Over Easter, I was busy working as a hut warden in Tongariro National Park along with many other colleagues. You can take on jobs like these even without a work permit, as you only get a subsistence allowance for it – the dreamlike time in one of New Zealand’s most beautiful places is free (as are the warden rooms in the mountain huts, which are often comfortably furnished with gas cookers, heating, sinks, etc.).

Megan and Heidi, two New Zealanders, both worked there for a summer season as Hut Wardens. Our tasks included maintaining paths, bridges, and hut facilities, checking tickets and overnight fees, and providing hikers with information about the park and, above all, the weather. After five days in the wilderness, we always enjoyed the comforts of a house available in Turangi for our days off, for things like a shower and personal grooming. We quickly got rid of the money we’d saved in the park due to the lack of things to buy: fresh fruit and vegetables, a cold beer in the pub…