A night at Brewster Hut

The trail to Brewster Hut begins at the Fantail Falls carpark, 19km drive north of the township of Makarora West. After fording the Haast river, which in normal weather conditions is not a difficult river to cross, you immediately begin the climb up into beech forest. The trail to Brewster Hut is short at only 2.5km one way, but strenuous with hands and feet climbing up steep muddy banks and tree roots for about 3/4 of the trail with few breaks in incline. Be noted: the return journey is nearly as demanding as the ascent and takes only slightly less time - you'll be feeling your thighs and knees on the way down! The last section of the trail is above the bushline and it follows a sharp, exposed ridge up into the snowgrass-clad slopes of the rocky peaks that soon become visible above you. Brewster Hut sits on a natural plateau at 1440m (4724ft) below the summit of Mt Armstrong, with a direct view of the Haast Valley, the Southern Alps, Top Heavy, Mt Brewster, and the striking Brewster Glacier. Rocks and crags litter the landscape, strewn about as though tossed flippantly by some angry god. Golden grass and hardened apline herbs carpet the less severe faces of the mountains, and a series of cascading waterfalls and brillant blue pools empty from the foot of the Brewster Glacier, tumbling down the basin below Top Heavy to become Pyke Creek and join the Haast River far below. The quaint red hut is perfect, attactively set into it's wild landscape. There are bunks, mattresses, and drinking water but no fire or cooking facilities. Hut is $15/night.

Brewster Hut is a fantastic place to hike to for lunch, or spend a night at as my hiking companion and I did. It also provides the perfect platform from which to access the Brewster Glacier and it's pools, the summits of Top Heavy, Mt Brewster, Mt Armstrong and Mt Kaye, as well as providing a strike off point for extended journeys down into the Makarora valley to the east. We intended to summit Mt Armstrong in the morning before descending back to the carpark but unfortunately the weather didn't play ball with rain and thick cloud setting in overnight, making a hike to the summit pointless, so unfortunately we had to give it a miss this time around. It is also to be noted that there is the river to cross again on the way out which will become swollen and unpredictable with rain. I do intend to return to the hut and summit Mt Armstrong and Top Heavy, as well as trek around to the Brewster Glacier!