Anniversary year for both property and homestead

Press, 18 December 1986, Page 30

Anniversary year for both property and homestead

1987 will be a special year for the Mt Hutt Station Resort, which is situated midway between the Rakaia Gorge and Mt Hutt.

It marks the anniversary of a decade of property development by the present owners, and also the centenary of the 1880 s original station home-, stead.

Mr Doug Hood, who built the Mt Hutt ski-field road now known as the Hood alpine highway, is the major owner of the whole operation. He bought the property with his brother, Mr Keith Hood, by public auction in 1977.

Mt Hutt station was at the time known because of its two world record shearing tallies, an 18pointer record deer shot on the property in 1924, and one of the biggest dairy herds in the South Island.

Having bought the property, the brothers turned their hand to gearing the station for a wide range of recreational and farming activities.

The major changes included;

• Completely restoring the crumbling 1880 s homestead, which now features a licensed restaurant and accommodation.

© Introducing Rakaia red, white-tail and fallow deer to the station.

® Networking the property with a system of private roadways. © Establishing four man-made lakes stocked with land-locked salmon, rainbow and brown trout.

© Basing Mt Hutt Air operation on the station, complete with a licensed airstrip, Hughes 500 D helicopter and fixed wing aircraft.

The resort’s promotional co-ordinator, Ms Kate McDonald, says “It’s amazing how many opportunities there are here for people to enjoy a holiday.”