The hike to Mueller hut at 1800m is arguably the most scenic and rewarding in Mount Cook National Park. As the trail gains 1000m in elevation quickly you can decide to scale the eastern flank of Sealy Range, southwest of Mount Cook Village, quickly (a strenuous day hike) or spend a night at Mueller hut (allowing a more leisurely pace).

Mueller hut was opened in 2002 by the famous Sir Edmund Hillary himself who started his mountaineering career by climbing the nearby Mount Ollivier. We opted to spend a night at Mueller hut and set off on the Sealy Tarns Trail on a switchbacking climb up never-ending albeit well-maintained steps to Sealy Tarns.

The meadowy plateau and small pond mirroring a snowcapped mountain peak was the turning point for most hikers but we just took a short break and indulged in the bird’s eye panorama of Hooker Valley. I was astounded that less than two hours uphill walking had transformed Mount Cook Village into a miniature Lego hamlet.

The second stretch, on a zigzagging alpine route, cutting through thinning tussock and alpine scrub required some sure-footedness, especially when traversing a large rock field, scrambling across boulders, and jumping across crevices.

Shortly upon cresting the ridge line, Mueller hut, painted a bright dark red, came into view. Set against sand-coloured stone, snow-covered peaks, and pale blue sky it stuck out like a cherry on whipped cream.

A peek inside the hut confirmed the rudimentary interior we had expected with two bunk rooms sleeping 14 each on plastic covered mattresses and a distinctive whiff of freeze-dried meals lingering in a snug common room.

The adjacent outhouse was surprisingly non-smelly and painted an identical red colour looked like the mini-me version of the hut. For hours we scrambled around the large rock field by the hut and were enthralled by glaciers and ice shelves hugging sheer rock faces and sparkling in the sun.

Night time visits to the toilet don’t bother me much at home, except perhaps after moving from one apartment to another when it generally takes me a while to navigate a route that avoids doorframes. But when we’re traveling it’s a nuisance and at times a dangerous one at that.

Our guide in South Luangwa National Park in Zambia once mentioned toilet visits, lions roaming the campsite at night, running, and his shotgun in the same sentence. You can imagine that stopped me drinking water by noon despite the scorching heat.

Even worse in the Okavango Delta in Botswana, the self-appointed Chief Captain of the site established a toilet buddy rule to allow someone to fend off the potential lion or scorpion attack while you’re going about your business. Here, getting out of my cosy sleeping bag in Mueller Hut in the middle of the night didn’t hold much danger, but it was similarly bothersome.

Admittedly though, I forgot all about how bothersome outhouses were when I pulled on my boots and drowsily stumbled onto the veranda. The night sky was studded with bright stars and I stood there gazing up, fully awake in the crisp night air.

The surrounding mountains were lost in inky darkness but as my eyes grew accustomed to the darkness their silhouettes contrasted in a darker shade of black against the night time sky. I probably wasn’t the only person awake on the mountain that night staring at the stars but I certainly felt exceptionally grateful. It was the best night time toilet visit ever but closely rivalled by a few in the Namib Desert and in Bryce Canyon.

In retrospect, it also turned out that plastic covered mattresses are indeed the best option for huts, and youth hostels for that matter. We stayed at the YHA in Mount Cook Village the following night where I was bitten by bed bugs for the first time and subsequently tortured by itchy, swollen bumps for a fortnight. If you can help it, don’t stay at that YHA.