When my friend called to see if I wanted to head out on an overnight hike on Mt Ruapehu, my first reaction was, “absolutely”, followed closely by “what if the skiing is good that day?” The issue with hiking in an alpine environment, is that you really want a clear weather day, which is also what you need for a great day skiing.
So as everyone enjoyed the last of the spring skiing, we managed to head off for a couple of overnight hikes in the surrounding trails and would thoroughly recommend them both.
Both overnight huts were on the Round the Mountain Track, which is as it sounds, a track that circumnavigates Mt Ruapehu. You can walk the track in either direction and to do
