Overnight Trips

Warden Hut Trip

Most beautiful places in New Zealand Stunning views On this page photos from two trips 2006 and 2012

Black Spur Historic Hut

Pinnacles Hut

Mt Somers Track (northern section)

Sharplin Falls carpark - Pinnacles Hut   

Time: 3 - 4 hr

Distance: 5.2 km

From the Sharplin Falls carpark follow the track over the bridge and through beech forest to Duke Knob (739 m). From Duke Knob the track follows Bowyers Stream eventually crossing to the true right bank and on up to Pinnacles Hut.

Mueller Hut

It was a curious morning as we headed out from Tekapo across the broad treeless Mackenzie Country toward Mt Cook; whisps of fog hung over the still surface of Lake Pukaki and, at its far end, we could barely make out the faint shape of Aoraki/Mt Cook*, the snow-capped peaks merging into the background of pale high clouds. We were heading in to do a day trip up to Mueller's Hut, perched high on ridge overlooking the Mueller Glacier and facing the massive walls of 3151m Mt Sefton, just up from 3754m Aoraki itself. This is probably as close as you can get to New Zealand's highest peak without specialised gear and training. A 1000m climb  in a day would test how fit all this tramping had made us.

 

 From the White Horse Campground, we joined the well-worn track across the scrubby flat to Kea Point, destination of hundreds of tourists each day to get a view over the terminus of the Mueller Glacier and Aoraki/Mt Cook. However, shortly before the actual point, a fork in the track signalled the route to Mueller's Hut. We looked up, took in the sight of spur towering over us, and began the climb.

From the deck of the hut, the views were awesome in all directions as we sat, listening to, and occasionally seeing, the avalanches crashing off the steep walls across the valley of the glacier. It is impossible to describe the impact that such a powerful landscape has; we simply sat there and let it infuse our spirits.