The Mueller Hut, near Aoraki/Mt Cook is closed to day walkers after toilet facilities were overwhelmed by visitors.
The Mueller Hut, near Aoraki/Mt Cook is closed to day walkers after toilet facilities were overwhelmed by visitors.
New Zealand’s most scenic alpine walk and one of the most booked has been closed “for the foreseeable future” after toilets reached capacity.
The move to close the Mueller Hut to day walkers has caused a big stink in the tramping community.
Visitors were alarmed to see a sign appearthis weekend on the route warning that no facilities were available on the four-hour trail out of Mt Cook Village.
The Department of Conservation says that the hut toilets, which are there for hut users, were almost at “capacity”, with many day walkers dropping in to use the facilities.
On the busiest days, DoC saw an additional 250 day visitors on the route, along with the 28 overnight hut-users.
The Mueller Hut toilet facilities are full to the brim with almost 250 daily visitors dropping by on the route. Photo / Thomas Bywater
The scenically appointed red alpine hut with views of Aoraki was named as the most popular bookable hut by the Herald this summer, particularly with international visitors. However, this popularity has caused problems, as DoC says it will close the route to those without bookings.
The hut will now be closed to day walkers to ease pressure on the fragile alpine route.
“The toilets’ tanks have almost reached capacity because there have been far more visitors than anticipated this summer,” says Aoraki/Mount Cook operations manager for DoC, Sally Jones.
Day walkers have been banned from the Mueller Hut route after toilets ran out of capacity. Photo / Facebook
Those with bookings will be honoured for the remainder of the season, through until the end of April. However, without appropriate toilet facilities, Jones says the route could become a “health risk” if day walkers are allowed to continue up the trail.
“We are closing the track to day walkers because it goes through a pristine and fragile alpine environment, which will be negatively affected if people are toileting outside of the provided facilities,” she told the Herald.
The department acknowledges that some walkers will be disappointed in the decision but alternate trails to Red Tarns or the Hooker Track remained open to day walkers.
Trampers were understandably disappointed about the news of closing what some call the “crown jewel” of alpine huts, which provides access to Sealy Tarns and Mt Sefton.
However, most were not surprised that the septic tanks were experiencing strain after back-to-back bookings.
The Mueller Hut is a 28-bunk serviced hut that operates from November to April.
