Good response to call for hut volunteers

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 5, Issue 24, 10 November 1987, Page 2

Good response to call for hut volunteers

Huts in the Whanganui National Park will be well looked after this year since a number of people have put their names forward to be volunteer wardens over the Christmas period. An official from the Department of Conservation said enough applications were received to ensure that the Matemateaonga and John Coull Huts and other huts along the Wanganui River will be supervised from late December through to February. Hut wardens have the responsibility of collecting hut fees that would otherwise go unpaid. Stirveys in the past have shown that visitors to huts in the region are reluctant to pay

the small fee for the amenity. Unattended huts equipped with honesty boxes paid little while huts with wardens collected large sums. Hut wardens' other responsibilities include maintaining buildings and informing visitors o f highlights in the area. Most hut wardens serve for two to three weeks at a time.