Thank Doc

Wanaka holds a lot of significance for owners Kathryn and Matt.

- Jo Bates

They lived there for a few years after university; Mattworked for DoC there in the mid-90s and the pair married under a tree in Wanaka Station Park in 1997. Now based in Wellington, the couple wanted a Wanaka base – something reminiscent of a DoC hut – for the outdoor adventures they love and wanted to introduce to their young children.

To get that ball rolling, Kath and Matt bought a Rippon Lea site unseen in 2015. It turned out to be a tricky one, which Rafe Maclean has manipulated to fit a wedge-shaped hut on a triangular piece of land at the bottom of the site, squeezed between easements that run across the section and serve five surrounding properties. (The deck, which crosses one of the main easements, can be dismantled should access ever be required.)