By now (Sunday) the weather is right on track, bringing southerlies and snow in the beginning of this week.

Maungahuka Hut is a well built hut at 1300m with a beautiful view north towards Arete, Mitre and Holdsworth - but without heating! (DOC web page) The hut is located next to the (infamous) Tararua Peaks (steel ladder!), which become pretty dangerous to pass in icy conditions, so we take another track (this time). I reckon the safest and 'easiest' approach will be from the Wairarapa side via Cone (1080m) and Neill Forks Hut (guess the hut's altitude...) as it has only short sections over exposed places.

Depending on the weather conditions, it could work like this:

The Saturday tramp to the hut sums up to 1900m climb in two ascents, a couple of 100 meter-bumps are not accounted for. Please consider yourself as solid medium fit (definition see here) and have a good attitude to sore legs. So it will be an 5 to 8 hours tramp and will try to arrive before sunset, that means we leave on Saturday at 7AM from Wellington. Sunday will be the same way back (only one 700 m ascent, but much more downhill).