Old Kime Hut, (20 bunks), was built in 1978, to replace the Kime Memorial Hut, built 1930 by Joe Gibbs for the TTC as a memorial to Esmond James Kime. It was a club-owned public hut in the Tararua Forest Park, and provided shelter and a ski hut, on the tops of the Southern Crossing, below Field Peak.
 The front of Kime Hut, August 2003 |
It could sleep 20-30 comfortably, but forty adult sized bodies (at a squeeze). When inside the hut, one looked for the hidden loft, great fun trying to climb up there! (ahem...dodgy...)
 Kime Hut near Mt Hector |
Work began on a replacement for Old Kime Hut, on a site just to the south. In 2014 Kime III was completed and signed off, after the hut failed a council "code compliance" because the window flashings did not follow the specifications. Having no stove, it is still somewhat cold and damp. Nevertheless it's layout, window configuration, insulation, and greater size make it a great improvement over Old Kime Hut.
 Kime III, April 2014 |
Esmond James Kime is buried at Karori Cemetery.
See Papers Past:
- Lost on the Ranges. Otaki Mail, 14 June 1922
- STILL MISSING. EVENING POST, VOLUME CIII, ISSUE 139, 15 JUNE 1922
- Lost on the ranges. Otaki Mail, 16 June 1922
- SHELTERING UNDER ROCK. EVENING POST, VOLUME CIII, ISSUE 140, 16 JUNE 1922
- Tragic Ending. EVENING POST, VOLUME CIII, ISSUE 141, 17 JUNE 1922