Brooding clouds slowly roll past on the evening before our climb, the view east from Unwin Lodge at dusk

A clear weather window at last. Mount Sefton and the Footstool are bathed in dawn alpenglow as the super moon descends

At about 1,400m on Wakefield Ridge, looking south to Lake Pukaki, with Mount Sealy (2,627m) dominating the skyline

At about 1,450m on Wakefield Ridge, looking to Mount Sefton

At about 1,450m on Wakefield Ridge, looking at the Sealy Range and Mount Sefton, far right

At about 1,500m on Wakefield Ridge, looking to Mount Sefton and the Footstool

Mount Sefton and the Footstool, with the terminal lake of Mueller Glacier below

At about 1,500m on Wakefield Ridge, looking north east to the Malte Brun Range

At about 1,600m on Wakefield Ridge, looking north east to the terminal lake of the Tasman Glacier with, from left, the Minarets, Elie De Beaumont, The Malte Brun Range, Murchison River and the Liebig Range (Nun's Veil with a cloud plume)

At about 1,650m on Wakefield Ridge, looking north to an 1,800m high point

At about 1,700m on Wakefield Ridge, looking south back down the ridge to Lake Pukaki

At about 1,800m on Wakefield Ridge, looking north west towards the summit, with Mount Sefton and the Footstool at left

At about 1,900m on Wakefield Ridge, looking south to the Sealy Range

Near 2,000m on Wakefield Ridge, looking down to Mueller Lake, Mount Sefton and the Sealy Range

Approaching 2,000m on Wakefield Ridge, looking north east to Nun's Veil and the Liebig Range

At about 2,000m on Wakefield Ridge, looking south to Lake Pukaki

At about 2,000m on Wakefield Ridge, looking north and east. The summit area of Mount Wakefield is ahead, with Aoraki Mount Cook looming above

Near the summit of Mount Wakefield, with Mount Alex in the foreground and Aoraki Mount Cook beyond

Aoraki Mount Cook

On the descent back down the ridge

On the descent back down the ridge

The 850m scree slope we chose to take as our "shortcut" down to the Hooker River

Looking back up the first half of the scree slope

All 850 metres of our scree descent from Wakefield Ridge to the Hooker River. The last member of our party is the tiny blue dot above the scrub patch mid left. From here we chose to go down the true left of the river, grovelling along the heavily overgrown "Neely there yet" trail for a couple of hours. Wiser souls will go right and take the suspension bridge