What is like at the moment in the kiwi mountains ?

Busy as ever would be my impression. Fresh tracks going both ways in the snow on the top of North Col Routeburn and above Lake Nerine. Quite a few professional outdoor or tourist industry people who would usually be guiding foreigners in NZ or guiding skiing in Japan and the like are stuck here and not working so much so taking the opportunity to do more of their own thing in the mountains. People who would usually spend most of their holidays overseas and were going to get around to doing things like the Greenstone Caples or a Great Walk sometime are getting around to doing it this time.

It was immaculate for me. It was silent but still beautiful in that kind of way. Nature is beautiful and I hope that people can still appreciate it much better especially on a peak of a mountain or at least a high point. Hopefully, there are no issues when you guys go up the mountains because it is a great experience. Have you guys felt the same way or is it an experience that you would rather forget? I hope that it was good though if you did go up.

I've been on the odd summit that is very small, exposed and scary, especially if I'm up there alone, waiting for others to arrive in the mist.

I think outside the main Kiwi peak holiday periods, i.e. not now, things are relatively quiet. I was on Heaphy in late September admittedly before the season starts, and quiet. And likewise in early December combo-ing Tongariro Northern Circuit and Round the Mountain, the latter certainly quiet, which was a nice relief. Particularly suffering will be the backpackers and budget accommodation, which suffer again when the kids holidays are finished. Absence of tourists will stretch to next year as regards border closure, as doubtful we'll have vaccinated everyone by then. The Australian bubble gets delayed again and again, and here we can't rule out another border failure here - witness the false alarm in Hamilton last week at the courts (quarantine hotel worker unwell enough to take a corona test, yet turning up for court duty - madness!). That could easily have been real.

Just come back from our hols: Goldsborough and Okarito campgrounds chocker but Molesworth Cob Cottage, not so much. Saw no one on our circuit in Molesworth, which started on the east-west route from Molesworth, heading into Lake McRae.

I ducked up Mt Brown during Covid lockdown (close to home) and thought I'd have it to myself but met 19 others whilst descending. On the other hand I also did a big day trip in the Paparoas during lock down and didn't see another soul except for a helicopter with two people in it that landed on a ridge of Mt Hawera. (About twenty minutes earlier I'd been at the same spot) Was up the Kakapotahi yesterday well post lockdown and didn't see any other people. Tourists don't tend to visit the Kakapotahi but overrun Mt Brown!

Judging by comments online it sounds as though Mt Brown hut currently doesn't have coal but on the other hand they may not have known what that pipe thingy was. "Not(sic) heating so bring warm clothes and a stove to make hot tea if going up in bad weather". It's a good thing as far as I'm concerned when folks are using coal to cook themselves a feed because they don't want to carry a stove up the hill.