Shallow Bay Hut

Quaint 6 bunk hut as a small deviation from the Kepler Track.
As of Dec 2020 the Hut was in reasonable condition and fit for purpose.
However what does perplex me is the amount of boaties that park up here (of all the bays on Manapouri).
That being said, I would not be coming to stay here with the idea of having a bit of peace, quiet and relative solitude.
30 mins walk from Moterau which isn't a Hut but is more akin to a back country hotel.
I like Shallow Bay hut but the experience in staying here would be spoiled by day tripping boat people of which there seems to be no shortage of.

Needs mosquito nets around unused chimney and at bottom of door otherwise beautiful spot

Good as a cheap alternative to the Great Walk Hut nearby if you are towards the end of Kepler but don't want / cannot complete it the same day.
Two flaws when we went there:
- Lake level and flooding made us having to remove our shoes at least two mandatory times (once to walk in the lake for 10 minutes before finding the trail back, once to cross a swamp that seemingly became part of the trail).
- The hut itself is a bit rundown, dirty and welcomes sandflies in through the window. That being said, we had our tent with us and camping around the hut is authorized (we paid the hut fee anyway).
On the positive side, the view from the lake shore was beautiful and we were completely alone there. Some clues of people getting there by boat during the day though. I'd recommend if you like going out of beaten track in general or feel stuck in expensive/popular options for Kepler.

The location of the hut is stunning and if you walk to the river mouth further down you will have beautiful views over the lake. But I absolutely don't recommend staying a night except if you like the company of billions of mosquitoes. I didn't sleep all night because you just feel them sitting on your face and the noise is just to much. I've been to a lot of huts in New Zealand but this one was the worst overnight experience I've encountered. 2 stars for the view but absolutely zero stars for the hut. Bring a tent or mosquito net and you will be fine.

The hut is pretty old and dirty for a hut, smell of ashes because of the fireplace. We've been woken up at 5 am with hundreds of mosquitos and we had to go back to the car at dawn.would not recommend at all