Underway in Aoraki National Park

After I left Mt. Somers, I drove towards Lake Tekapo. This lake is the second largest alpine lake in the Mackanzie Basin and the vibrant, blue colour make it a popular tourist destination.
I arrived late in the afternoon at the lakeshore, so I only made a short stop at the world famous Church of the good Shepherd.

The next day, after I slept at a nearby campground, I stopped at the Mt. John Observatory on a hill above the lake. The view from up there was just breathtaking and I can only recommend this place for everyone travelling through that area.
I could see all the way to Mt. Cook in one direction and the otherworldly blue Lake Tekapo was demanding attention on the other side.

After I enjoyed the view for a bit, I started driving towards Mt. Cook Village. I passed seemingly endless tussock grass hills before I arrived at Lake Pukaki, which is even bigger and bluer than Lake Tekapo.
The lake was mostly clear from clouds and I could see Mt. Cook in the distance.

After I had a quick lunch, consisting of bread, cheese and an apple, I started driving towards New Zealand’s highest mountain.
This 60 km stretch of road has been my most scenic drive so far and I enjoyed it a lot.

Once I arrived at the Visitor Centre, I gathered some information about hikes in the National Park.
I decided to make my way towards Ball Hut, but since it only sleeps 3 people, I decided to carry a tent. That was a good decision, as the hut was full when I arrived and there were already several tents pitched outside.

The trail went along the Tasman Glacier, the longest glacier in New Zeland, and was mostly a road. Only the last 20 minutes were a little bit rougher, but it was still manageable.
It was very nice, to get away from the crowds I came across at Lake Tekapo, as well as the car park.

When I woke up the next morning, I was greeted with clouds. So I had a lie in, which was no problem, as the trail was only 2 hours.
Once the clouds cleared at least partially, I had an awesome view up the Tasman Valley onto the snowcapped mountains of The Divide.

As I signed out at the Visitor Centre, I tried my luck and asked for an available bunk at Mueller Hut. This particular hut has to be pre-booked, as it is quite popular, especially in the summer months.
Luckily for me, I got the last bunk for the first of March.
Since that day was still several days away, I went back to Twizel to stay at a free campground.

After a couple of days of doing nothing, it was finally time for me, to start the hike up to Mueller Hut. I got my ticket at the Visitor Centre, signed my intentions form, parked my car and then I started the 1100 m ascent.

The first part of the trail was mostly stairs through the subalpine bush common at this altitude.
And even though I knew about the 2000 stairs at the beginning, the length caught me off guard.
2000 steps might not sound like much when you are reading about it, once you have to walk them with a heavy pack, it is an entirely different story.

But eventually I got to the top of this ridiculous long staircase, the fun part began.
Scrambling up a slope as steep as the first part, but without the steps.

But having the scenic Hooker Valley and Mt. Cook as a background and hearing countless small avalanches in Mueller Valley made it bearable.

I also had a nice view onto the Sealy Tarns, which are the most accessible alpine tarns in the National Park.

But this rocky slope was not the last part, to get to Mueller Hut.
Once I got to the top, I had to continue on the ridge, which was more scrambling than hiking.
The hut finally coming into view after another 30 minutes was a big relief.

Once I got to the hut at around noon, I had a quick soup before I climbed to the top of Mt. Ollivier with an Australian guy I met at the hut.
The 360° view from the top made this small side trip definitely worth it, though.
From the summit, we could also see the aftermath of an avalanche on the other side of the Mueller Glacier.

Once we got back down to the hut, we spent the rest of the afternoon sitting on the porch with perhaps the best view in New Zealand.
It is at least a strong contender for this title in my opinion.

With the sunset at around 8 pm, I witnessed an incredible transformation of Mt. Cook.
Instead of the usual white and black, it started glowing in orange. At first only a little bit, but the further down the sun went, the more vibrant it got. In the end, it was the best sunset I’ve had so far in New Zealand.

Once the sun was completely down, the mountains quickly went under a cover of darkness.
But it wasn’t long until the stars came out in such a brightness that is only possible without unnatural lights.

The next morning arrived way to quick, but I hoped for a good sunrise.
After a little bit of waiting in the cold morning, I was not disappointed.
While Mt. Cook was the main attraction the previous evening, so made the rising sun Mt. Sefton and Footstool shine like Aoraki roughly 11 hours back.

After I had a quick breakfast, I started the descent. It went way quicker and my trekking poles made the stairs especially easy to go down.
I also got to see an avalanche in person and was just quick enough to get my camera out.
This was also the last picture I took, as all my batteries were drained empty.

Once I got back to my car, I signed out at the visitor centre and had a nice, cool gingerbeer at a nearby bar.
I then drove towards Twizel, where I took a long, hot shower on a campground before I relaxed for the afternoon.

Those two days hiking on the Sealy Range have been the best thing in New Zealand for me so far, as I had fantastic weather, met really cool people and had epic views in the heart of Aoraki National Park.

My next stop is going to be Wanaka, where I am going to stay in a hostel for one night.
But I already have plans for a couple of walks in the Aspiring National Park.

A blog post is, of course, going to follow.
Until then,

Cheers!