Alice Nash Heritage Memorial Lodge

An easy and scenic walk ideal for families wanting a day trip or an overnight stay.  Set in the Iron Gates area of the Ruahine Ranges.

Getting Here: From Feilding, head out onto Kimbolton Road. Keep going on Kimbolton Road through Cheltenham and Kimbolton Village. After Kimbolton take your first right onto Apiti Road. This becomes Oroua Valley Road. Take a right onto Table Flat Road and follow it right through, staying to the left. This will take you up and you will see a few farm gates. Carry on up to the one on your left.

Drive down 30 metres for a spectacular view , the DoC info board and the start of your journey.

Please leave all gates as you found them.

Heritage Hut & Walk

The Walk: This is quite an easy walk, ideal for families wanting a day trip or an overnight stay. It starts off coming down through steep farmland and enters the bush via a fantastically curved bridge. This walk has some steady climbs, but nothing steep or too challenging. The track is very well marked with DoC markers along the way. The last part is bit more of a hill than the rest, and then you reach a fork which directs you either to Heritage Hut or Oroua Flats. If you take the Heritage Hut turn, it’s another 5 minutes.  Once there you'll be treated to breathtaking views of the ranges and bush. 


The Hut: This hut has a large and roomy cooking area and platform bunks, which, like all good huts, can accommodate around 12 people if need be (with a bit of squishing). It is a grade 1 hut, which means no electricity or cooking facilities. It does however, have running water, a stand-alone fireplace and an outdoor long drop toilet. To stay overnight at the hut, it costs $5 per person, and school aged children are free. There is a slot for your payment by the fireplace, or you can pay by cheque to the Manawatu NZ Deerstalkers Association.

The original Heritage Lodge hut burned down in 2005. Thanks to a generous donation from the family of the late Alice Nash, and the considerable time, dedication and efforts of the Manawatu NZ Deerstalkers Association, the new Alice Nash Memorial Heritage Lodge was completed in 2007, and to this day is owned and maintained by the Manawatu branch of the NZ Deerstalkers.

The decking is one of the main highlights of the hut; it always gets the sun and is quite large. Large enough in fact, that it’s also a popular sleeping area for that real outdoors experience. There is also a reasonable amount of grass space for tent pitching.

Located near Apiti Tavern, which is a great place to stop after an invigorating hike.