Location: Croesus Track. West Coast in southern Paparoa Ranges.

BT20; E1467432, N5316359. From Smoke-ho carpark near Blackball, about 20km from Greymouth. “No issues to drive up the start of the track, 5km good gravel road”.

Access: “Old miners track so easy and not too steep. It took us 4 hours to get to Ces Clark Hut but you could do it in 3 or 3.5 hrs. It took us a bit longer as we did the side track to the battery stamper. It takes half an hour to get out there. There is a hut there near start of track to stamper if you need a rain break. Walk out is quicker as down hill.

 “We started on the Blackball end as an in and out trip in the Grey Valley. Cool history there is time to check it out – ie history of unions and start of the Labour Party in New Zealand.”

Hut features: 16 bunk beds. Very good, warm but fire hard to start as coal not great. We carried up some wood to dry for kindling as people walking out told us about the fire being hard to start. Hut tidy and clean with double glazed windows.

If people wanted to ditch the hut as kids are there then the old top hut is right beside it with old sack beds.

It was drizzly so we didn’t get a great view but apparently on a fine day you will be rewarded with views of Lake Brunner, the Main Divide and down to Aoraki Mount Cook.

Visited by: Thurlow whanau in May 2016.