Brewster

I was trying to think of a punchy title for this post and then realised that the simplicity of the name Brewster says so much for me.

Mt Brewster, Brewster glacier and Brewster hut live in the Haast pass, about midway between Hawea and Haast.

The hike up to Brewster hut is hard, honestly I wish I was joking, it's a killer. The days after I hiked it I was so sore and someone made a booty hike joke. It's literally straight up and straight down. It's not for the faint of heart.

Two recommendations, don't hike it in low visability and don't hike in poor weather.

I decided to do this as a day hike, foolishly I thought that it wouldn't be too bad, I guess not having to carry a pack helped.

Perhaps the meanest aspect of this hike is the greeting of a freezing cold river crossing at the start (however is it a true New Zealand hike if you don't get wet at some point?) The river is cold but it's fine, you'll warm up quickly climbing the root infested track directly up. Seriously did I mention directly up?

I crossed at the same time as some who were hiking overnight, they were planning to summit a few of the surrounding peaks and looked like proper mountaineers, my day pack and shorts passed them swiftly and I continued climbing. I stopped every so often to peak through the tree line, I also stopped so I didn't die. The tree roots congest the track and you spend the first 2 thirds of the track watching your footing and hoping you don't jar an ankle or knee. I had poles, if you'd told 25 year old me that I would be using hiking poles to get up a track I would have laughed, I did not laugh at my reliance on them that day.

The forest is like something out of Fangorn Forest in Lord of the Rings. Everything is twisted, gnarled and covered in moss. It's the place time forgot and was genuinely magical. I wish I could have captured how steep it really was however the natural steps ingrained into the path made for some beautiful photos.

At the edge of the tree line the peaks start to peer through on the opposite side. Its a dodgy scramble up out of the trees and then you hit tussock and clear skies. I took a well deserved breather near some other hikers who were carrying ski's up to the peaks. I realised at this stage that I looked like the biggest dork, day hiking to this hut everyone just uses as a base to get to the mountains. However I did not envy those two carrying skis, packs and gear up that track.

The final third of the track is a ridgeline climb that my mother would have hated. It's safe but it's a pretty steep drop on both sides if you decided to detour. You get these panoramic views across the Southern Alps on both sides of the valley as you walk. Brewster hut eventually appears on the only flat section of the hike, it's majestic, burnt red stature, the gateway to the rest of the mountains above.

Brewster hut is popular, get there early as the 12 bunks are often packed and you'll have to tent it in often freezing temperatures if you don't have the room. People flock up to this hut for a multitude of reasons, backcountry skiing, mountaineering, dark sky photography and even just day hikers like me. The views from the dining room up the peaks filled me with joy.

I decided I wasn't done punishing myself enough and climbed a further 300 meters in elevation up the mountain access track into snow to photograph the Brewster glacier on some dicey cliff edges. The day was cloudless and I knew this may be one of the few times I could photograph the glacier in winter glory. Mt Brewster is genuinely stunning, at 2516m its jagged spire is actually just spectacular to view.

Climbing back down I realised how wrecked I was going to be, the climb up was hard, the climb down was equally painful. I think I ended up just using my poles as crutches at some points because my poor bung knee was done with my antics.

When you get to the bottom make sure you take the minute detour to look at Fantail Falls, literally right next to the mouth of the track, they're beautiful.

Brewster hut is one of those places that you go and you know it's part of you forever. You won't forget its position on the mountain edge and you sure as hell won't forget that climb!