Mangapouri Hut

The place

DOC hut at Ruataahuna in Te Urewera (Bay of Plenty, North Island), at 578 m. Burned down in October 2022 by Te Uru Taumatua (TUT), the post-settlement governance entity of the Tūhoe iwi, as part of the decommissioning of 29 of the 53 Te Urewera huts. The High Court has since ruled that the decision-making process leading to the demolition was unlawful; TUT withdrew its appeal in mid-2025. The burned buildings cannot be restored. The site is now preserved as a point of historic interest; check for alerts with Ngāi Tūhoe (+64 6 837 3803) before heading into the area.