3229 - South Island Trip - Brewster Glacier

The plan is to leave Wanaka early on March 9^th and drive to the carpark at the base of the climb, at the Fantail Falls carpark. This carpark fills rapidly and it will be best to arrive super early.

We then cross the Haast River and start a very steady assent to the Brewster Hut. This is 1000m climb from 450m to 1450m altitude and at about 1250m you break out of the bush and awake to the amazing mountain scenery around you. About the first thing you see is the dunny, but it's miles ahead and you can keep that in mind as your target as you climb up through tussock hill country.

The hut is well placed for amazing views to the high peaks around. The plan is to stay at the hut on the 9th March, and it is bookable so we will need to keep an eye on the bookings and jump in.

After lunch at the hut, and dropping most gear on our bunks, we head up about 300m altitude and 3km of high country tussock and then rock scrambling to get to the glacier. It's something of a classic big ice face with cave and surging water - or it was 3 years ago - we may have to walk further. Once we have thrown ice at each other we can head back to the hut.

I'm looking forward to the Kea concert at the hut in the evening - last time there must have been 30 kea playing and doing their best to steal anything on the deck of the hut - a real joy to watch.

Next day we retreat down the track to our car(s) and Wanaka.