Despite snow and gale force winds, Mueller Hut has had a spruce up.
The hut sits at 1850m in the Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park.
DOC project lead Rob Stewart said the job was insanely challenging due to gale force winds and snow.
‘‘The weather was horrendous for us, to be honest, apart from one day. We had 16 loads of materials to helicopter in, plus 10 loads of people including gasfitters, plumbers, painters and builders. This was the biggest maintenance project on Mueller for over 20 years,’’ Mr Stewart said.
‘‘Because it’s such a mission getting up there, we wanted to make the most of it. We’ve future-proofed Mueller Hut with an upgrade to the gas system and water tanks and strengthened the hut structure. This building takes an unbelievable hammering from the elements, so we wanted to make sure we’ve maintained it to last for another 20 years at least.’’
Maintaining and servicing alpine huts takes a big effort and Mr Stewart said they had an amazing group of trades staff on the job.
‘‘The hut should be warmer and drier now with better insulation and cladding. Previously the windows leaked and you’d get snow drifts coming in the door.’’
Department of Conservation contractors put in new windows and doors, replaced interior and exterior cladding, and put in new water tanks. Meanwhile, on the inside, the team gave the internal walls a sandpaper, paint and polish, re-coating the tables, bench seats and other surfaces.
DOC Aoraki/Mount Cook operations manager Sally Jones said the route to Mueller Hut was one of the most popular destinations in New Zealand outside the Great Walks.
It’s a challenging ‘‘stair climb’’ of around four hours one way and attracts numerous day walkers and visitors for overnight stays.
‘‘It’s an incredible place to go naturing up high. The views are phenomenal, looking straight out at Aoraki with the sun setting or at sunrise seeing the first rays of light in the morning. ‘‘You need to be fit when you climb up there, but most visitors say it’s well worth the effort.’’
Mueller Hut is on the DOC booking system from November 1 to the end of April. Anyone wanting to visit should visit the DOC website for information. — Allied Media
