Grant for Leaning Lodge Rebuild Project

Tūpiki Trust is pleased to announce that it has made a grant of $25,000 to support the rebuild of Leaning Lodge near Middlemarch on the Rock and Pillar Range. Middlemarch is just over one hour’s drive from Dunedin and the lodge is a 2–3-hour uphill walk. Leaning Lodge sits just below the ridge of Pātearoa, the Rock and Pillar Range, in a starkly dramatic environment of hulking schist tors and remarkable alpine flora adapted to a wind-swept mix of sun, snow, mist and rain.

Leaning Lodge has been a popular destination since it was built by the Otago Ski Club in 1958. Reduced snowfall meant regular down-hill skiing activities ceased, but trampers, climbers and increasingly, mountain bikers and MTB tourers make regular use of the hut’s shelter.
A 2012 attempt at refurbishment did not meet building code requirements, so the current structure is closed to the public, just as demand for close, accessible wilderness huts is rapidly rising. Leaning Lodge Trust’s aim is to replace the existing structure with a code compliant, modern hut that meets both DOC’s back-country-hut standards. It will comprise an entrance foyer, kitchen and dining facilities, 10 bunks and a deck looking over the Strath Taieri valley far below. Leaning Lodge Trust has gained strong community support for the project and has almost raised sufficient funds to meet the expected project cost of $240,000