After wading through a muddy swamp, the track lead down to the East Ahuriri River that trickled through a vast open space. I was headed for the Ahuriri River 9km away but decided to drop down a 20m bank and stop the night at the Quailburn Hut. A rustic old hut, not maintained by DOC sat on the other side of the East Ahuriri River, it was narrow and shallow. The other option was to find a place to camp along the way but I liked the idea of fresh water close by. What I wasn’t sure about was having no long drop so I had to dig a cat-hole anyway. I had the hut to myself luckily since there was only one bunk that looked like it was secure enough to sleep on.
Any shelter is welcome, I particularly love the old huts. It is beautiful country down there.