Mattresses were slashed, rubbish was strewn around and 10 litres of paint were poured out in historic Cone Hut in the Tararua Range west of Greytown.

Members of a tramping club that built an unusual hut nearly 70 years ago are so sickened by its recent trashing that they have called for its removal.

"They left it a pig sty really, we're really upset," said Tararua Tramping Club member Barry Durrant, who discovered the "scene of utter vandalism" when arriving at Cone Hut on the Tauherenikau River, west of Greytown, with fellow club member Grant Timlin on Friday.

A 10-litre can of white acrylic paint, left over from a working bee, had been tipped on the floor, mattresses had been slashed and one dumped in the pool of paint. The hut was strewn with rubbish and the hut book, a vital safety tool, was missing and its case smashed and burnt.

The paint was still damp, so it's believed the vandalism occurred within the past fortnight.

Reports of the vandalism on Stuff.co.nz have already prompted information that could help identify the vandals. The Department of Conservation said it had been contacted by a reader, and the information would be passed on to police.

Cone is cared for by Tararua Tramping Club, which built it in 1946 and restored it in the 1980s, using the rare technique of adzing totara timber into framing and splitting it into slab walls. It is the second-oldest hut in the Tararuas, and one of the best slab huts left in the country.

Club life member Hugh Barr said in an e-mail to the Department of Conservation, which supports the stewardship of the hut, that the damage had him questioning the hut's future.

"If we are unable to protect it effectively from vandalism, then it will go the same way as [vandalised and removed Tararua huts at] Dobson's and Smith's Creek. Too close to road-ends and the vandals that seem to frequent them, and travel in to smash up nearby huts."

Club president Paul Maxim said it was the worst case of vandalism of a club hut he had seen. "Why you would go in and do that wilful damage to a hut in such a beautiful spot? It just defies imagination."

There was probably no point telling police, as there would be little they could do. "We'll just put our heads down, clean it up and carry on."

The club would organise a working bee within the next two weeks.

Department of Conservation acting director for conservation services planning Chris Lester said the damage was unusual so far from a road end, and there was no sign of an increase in hut vandalism.

"Hopefully it's a one-off, it's very disappointing ... it's a critical hut too, at this time of year."

Masterton DOC senior ranger Hayden Barrett said two rangers walked to the hut on Tuesday. They cleaned up as much damage as they could, looked for evidence of the perpetrators and carried out two packfuls of rubbish. DOC would support the working bee, providing a helicopter if necessary.

Vandalism at a Wairarapa hut happened about once a year, and anyone seeing anything suspicious should notify a DOC office. "It is something that you sort of scratch your head. You walk a couple of hours to wreck a hut – it doesn't really make sense."

In an emailed reply to Barr, he said talk of the hut's removal was premature.

But Durrant said some club members felt like giving up. "Some people say why bother. How much money do you want to spend, if people are going to do that."