Get ready to feel the burn in your quads and calves, this one’s a stairmaster in the wild. The Sealy Tarns Track is a solid alternative while Hooker Valley is closed, but just a heads up it has around 2,200 steps. Yep, 2,200. It’s like a stairway to heaven that leads you up to a peaceful little alpine tarn with views that are so worth the climb.

The trail is about 5.8km return, with around 600 metres of elevation gain. Most people take about 2 to 3 hours return, depending on fitness and how many snack/photo breaks you take on the way up.

The track starts from White Horse Hill Campground and shares the same path as the Mueller Hut Route, so don’t be like me and try to do both on back-to-back days unless you’re keen to tackle those stairs twice. If you’re just heading to the tarns, you’ll still get sweeping views of the Hooker Valley, Mueller Glacier, and Aoraki/Mount Cook. In summer, there’s a splash of alpine flowers to keep things interesting too.

The trail’s well-maintained and super popular but it can get slippery if there’s snow or rain, so wear decent shoes. And if you’ve still got energy once you hit the top? You can carry on to Mueller Hut for a full-on alpine adventure. Hard yakka on the legs, but absolutely worth it for those views.