Mueller hut hike- My favourite Mount Cook Walk
Hiking Mt Cook village to Mueller Hut
Mount Cook- My favourite place in all of New Zealand. If you are lucky enough to have been you will understand why Mount Cook holds such a special place in my heart.
On a hot day in January, myself and 4 of my closest girlfriends set off on an adventure to remember. We started the day off by visiting the Mount Cook Village information center which is where you will be further inspired by the story of a pioneering Australian woman, Freda Du-Faur. She was the first woman to climb Mount Cook in 1910. I found the tale interesting in the small details such as the clothing she had to wear, not being permitted to wear pants, Du-Faur made the challenging climb in a knee-length skirt, knickerbockers, and leather ankle boots. I imagined her scaling the mountainside, skirt hitched up, knickerbockers blowing in the mountain breeze; the image compelled me to experience a stay further afield, so I booked in at the Mueller Hutt with three of my girlfriends. With the daring and controversial Freda in mind, we set off on a modern-day adventure on the best Mount Cook walks.
At the time of the hike, I didn’t have my own hiking pack & I had no other option but to borrow my husband’s enormous hunting pack, twice the size of everyone else’s. Into the cave of a pack, I loaded a super warm sleeping bag, a Kathmandu puffer jacket, the essential camera, and two lenses – a 24-70 + 15-30 – a drink bottle, backcountry breakfast meal, some cliff bars, torch and change of clothing.
The adventure began after parking at the White Hill Campground around 2 pm. We set off under a scorching sun during a mid-summer afternoon, we were soon wishing we had bought far more water. After 1800 stairs with little shade we finally reached the halfway point – Sealy Tarns track.
