Driving along Lake Pukaki to Mount Cook

MOUNTAINS DOWN TO QUEENSLAND

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December 11th 2012
­­­Well the last week has been fabulous. We decided to take a drive out to Mount Cook, at 3754 m high. It was where Edmund Hillary trained prior to his ascent of Everest. There was just one lovely hotel at the base of the mountain and this was where we had lunch. As it is summer here there were dozens of waterfalls coming down the mountains around us. It had been snowing but it suddenly stoppe ... read more

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Queenstown

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The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. In 1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen Victoria while retaining territorial rights. In that same year... ... read more