Sisyphus is a legendary figure in Greek mythology, a king condemned to the task of pushing a boulder uphill only to have Hades cruelly send it tumbling back down as it nears the peak. Sisyphus Peak was so named after one climbing party’s run-in with a boulder in 1930. 

Located in the east Matukituki Valley, it is flanked by many well-known, soaring glaciated peaks, and is a long and arduous hike. From Campbells Flat, the trip may be shortened if the river is low. We began on bikes and were able to quickly reach the Glacier Burn turn-off, where we parked them.  

From there it’s easy going through beech forest to Junction Flat, where the track starts to climb along the Kitchener River before emerging onto Aspiring Flats, where any keen tramper will feel a grin spread across their face. Idyllic green flats beckon, backed by a stark wall of granite and a 370m waterfall cascading down. Already, some 19km have been covered and it’s a tempting spot to park up for the night, as the hard part is yet to come. 

Where the track ends, cross Aspiring Flats and head up Rainbow Stream. From there it’s all about following your nose, hopping from rock to rock up the riverbed to a grassy spur that leads under the south face of Fastness Peak. It’s slow work across this face, especially with the end goal in plain sight. We reached Wilmot Saddle tired and hungry and in time for a quick dinner as we watched the sun slip behind Tititea Mt Aspiring (3033m). It didn’t take long to settle into our little orange tent, knowing the final climb awaited us in the morning. 

From the saddle it’s an easy 20-minute scramble to the summit of Sisyphus, a great spot to savour a morning coffee. From this vantage point, the long route home stretches down the valley. As we shouldered our packs, the moral behind the myth of Sisyphus rang true: there is no greater meaning to life than that which we give it.