Welcome to Benmore Hut. Being not so far from Christchurch and not such a long walk you can either enjoy a day trip or spend the night here.
Some safety information before you go
This cache (and hut) in the Big Ben Range, east of Springfield. There is no cell coverage, so be prepared. A few links of interest:
Korowai Torlesse DOC brochure
Outdoor DOC safety code
Metservice Canterbury high country weather
The first section of the track (from 2WD parking to 4WD parking) will take about one hour and is fairly easy, flat, one river crossing and even ground (4WD track). No shade, you are walking along farmland. We placed a first cache here (GCA21ZB). You can get to the hut through Thirteen Mile Bush track. It will take you 2 additional hours. The first section, a bit less than an hour will be mostly flat, along the river with a few crossing and fallen trees to hop over or under depending on your size. Then for the last section, the track starts climbing. When it gets flat again, it is quite muddy, even swampy at places. You will walk in a beech forest, sheltered from the wind and listen to birds.
You can also reach the hut (or come back from the hut) using the new Annavale track. It climbs up a peak above 1000m, and mostly follows a 4WD track. It is open short tussock grassland, so you will get views across the ranges and plains.
Full description of the tramp with pictures on Adventure from the South blog
At the hut, when you look for the cache be careful, especially with children, under the hut there are some construction materials (wires and corrugated iron) as well as broken glass. Look where you put your hands.
More about the hut
The hut was built in 1975 and belongs to the NZ Deerstalkers Association. It has 3 bunks, a toilet, water (needs to be boiled) and a fireplace.
About the cache
We decided to go for an "easy" overnight tramp to Benmore hut. We were disappointed to see no cache, so we decided to place two on the way. The first one is at the 4WD carpark and is a nice place to stop for a snack (GCA21ZB). The track was harder than expected, but feasible with a child. The hut is really nice and cosy. We had a wonderful stay and hope others can enjoy this place too. The container is a preform tube, the spot was chosen by Mr 8.