There are building sites… and then there’s Oturere Hut.

Right in the middle of the volcanic landscape of the Tongariro National Park, the new Oturere Hut is taking shape — and this is exactly the sort of project that gets the Impel crew excited.

Why?

Because you can’t just drive the ute to site.

There’s no truck arriving with the next load of timber. No Hiab parked alongside the building. No crane sitting there waiting to lift the next section into place.

Everything has to come in by helicopter.

Impel is working alongside the boys from SH5 Construction on the build, with Helicopter Services and their Squirrel providing the vital link between the outside world and the construction site.

And when the helicopter is effectively your crane, truck and delivery service all rolled into one, the way you approach a building project changes completely.

Logistics take on a whole new meaning

On a normal site, forgetting something might mean a quick trip back to the yard.

Out here, not so much.

Materials need to be prepared, organised and ready to move when the helicopter and weather window line up. Loads need to be planned around weight, size and how they can safely be flown and placed on site.

Then there’s the environment itself.

This is high country. The weather can change quickly, and you work with what the mountain gives you. When there’s a good window, everyone needs to be ready to make the most of it.

It takes a pretty special team effort between the builders on the ground and the pilot in the air.

The sort of job we love

Remote locations have always been a bit of a specialty for Impel.

Give Chad and the crew something straightforward and they’ll get it done — but give them something awkward, inaccessible and just a little bit ridiculous and they really start smiling.

The Oturere Hut project certainly ticks those boxes.

Working alongside SH5 Construction, the building is now really starting to take shape. The progress in the photo tells the story — substantial sections of the roof are on, framing is well advanced and what started as a construction site in the middle of nowhere is beginning to look very much like a hut.

There’s still plenty to do, and plenty more helicopter loads to come.

But that’s all part of it.

No road. No crane. No problem.

Just a good crew, some careful planning, a Squirrel overhead and one very cool place to go to work.

We’ll share a few more photos and updates as the Oturere Hut build progresses.