We had a fantastic time at Mt. Cook/Aoraki. The weather was sunny and beautiful, the accommodations were clean and friendly, and the scenery was breath-taking. I would have gladly stayed a few more days, but unfortunately that would have been at the expense of someplace else. It is difficult when you are on a limited time frame and there is so much to see. Going on the philosophy that a picture is worth a thousand words, I figure this video I created sets the scene far better than my mere description ever could. Besides, once my video is on Youtube, I can delete the original from my iPad, leaving me more space for more! This trip is all about conservation!
My one regret is that no one has yet invented smell-o-vision. At several points throughout our hikes we were overcome by the most beautiful scent. It was unlike anything I've smelled before. At first I thought we walked past a woman with some really amazing perfume on, but then it lingered. Bill and I sniffed out every plant in the vicinity, but really couldn't figure out what the smell was. My best bet is a berry that was growing on a low, evergreen looking plant. Whatever it was, it was gorgeous.
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| Brody and I left our Canadian mark with an inukshuk. |
The landscape of the Mt Cook region is quite diverse. Lakes Tekapo and Pukaki are a brilliant turquoise, much like Lake Louise in Alberta. There are sheep all over the place, some roaming quite high up into the mountains. Glentanner, where we stayed, is a working sheep station. We were relieved that our little sheep-buddies were Merino sheep -- destined only to be sheared, not eaten! They graze on the grass amongst some pretty nasty thorny bushes. We were able to walk among them on our way to Lake Pukaki. The boys even ventured in for a swim! It was cold!!
Some of the mountains are grassy with few bushes and trees, others are rugged and snow-covered. I guess the video shows that best. It was really neat how the mountains just jet out of the perfectly flat area surrounding the lake. I have to look up whether or not the mountains are volcanic -- I'm not sure about those on the Southern Island.
Glentanner Park was our first accommodation after leaving the Drayton's. The beds were comfortable, and the facilities were very clean. There were plenty of tourists from all over the world sharing the kitchen facilities. One large group of Japanese people made the most amazing feast the first night we were there -- pork, squid, veggies, rice, etc. I was embarrassed by our pathetic burgers and slaw! The next morning, a French guy baked some rolls (or brioche) for breakfast from scratch. We decided we need to step up our cooking game; we are making Canadians look bad!
Speaking of food, it is VERY expensive. We are avoiding eating out (a standard 2 eggs and 2 strips of bacon with toast, etc breakfast was $17 at Glentanner), but groceries are crazy-expensive too. Yesterday we stopped for a picnic lunch, and popped into a grocery store for a few things. A single can of pop was $2.05. That's good -- we will learn to drink water all the time. Four bagels were $5 -- ouch! A small box of fruit (peaches and apricots) from a fruit stand was $12. Yes, we may lose some weight on this trip! Our dollar is only a little higher than the NZ dollar, so it is pretty significant. What can you do??
After a hike yesterday, we left Mt. Cook and journeyed down the Whaitaki River valley to Oamaru, but that's a story for another day...
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