Stanfield Hut, Wednesday 2 September 2026
Banner Photo: At the helipad, just before the descent to the Tamaki River west branch
Seven club members (plus Lee who had come along to suss us out) gathered for a trip to Dannevirke to do the A-frame and Stanfield huts. After a quick discussion about the weather, we decided that A-frame was not an option; the wind would have been too strong on the top ridge.
The Homes Ridge track
We arrived at the car park at 8.30am and, after everyone had rugged up, headed for the Homes Ridge track, which starts with the first of many river crossings for the day.
There is a steep initial climb through native forest before the track reaches a ridge and an old logging road. It is an easy, undulating walk for about 40 minutes with native bush on one side and scrubby farmland on the other. The track opens up, at which point there is a sign indicating 45min to Stanfield Hut. The track is narrow from here and soon enters the bush.
The river seen from the Homes Ridge track
We found a nice sheltered spot with sunshine to stop for morning tea, then headed off down through the bush towards the river. After criss-crossing the river a few times, we climbed up the bank and back into the bush for the last few metres to the hut.
Stanfield Hut lies on the banks of the Tamaki River west branch, at 1900ft ASL. It was built in 1965 by the New Zealand Forest Service and was named after George Stanfield, a local bushman and farmer. In December 2021, the hut was renovated by Back Country Trust volunteers.
The group selfie, all rugged up
Arrival was at around 11am, so we had an early lunch inside the hut – outside, it was very windy and wet.
After lunch, we headed back towards the cars via the river. The riverbed is wide and quite barren and around half-way, willows became abundant. It was lovely to see giant rimus breaking the skyline. The track is well marked with blue ice cream lids and blue ribbon. We arrived at the car around 1pm and had a coffee, then headed home, stopping at the Tikokino pub for a drink and hot chips.
Trampers: Selina Chilton, Keith Gore, Di Reid, Colin Jones, Mary Campbell, Jenny Burns, Lee Andrews and Michelle Finlayson
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