Mount Cook - Mueller Hut

Kia Ora,

the spectacle at Mount Cook is coming to an end with a grand finale. On my third day I set my alarm very early as I had actually wanted to set off at 6. But as it was so cold I had a hard time getting out of my nice warm bed, so it took a while and I didn't get going until around 7. The tour to the Mueller Hut and back was shown to me on Komoot with a total time of 6 hours 35 minutes. Many hikers do this track as a multi-day hike and spend a night at the Mueller Hut. However, the weather was about to change a bit and from the afternoon onwards rain and bad weather was definitely forecast for the coming days. A night in the hut also costs 45 NZD and I didn't necessarily want to spend the money as I had already treated myself to the helicopter flight. As I don't know the route either, I wanted to minimize the risk of wet, slippery ground and do this track as a day hike.

The first rays of sunshine, which bathed the mountains in a beautiful orange, already justified getting up again.

The first half of the track is actually just steps. It's a bit strenuous but it's a real blast because you can cover a few meters in altitude so quickly. I was one of the first on the track and didn't meet anyone else until halfway there. After the sun finally reached me, it got warmer again and I was lucky enough to meet a few keas on the first real plateau. Pretty cool birds flying around me.

After the plateau, the track became a bit rockier and there were no real stairs anymore.

After about 2/3 of the way, the path turned into scree, gravel and huge, compacted boulders. The last quarter of the way is over another rocky plateau and the hiker has a constant view of the glaciers of Mount Sefton on the left side and I was also very happy when I was able to hear and see several avalanches and glacier breaks.

After 2 hours of exercise and 3 hours of hiking, I arrived at the hut and the view during my break was simply fantastic. I retreated to a windless area in the sun and was able to watch more avalanches from there.

After an hour's break and drying the material, I headed back down at a rapid pace. In total, I was back at the car in 3.5 hours of exercise and 5.5 hours total time. I was particularly quick because I ran the entire way back without stopping and hopped down the steps. A really great hike with a great view!

After the tour I was exhausted and above all I was sweaty. At the campsite the wind picked up and announced the coming bad weather. So I decided to pack up my tent here, take a shower and then drive on towards the coast. If the weather is going to be bad, then at least it's on the coast where it doesn't seem to rain so quickly.

On my trip to the coast I actually managed to take advantage of the good weather for 2 more stops before I arrived in Oamaru. There are also 2 more individual posts because these places were so special to me and the landscape was so special.

Best regards,
Your Britta