When a group of cycle-weary school pupils arrived at the Forks Hut, in a peaceful valley on vast Otematata Station, there were few modern conveniences to greet them.
Forget PlayStations and MP3 players, cellphones or computer games - instead, the group from Papakaio School, in North Otago, helped get the fire ready, enjoyed a scavenger hunt and pretended to be sheep and musterers.
Dinner of potatoes, coleslaw, sausages and bread, followed by instant pudding and fruit salad, was devoured by candlelight.
Then, it was time for a game of spotlight, toasted marshmallows around the campfire, story-telling and bed in the corrugated-iron-clad bunkhouse.
After a hearty cooked breakfast the next morning, washed down with water from the nearby river, the children headed off to cycle the return journey, full of enthusiasm for their high-country experience.
While there was a show of hands for sore bottoms, the trip was declared very successful.
Even one of the parents accompanying the children agreed it was "lovely without any technology".
The Forks Hut, near the confluence of the Clearstream and Otematata River, is one of three musterers' huts on Otematata Station that have been been opened to the public.
People are welcome to walk, cycle or ride a horse across some or all of 150km of tracks now open to visitors.
The Cameron family has farmed the vast high country property in the Waitaki Valley for more than 100 years.
It is home to 30,000 merino sheep and 400 Hereford cattle.
The family's association with the Waitaki Valley began when Hugh Cameron bought Aviemore Station in 1892 - that property is still owned by the Cameron family - and two sons, Walter and Joe, bought neighbouring Otematata Station in 1908.
Otematata Station, incorporating Aviemore, covers 40,000ha and ranges from 350m above sea level at the homestead to 1800m on top of the Hawkdun Ranges, running across the back of the station.
For present owners Hugh and Mandy Cameron, the infrastructure was all there for opening the property to the public, with the well-maintained huts in place (including horse paddocks), and good tracks.
"We just thought, why not?" Mrs Cameron says.
Still passionate about farming - "absolutely, it's hard not to be in a place like this" - they say their new venture is all about diversifying.
Mr Cameron is involved in a benchmarking group and quite a lot of those farmers are branching out into different initiatives on their properties.
It did take some deliberation, particularly as Otematata Station is a working property, "and will always be a working property", but, with bookings required, they believe they can manage their new project.
And Mrs Cameron sees the fact it is a working station as one of the attractions.
Cyclists could encounter a mob of a few thousand sheep, or some musterers.
But because the Camerons will always know where people are, farm work and visitors can exist in harmony.
The tracks will be open from Labour Day weekend until the end of April, weather dependent.
Hunting has been restricted to the month of April.
Otematata Station is still a traditional - albeit progressive - property, with horses used regularly for station work and huts used for the likes of the autumn muster.
When Mr and Mrs Cameron hosted a centennial celebration in March 2008, marking 100 years of Cameron-family ownership, they discovered the station meant a lot to many people.
It was now nice to be able to share the big landscapes they took for granted.
"If you drive up the main road [State Highway 83], you don't know what's out here," Mrs Cameron says.
With assistance from Brigid Feely (To Be Frank), Blair Hughson (Core Development) and Jason Low (Pitch Design) and featuring photography from Derek Golding (Golding Arts), the Camerons have developed a website to promote their new venture.
There are two- and three-night options for overnight trips around the station, along with multiple-night stays.
While day trips are also welcome, Mrs Cameron expects a lot of the attraction will be staying in a hut in the mountains.
The three huts - Glenbouie, the Forks and Top Chimney Gully - sleep up to 10 and are equipped with mattresses and pillows, pots and pans, cooking utensils, crockery and cutlery, gas for cooking, candles, firewood and coal.
People only need to bring sleeping bags and food.
"They are what they are.
"They are just musterers' huts," Mrs Cameron says.
Eco-toilets have been installed at Glenbouie and the Forks, while Top Chimney Gully has a tidy long-drop.
Some Aucklanders were staying at one of the huts and invited Mr and Mrs Cameron out for dinner one night.
When the Camerons arrived at the hut, they discovered the visitors lying on their backs on the ground.
When the Camerons asked the visitors what they were doing, the visitors said they were looking at the stars - something they did not get to see in Auckland.
"It makes you appreciate what you've got," Mrs Cameron says.
The huts
• The Forks Hut (470m) sits in a broad valley, near the point where the Otematata River and Clearstream join.
It is a collection of three buildings - an old stone hut dating back to the 1880s (suitable for storing bikes and saddles), a 1920s corrugated iron tongue-and-groove lined bunkhouse, and a more modern cookhouse.
• Top Chimney Gully Hut (600m) looks northeast, down the narrow Chimney Gully, towards the St Mary Range running behind Kurow.
A traditional and original musterers' hut serves as the cookhouse. Joined to the cookhouse is a 1970s roughcast cottage, made up of three bunkrooms, a bathroom and a living area heated by a potbelly stove. The two structures form a U-shape, covered by a veranda, where bikes and saddles can be stored overnight.
• Glenbouie Hut (1050m) is the highest point of any of the tracks and looks northeast down the valley towards the Mackenzie basin.
The hut is a roughcast 1930s cottage, made up of two bunkrooms, a kitchen and a bathroom. An old corrugated iron musterers' hut provides shelter for bikes and saddles.
The track
• Back Yards (altitude 550m) to Glenbouie Hut (1050m) - distance between, 14km.
Walking time 4-5 hours. Biking/horse-riding time, 2 hours.
• Glenbouie Hut to Forks Hut (470m) - distance between, 13km.
Walking time 3 hours. Biking/horse-riding time, 2-2.5 hours.
• Forks Hut to Top Chimney Gully Hut (600m) - distance between, 12km.
Walking time 4 hours. Biking/horse-riding time, 1.5-2 hours.
• Forks Hut to the Back Yards, via Dead Cow Saddle (670m) - distance between, 11km.
Walking time 3.5 hours. Biking/horse-riding time, 2-2.5 hours.
For inquiries or to make bookings, visit www.otematatastation.co.nz or email hcameron@farmside.co.nz
