The views from Sefton Bivouac, the oldest hut in the Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park are spectacular. The bivvy is perched on a ledge with panoramic views down the Hooker Valley and across to the Sealy Range with the cold crumbing ice cliffs of Te Waewae Glacier sitting right behind. The main shadowed range in this painting is the majestic Kirikirikatata/Mt Cook Range that sits between the Hooker Lake and the Tasman Lake with the Burnett Mountains as a backdrop behind this ridge-line.
The Aroarokaehe Range above Sefton Bivvy seems to frequently attract the clouds, and these can close in and hang low around the bivvy (1635m above sea level) obscuring the wonderful views. It took patience and a few trips up the mountain to have the chance to enjoy the grandeur of the area.
Although completely exposed the bivvy has survived the elements very well, and still sits on its original site, having hosted many generations of climbers over the years. It was repaired once from snow damage the year after it was built and the bright orange paint job was spruced up in 2019.
Love this scene? Available as a limited edition print here. Detail of the artwork:
Friday/Sat just gone was looking like a really nice but short weather window. Husband and kids had taken off on Thursday with their Aunty, and Grandma and Grandad to check out the Molesworth and stay at Saxtons Hut. I had quite a bit of work on so decided to get up early Fri and 4WD up the Leatham Valley and walk in to the hut to meet them. After getting briefly stuck in the river on the way up I set off from Bottom Gordons Hut, up Gordons Stream and over Saxton Saddle and was greeted by the gigantically...
A while ago I explored the Arthurs Pass area with my good friend Dulkara, we walked up the Taramaku River, bush bashed through the thick & steep bush up to the open tops where we spent three days traversing the ridges. On the second afternoon, after lots of up and down ridge-line scrambling we approached Lake Morgan...
Camp Stream Hut, a historic musterers hut on the Te Araroa trail near Tekapo with Roundhill in the background. A magical place to visit, especially in the late afternoon although once the sun falls it becomes bitterly cold. On this particular trip the walk out was sodden with snow melt and my feet lost feeling in the last main river. Brr…