Balmy weather and meadows of Mt Cook lilies made a 25 day traverse of the Southern Alps feel like a holiday, according to Dulkara Martig.

Martig was part of a quartet of women who traversed the Alps from Arthur’s Pass to Mt Cook Village in November and December last year.

She said they only had to put on raincoats once, but they had to have a few 3am starts as the snow was too soft during the day in the alpine areas.

“Because the weather was so nice, it was a lot less challenging than I expected,” Martig said. “When you take away the adversity that bad storms present, it makes for quite a different trip. It wasn’t so much an epic adventure – more of a great holiday.”

The group only saw five people on the trip, two of whom were at the hut on the first night.

Martig said one of the highlights of the trip was trawling through the hut books at isolated huts.

“We visited 22 huts along the way and the hut books would often date back 20 years. When we entered a hut, we’d have a ‘book scrum’ as we’d rush in to read about who else had passed through.

“Through the hut books you become very connected to the people who have done similar journeys over the years. People heading through those areas are often on such unique trips. It’s cool how people’s stories become intertwined through the hut network.”