Clark to open new back-country hut

The Snow Farm’s Musterer’s Hut will be officially opened by Helen Clark on Saturday. PHOTO: SNOW...
The Snow Farm’s Musterer’s Hut will be officially opened by Helen Clark on Saturday. PHOTO: SNOW FARM
Former prime minister Helen Clark will open the Snow Farm’s new Musterer’s Hut on Saturday.

The keen cross-country skier and her husband Peter Davis are regular visitors at the ski area.

The new 36-bed hut cost the Pisa Alpine Charitable Trust $750,000 to build and has been primarily designed for schools and community groups.

It is the largest of the Snow Farm’s back-country huts and was funded by grants and donations.

The Snow Farm hosts more than 15,000 user days annually, including from community groups, 33 schools from Christchurch to Invercargill and the growing Olympic sport of biathlon.

General manager Sam Lee said it had been challenging to accommodate all groups.

"We have worked extremely hard to bring Musterer’s Hut to life, and to have our patron, Helen Clark, on site to open the hut is a testament to the importance of this project," Mr Lee said.

The official opening includes a mihi whakatau and karakia (traditional blessing) by Ngai Tahu kaumatua Darren Rewi, of Queenstown, and a performance by the Mount Aspiring College kapa haka group.

Musterer’s Hut is in Tranquillity Basin, a one-hour ski or snowshoe from the Snow Farm base building.