The terrain is a little rough in places so you really do have to wear walking boots as it would be very easy to turn an ankle here. The walk there and back is nearly 7 miles and takes around 3 hours. It also gives you a spectacular view of Mount Cook at the end of the walk although the cloud was coming in a little by the time we got there. This photo left shows us just about to get to the lake and when we rounded that last corner, we were nearly blown off our feet by the force of the wind coming down the glacier. I have never felt a wind like it! Exciting though! We were just glad we made it and we hunkered down behind a huge boulder and ate our lunch, cheese sandwiches and hot cross buns, you can't beat it.
............................... and the spicy pumpkin soup is bubbling so I now have time to sit and tell you what we have been up to this glorious Easter weekend. Wasn't it nice to have a few days off? For the ladies who still work at school, you don't know how lucky you are. Gosh, I miss those 12 week holidays!! So just bare with me a little while so that I can tell you where we have been. It's not the first time we have headed north through the Lindis Pass (above - looks just like Scotland) to the Aoraki Mount Cook National Park and I hope it won't be our last either especially as it is only two and a half hours door to door and that was with a stop for coffee in Omarama. There is something very magical about the place and for those of you who have been there, you know I am not wrong! As you drive through Twizel - such a cute name - you start to catch glimpses of the higher mountain ranges and then the signs turn you left off the main highway 55 mms along the length of Lake Pukaki, made famous also as the location for Rivendell in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and there in front of you, Aoraki Mount Cook with Mount Sefton to the left and Mount Wakefield in the foreground. Everywhere is still very 'ochre' from the lack of rain but I quite like it, it softens this rugged landscape and gives it a soft downy look. This is also McKenzie country full of high mountains, hugely wide valleys and big blue skies yet another place in this lovely South Island where you expect to see cowboys riding along on horseback but they are more likely to be on quad bikes or in helicopters here ! Here is Aoraki Mount Cook at sunrise all 3754 metres of her, about 200 metres higher than Snowdon and the highest mountain in New Zealand but there are also another 27 other mountains here that are over 3000 metres too which makes them quite dazzling and full of glaciers too. Edmund Hilary is mentioned all over the village in one way or another and well he should be. He seemed a nice chap, we went in to the museum that evening to watch a 3D thing on the mountains here (and the Planetarium which was fascinating, never thought about all the constellations we are used to looking at in the Northern Hemisphere being upside down here!!) and there was also film of him climbing Mt Cook as well as Everest of course. Derek stood next to a life size photo of him and by heck, he was a big man! Anyway as usual I am getting sidetracked! As we were there by 10.30 am we went straight down the Hooker Valley to do a walk to the Hooker Glacier Lake, one we have done before and always promised ourselves we would do it again. The terrain is a little rough in places so you really do have to wear walking boots as it would be very easy to turn an ankle here. The walk there and back is nearly 7 miles and takes around 3 hours. It also gives you a spectacular view of Mount Cook at the end of the walk although the cloud was coming in a little by the time we got there. This photo left shows us just about to get to the lake and when we rounded that last corner, we were nearly blown off our feet by the force of the wind coming down the glacier. I have never felt a wind like it! Exciting though! We were just glad we made it and we hunkered down behind a huge boulder and ate our lunch, cheese sandwiches and hot cross buns, you can't beat it. It's just one of those moments when you feel so glad to be alive with so much beauty surrounding you. This is us in sillouhette crossing one of the many swing bridges that crosses the milky river which is the result of the glacier melting. They have built two more bridges since we were last here which is a good thing as one of the routes we took last time hugged the mountainside and was desidedly dodgy to walk along! (Don't forget to click on the photos to see a larger version if you want to) Anyway that was day one's walk completed and we were pretty tired. We haven't done much hill walking lately and we could tell by our aches and pains when we got out of the car at the hotel only ten minutes drive away. We were staying at the Alpine Lodge this time, the Hermitage being beyond our price range this time but it was a good choice, modern, very comfortable with an ensuite and great mountain views, a nice lounge and a place to cook if you didn't want to eat out. We ate at the cafe where we had coffee with Julie and Mike once which kind of made me sad and happy about it all in one go! The cafe is below with the Hermitage off to the right. Note: we are still in shorts and T-shirts! After a good night's sleep we were woken by the sound of the keas, big parrots flying down from the mountain behind us to come and see what everyone was up to this morning. They are great birds, noisy and boisterous, a great favourite of tourists but not with locals who put up with their antics every day. They really are incredibly distructive but beautiful birds. I took this on a long lens so as not to spook him and was joined by alot of Japenese tourists who whenever they got closer, he just 'shouted' at them then carried on taking this cars' spare tyre cover to pieces no problem at all! So glad we have a metal cover on ours. We only had one night here so were determined to do another walk before leaving the Park so after breakfast and packing up, we went down the Tasman Valley Road and could see the icebergs from the road. They are so big and because it has been so warm this year, have been falling off the head of the Tasman glacier, floating down the lake and getting stuck at the head of the Tasman River so unless they melt fully, they are going to re-freeze in the winter and stop any flow of water down the river which fills up Lake Pukaki. This was the walk I had been looking forward to most, a little shorter and I just wanted to see the bergs up close. At least there was no wind this morning either though a little hazy. We have promised ourselves that next time we will go in one of the boats that take you round the icebergs and up to the Glacier end so that is something to look forward to for our next visit here. More great views of Mount Cook too and a very happy Derek; he loves it here too as you can see! I love the way that wild life just clings on in these remote and wild places too and with no soil either! Think you get the idea anyway. The glacier looks very 'dirty' at the moment as there has been little or no rain. You can just make out the boats in front of the glacier terminal end as you can't really appreciate the scale of this place. The Glacier is over two miles thick at the end apparently and it creaks in a very eerie way. We were one of the few people there that early in the morning and the peace and quiet wraps you up like you are in a blanket in our world full of noise. It is truly magical and on that note, I am going to finish for today and will carry on again on Thursday. TTFN, take care of each other and hope you had lots of Easter Eggs - we had 2 Cadburys cream eggs the other day and they were wonderful! Be good xx
1 Comment
Julie
4/1/2013 08:35:14 pm
Oh Helen your photos are just stunning and the glaciers - Wow, would love to have seen that, and hopefully hopefully will do some time soon. The scale of it all is just awesome. So glad we could catch up last night and have spoken to Phoebe this morning at Mum's but forgot to tell her the time difference! So glad you enjoyed such a great trip and in t shirts and shorts too. We have lovely sunshine again this morning and a bit warmer too. Am waiting for UPS man with my ribbon and twine to finish off these last ten invites for Ben and Jess as he will be here this afternoon to collect them, Yikes!! no pressure eh... Just going hunting for blinds now up at John Lewis or Next and speak to you later. Much love always...xxx
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AuthorMy name is Helen Baker and I am now living back in the UK with my husband Derek after living for for five years in New Zealand. I am a Mum and Grandmother to two daughters and 6 grandchildren who are my whole world. I love taking photos, patchwork and scrapbooking and this page is here so that I don't have to write lots of letters home but can still keep in touch with those I love x Archives
August 2016
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