Blogs from Mount Cook National Park, South Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 3

Thursday 12th December, 2013. Mount Cook National Park - Day 1 It was only about 61 km (37 miles) from Twizel to Aoraki/Mount Cook. We set off drove past the Hydro Electric stuff that D had visited yesterday evening. The drive hugged the shores of Lake Pukaki for much of the way. Lake Pukaki is a stunning turquoise lake with the majestic backdrop of the snow-capped Southern Alps in the distance. We pulled off the road at a spot called "Peters Lookout". There were quite a few cars there and lots of people where having a picnic breakfast. The view of the Southern Alps and Mount Cook were absolutely fabulous. The lake is fed by the Tasman River, which flows off the Tasman Glacier. The water level has been artificially raised as part of the Upper ... read more

Dunedin Dunedin or 'Edinburgh of the South' is an easy going city port on the edge of the Otago peninsula. The city is centred around 'The Octagon,' a thriving area with many inviting cafés, bars and restaurants. Not that either of us are experts in Scottish culture, but we didn't really see the apparent striking resemblance to Edinburgh. Venturing into 'The Scottish Souvenir Shop,' Tom had a bit of a 'Daisy moment' and stupidly asked where the link to Scotland originated, only to be met with blank, disbelieving stares. The woman went on to explain that the founders of the city had originated in Scotland before emigrating to NZ. Duuhhhh! We decided to spend a day wandering around the city getting comfy with the Scottish vibe and culturising ourselves. We started with the art gallery....we were ... read more

After packing up we headed on the 4x4 track towards Ball Pass hut. It was great fun in the 4x4 If not rather bumpy going over the boulders. After a while the track ends and you have to walk the remainder which was a fairly easy walk over mixed terrain which took about an hour. The views alongside the track were quite bizarre, almost like the terrain of the moon, grey dust with what looks like craters. In actual fact in was the Tasman Glacier which is covered with layers of rock and deposits – as in places the grey was no longer present and you could see the ice below. We checked out the hut when we reached it – a tiny little hut sleeping three people, and admired the views of Mount Cook, Tasman ... read more

Die Weiterreise von Queenstown in Richtung Norden beginnt heute 8.40 Uhr. Ich sehe einige bekannte Gesichter wieder im Bus von den letzten Reisen. Wir machen einen kurzen Frühstücksstopp und einen kleinen Fotostopp. Das Ziel ist heute aber möglichst schnell nach Mt. Cook zu kommen. Kurz nach zwei erreichen wir unsere heutige Unterkunft. Ich bin mir nicht ganz sicher, ob man es noch Hostel nennen kann, da die gesamte Anlage sehr gut ist. Auch die Zimmer sind super in Ordnung und das Bad ist wie im Hotel. 15 Uhr geht es dann ab zur Wanderung. Nach drei Hängebrücken und einigen Kilometern erreichen wir schließlich einen kleinen See. Dieser schaut etwas verdreckt mit Schlamm aus, sonst aber normal. Ein Blick nach links zum anderen Ende lässt aber ganz neue Einblicke offen. Am anderen Ende ist eine große weiße ... read more

Wanaka to Tekapo and Mount Cook We left early and travelled to Tekapo, the sun shone and the journey was like travelling around the world. We saw landscape that resembled Wales, Scotland, Dorset, Africa , Switzerland, Bahamas so different in two and a half hours driving. Arriving at Tekapo we went to the spa which overlooks the lake. It was relaxing in the sunshine but not quite as big as Hamner and there were no jacuzzi jets. We had lunch in the cafe at Tekapo then drove to Mount Cook taking a road that skirts lake Punakaki. A fabulous drive but as we neared Mount Cook the weather changed and the clouds rolled in above the mountains. Undeterred we continued on and took the track to Mount Tasman. We walked up to a ridge overlooking a ... read more