tow shed were also built then. The new hut was opened in 2024.

Getting There

Two tracks can be used to get to Leaning Lodge:

• The Glencreag Track is steeper and passes by Big Hut and then another 300m climb to the top of the range and head north and then down the Kinvara track road to Leaning Lodge track.

• Or park at the Kinvara DOC carpark at Kinvara Station. This is up what looks like a private driveway just south of Lug Creek, about 9 km north of Middlemarch on SH87. The carpark is not marked from the main highway. The road is not suitable for inexperienced drivers but provides a good walking track which is less steep but longer with a zig zag climb through private farm land. Be aware it is closed in late November/December for fawning. You head through a well signposted gate at the top of the station about 2/3 up the mountain into DOC land and continue upwards till you see a track heading south and about 2km along that is Leaning Lodge.

Please Leave all gates as found and be very aware that the weather is changeable and this is an alpine environment.