Blogs from Mount Cook National Park, South Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 17

Well on leaving Queenstown we drove all the way down to Milford Sound- wettest place on the planet and got a cruise out of the sound into the open water and back- we all got bitten to buggery by the dreaded sandflies- they seem to be everywhere. I know i keep banging on about this but it's such a beautiful country and we passed so many mountains that were used in the Lord of the Rings (not that i've actually seen the film), We were driving to Tutapare (the sausage capital- don't ask) and there was this old man that got on the bus and asked if we wanted to get on his jet boat and he would take us to the accomodation. Well i thought i'd support the locals so jumped on this boat and ... read more

Hey everybody! I apologize that it has taken me a while to update the TravelBlog. I have been preoccupied dealing with some issues that have come as a result of a substantial change in my personal life. Surprisingly, I am doing really well! However, I always greatly appreciate emails and phone calls from all of you. Ok, on to Mount Cook. Mount Cook is the tallest mountain in Australasia (Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islander countries). It is the largest mountain in the Southern Alps—the major mountain range of the South Island. Mt. Cook is located in the middle of the range near the west coast of the South Island (about 4 hours away from Christchurch) and has snow covered peaks year round. Eight of us students piled into two rental cars and took off on a ... read more

We stayed only one night here as the weather was raining, we did a 2 hour hike to see the ice burgs near to the glacier it was very windy and raining so not the most pleasurable walk in the world but great excercise. The view from the camp where we were staying and there was deffinatly a loo with a view of the mountains which was spectacular!... read more

As Gene and I drove into the small town of Twizel, with a population of 1015, we wondered why anyone would choose to live there. The so-called town was comprised of a mere strip mall including a small grocery store and a few small shops and cafés. Consulting our Lonely Planet Guide to New Zealand, we learned that the town of Twizel came into existence in 1968 when it was built to service construction of the nearby hydroelectric power station. It was due to expire when the project was completed in 1984. The town, however, survived beyond the mid-80’s due to the persistence of its residents and its proximity to Mt. Cook. Pulling into our Bed and Breakfast, I took check of my surroundings and noted that we were once again out in the country and ... read more

I was so glad I decided to go to the Mount Cook area before going back to Christchurch to go home. We has perfect weather and the surrounding mountains give spectacular views of this very dangerous mountain. 2 Japanese climbers died while I was there. Mount Cook claims 11 lives per year on average. Why anyone would do it is beyond me. On the first day I did the Hooker valley walk which took about 4 hours. It was a good warm up for my 2 day hike involving an overnight stay in Muller Hut. Bloody freezing up there but the views were well worth it. I got up for sunrise and experienced a wonderful peaceful morning with the local Kea parrots. I certainly recommend Mount Cook to anyone visiting New Zealand.... read more