Image: Cam Jones (DOC) | DOC
A one story tall wooden hut in an opening next to a forest. The hut also sits on the edge of a lake.
Kōhanga Atawhai – Manson Nicholls Hut

Located in Lewis Pass Scenic Reserve in the West Coast region

This is a 20-bunk hut in the Greymouth area. It sits on the edge of Lake Daniell.

Kōhanga Atawhai – Manson Nicholls Hut sits on the edge of Lake Daniell. You can swim in the shallow lake in the summer or fish for trout.

Facilities

  • Bunks in 2 bunkrooms. 
  • Water source – cold water from rain collection tank.
  • Heating.
  • Space for camping outside the hut.
  • Dedicated fire pits at the hut. Fires are not allowed outside these fire pits.
  • Jetty.
Huts have basic facilities. You'll need to take:
  • Sleeping bag
  • Cooking stove, pots/pans and utensils
  • Toilet paper
  • Rubbish bag
  • Newspaper/firelighters and matches/lighter for the wood burner/fire
  • Torch

Heritage

The original hut on this site, Manson-Nicholls Memorial Hut, was constructed in 1976 by members of the Christchurch Tramping Club and The Lake Daniell's Fishing Club in memory of three young trampers who lost their lives nearby in 1974. Brian and Sharon Manson and Phillip Nicholls were killed by a landslide while they sheltered from appalling weather in the old Lake Daniell Fishing Club Hut which was located on the opposite side of the lake.

The current hut was designed and built especially for families and school groups using innovative, sustainable building techniques. It was completed in March 2020.

Fees

  • Adult (18+ years): $25 per night
  • Youth (5–17 years): $12.50 per night
  • Child/Infant (0–4 years): free

Backcountry Hut Passes can be used at this hut. 

About hut tickets and passes | Retailers that sell hut tickets and passes

Fees to camp at the hut

Fees to camp at this hut are paid using hut tickets or a Backcountry Hut Pass or Campsite Pass.

  • Adult (18+ years): $10 per night
  • Youth (5–17 years): $5 per night
  • Child/Infant (0–4years): free

Before you go, buy 1 Standard Hut Ticket (blue for adults, red for youth) for each night's stay. Put this in the honesty box at the hut.

About hut tickets and passes | About campsite passes | Retailers that sell hut tickets and passes

Bookings

Bookings are open for stays up to 30 June 2025.

All bookings are first-come first-served. We do not have waiting lists for bookings for future seasons or facilities that are already booked-out.

Bookings are required all year.

Book Kōhanga Atawhai - Manson Nicholls Hut online.

A $10 service fee applies to phone and in-person booking. This is a limited service – book online first. An in-person booking is dependent on there being space available.

Your hut booking is for any bunk bed, not for a specific bunk bed – select your bunk bed on arrival.

The hut is 3 hours walk from nearest road end on the Lake Daniell Track. 

The track starts at Marble Hill Campsite, 5 km east of Springs Junction on the Lewis Pass Highway (SH7). Turn off the highway onto a gravel road and drive several hundred metres till you come to a shelter on the left hand side.

Note that the 4WD track and hut on Station Creek/Sherriff River, 1.5 km north of the head of Lake Daniell, are located on private land. Access is only possible via Station Creek with permission from the landowners.

Tracks to this hut

Location

Topo50 map sheet: BT23
Grid/NZTM2000 coordinates: E1541459, N5316142