DESCRIPTION:
A shelter existed on the Desert Road side of Mt Ruapehu from the 1880's. A rudimentary road was put through from Tokaanu to Waiouru in 1893 and the following year GR Allen established a camp at Waihohonu for tourists. It is not known what happened to this camp or if any structure was built of permanent materials and in its annual report for 1902 the Tourist and Health Resorts Department mentioned the need for some form of accommodation between Tokaanu and Waiouru.

As a result, construction of Waihohonu Hut commenced possibly in late 1903 and was completed in 1904. It was purported to have been built under the supervision of an engineer named Maxwell using pitsawn timber hauled by a bullock team from Pihanga. Conceding to Edwardian social requirements, it was built with two bunk rooms so that men and women were separated. A hut at Ketetahi Springs on the flanks of Mt Tongariro was built at the same time. A bridle track eventually linked these two huts.

Waihohonu Hut enjoyed considerable use in its first few years of existence. The Desert Road route was part of the fashionable, if arduous, Wanganui to Taupo or even Rotorua trek via Pipiriki which took about five days. Tourists travelling in stage coaches often stopped overnight or for refreshment.

With the completion of the main trunk railway in 1908 tourist use of the hut dropped somewhat, but from 1913 a new use was found for the hut. In July that year it was used as the base for the first recreational alpine skiing expedition in New Zealand. The skiers were William Mead and Bernard Drake who founded the Ruapehu Ski Club. Notice of the club's inaugural meeting was posted in Waihohonu Hut and the meeting was held here in August 1914. The Ruapehu Ski Club was New Zealand's first ski club and was a driving force in the opening up of Tongariro National Park to visitors.

The hut remained the principal base for skiing on Mt Ruapehu until better access to the ski fields of Whakapapa Valley in the early 1920's transferred interest to that side of the mountain. Money due to be spent on an extension to Waihohonu Hut in 1918 was diverted to putting a bullock track through to where the Chateau Tongariro and Whakapapa Village now stand. Nevertheless, the hut remained a popular base for hikers and climbers until it was superseded by a new hut in 1968. It continued to be used until 1979 when its overnight use was discouraged and has since been maintained by Tongariro National Park staff. The Department of Conservation has plans for its permanent preservation.