What’s more lavish than freshly made sushi at an orange mountain hut among the giants of the Southern Alps? Exactly what Jacob and I thought. No sooner said than done, we found ourselves on the slopes of Ball Pass next to New Zealand’s highest mountain – the mighty Aoraki/Mt. Cook.

We were surprised by a flock of curious kea who tried to rip our camp apart. To distract them, we sacrificed my hiking poles. By the next morning, one shaft had been completely demolished.