The day I met Sonya we began planning a trip to New Zealand.
Aotearoa, the Māori word for "land of the long white cloud," was among the last lands to be inhabited by humans. The expansion into the islands from Oceania began only in the 13th century. The 1800s drew European settlers by tales of a lush, temperate land brimming with opportunity. New Zealand is known for attracting explorers of all kinds.
Sydney Harbor, Australia
March 2023
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The Mueller Hut:
Perched High Atop the Southern Alps
As the trip began to take shape, Sonya took the lead on most of the details. With her travel background and a career in various sectors of the travel industry, she has a natural ability to craft complex itineraries. Her expertise stretched our budget for a full month-long adventure.
We were incredibly lucky to have her friends, family, and intimate knowledge of the country at our disposal. These elements added a depth to our daily experiences that money can't buy. For these reasons, I was content to sit back and let her work her magic.
However, after my research, I did have one non-negotiable.
The Mueller Hut is a bright red building perched high in the Southern Alps. Accessible only by helicopter or 1000m of steep vertical hiking.
We arrived at the trailhead midday & fought the late summer sun all the way up. The trail starts relatively flat as you approach the inflection point of the Tasman River valley, and very quickly begins to ascend.
After 2km and ~300m of elevation gain, the railroad tie steps gave way to steeper exposed rock, followed by a final vertical push up a stretch of loose gravel, making for messy climbing. The trail evens out, unveiling a ridge that provides a breathtaking panoramic view of Aoraki’s ice-crowned peak.
At this point, the deep, melodic cracking of glaciers began echoing off the rocks.
It wasn’t long after bunks were claimed & the single beer carried up was cracked that the first avalanche thundered across the drainage. The whole viewing deck stopped and stared as a chunk of pulverized glacier trickled down a thin channel of jagged rock.
Alpine Glaciers form based on a variety of factors: consistent annual snowfall, cardinal direction, slope, altitude & the distance from the equator; to name a few. As the earth tilts with the changing seasons, the angle of sunlight hitting the landscape shifts. In the Southern Hemisphere, the south-facing slopes receive the least amount of direct sunlight.
At the height of summer, the light that does hit these spaces is direct, harsh sunlight. These light beams sear the top layer, which then melts back into the icy mass as the thermal energy fades with nightfall. Day after day, season after season, millennia after millennia, this cycle repeats itself. Fresh snow feeds the top layers of snowpack, moving ever so slowly down the face of the mountain.
Kea: New Zealand’s Alpine Parrot
A group of Keas showed up mid-afternoon. They were a ruckus: knocking things over, getting stuck in cages, and generally causing a stir. Thrilling to watch.
The Kea are New Zealand’s Alpine Parrot. A domain typically dominated by hawks and eagles, their presence is a burst of life in such a harsh terrain.
The ecological niche of the Kea is as unique as its personality. New Zealand's absence of mammalian predators has paved the way for the Kea's dominance, allowing this bird to evolve without the threat of predation that parrots in other parts of the world face. This freedom has fostered a boldness in the Kea, reflected in its playful interactions with humans and the environment.
The Kea stands as a testament to nature's unpredictable adaptability. As New Zealand’s alpine icon, it challenges our perceptions of parrot ecology, demonstrating that life, much like the Kea itself, cannot be confined to the cages we know. Except sometimes the Kea finds itself confined in cages.
Damn bird.
I’m Payson Wick, a Digital Brand Creator & Social Strategist rooted in Colorado and always looking for inspiration across the horizon.
With nearly ten years in digital marketing, I bring insights gathered from wide-open vistas discovers along the trail, channeling my work into helping brands craft stories that resonate with authenticity and purpose.