http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Mount-Cook-National-Park/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Oceania , New Zealand , South Island , Mount Cook National Park en-us Tue, 05 Jan 2010 06:33:04 +0000 Tue, 05 Jan 2010 06:33:04 +0000 I have been in Tekapo for around six weeks now. I have been outside of Tekapo for a total of about six hours during this six week period. Cabin fever or just plain restlessness has taken its grasp over the last week. I decided on this weeks days off I would skip town. I checked the weather forecast for Mt Cook and Monday was supposed to be sunny and pleasant. Seemed like a good idea go to Mt Co http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Mount-Cook-National-Park/blog-425447.html 2nd June 2009This was most definitely a walking section of our trip. First up was a walk up the Hooker Valley to the terminal lake of the Hooker Glacier. The beginning of the walk took us to an Alpine Memorial for those that lost their life climbing the peaks around Mount Cook. It put us off trying to scale the mountain. The walk took over swing bridges and offered amazing views of the the peak http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Mount-Cook-National-Park/blog-423401.html From Geraldine we drove on towards Fairlie and then to Lake Tekapo. Lake Tekapo is beautiful again a very blue colour and surrounded by snowcapped mountains. We then headed to Mt Cook around Lake Pukaki where we stopped to have lunch with a nice view of the mountain across the lake. The sun was shining and it was perfectly warm despite it being the middle of winter in the region of the highest http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Mount-Cook-National-Park/blog-421290.html joined a tour that took us from christchurch to queenstown via mt cook. highlight was definitely the helicopter tour. we had a lot of opportunities to ride in a helicopter during our trip in new zealand. i knew i wanted to do it but choosing when to do it was kind of difficult. i was going back and forth between helihike at franz josef or mt cook. choosing to do the latter was definitely worth it http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Mount-Cook-National-Park/blog-421121.html 06.02.09The night spent attending Classical Sparks at Hagley Park got us a bit tired and waking up this morning has been a bit of a struggle. In two hours we are finally ready to go.After two tries to pack everything in the car we realized we were probably overloaded for a weekend journey only to find out later as usual that we were still missing somethingSoon wersquore heading south on the H http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Mount-Cook-National-Park/blog-418686.html We or should I say Geen booked into the Glentanner Camp park. What amazing views we were greeted with simply wonderful to wake up to those snow capped mountains all around you.Having to stock up on fuel and provisions it took us a while to get started on our intended walk the Hooker Valley trail. With an estimated walking time of 34 hours we thought piece of cake but we should have know http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Mount-Cook-National-Park/blog-412036.html 26309 Day 8 An easier ride back to TwiselStill aching when woke up today. In fact if anything aching only got worse. Hobbled off to breakfast unable to bend legs and not at all exited for porridge after horrible porridge experience up mountain. Added lots of cinnamon and ginger just to make it taste different was o.k. Got changed then packed up and set off at 920. Lord knows how I was go http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Mount-Cook-National-Park/blog-393296.html 25309 Descent down Mt CookA v.strange nights sleep. Cold when got into bed and feet freezing. Huddled under 2 borrowed blankets my pashmina and a wirewool blanket and even though did get warmer definitely didnrsquot get warm. Woke every hour with pain of bones digging through wafer thin plastic mattress and into wood below. Had to rotate at regular intervals a lot like camping without a http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Mount-Cook-National-Park/blog-393295.html 24309 An absolutely brilliant day up Mt CookWoke up to darkness and sound of 715 alarm. Scuttled off for breakfast and made most awful sandwiches ever. Tuna with no mix just dry tuna...and no butter for bread. So drz bread and dry tuna. Not looking forward to those. Got dressed and ready for 815 set off. Had to store all other belongings in a locker then trundled off to Doc office to tr http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Mount-Cook-National-Park/blog-392658.html Day 7 A beautiful but v.deceiving ride to Mt CookSuch an oportunistic place to get a good nights sleep but spent far too long reading scary book and then could not get to sleep because was too scared. Don't know why I do it to myself because it happens every time with scary books For some reason though got a lot more scared because only 2 of us in room. Feel much safer in a dorm which is tot http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Mount-Cook-National-Park/blog-392657.html The drive to Mount Cook the largest mountain in NZ standing at about 4000m was pretty long. We stopped along the way at Lake Tekapo it was not the picture perfect scene there was a lot of low cloud meaning you could not see the mountains in the background but with a little imagination it looked great Tonight was the first night of Nibby cooking for 7 days and we head baked fish. Lovely onl http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Mount-Cook-National-Park/blog-387542.html So onto our last trip of what has turned out to be one great experience and one hell of a place to visit. New Zealand has been a joy to see and with the aid of a fantastic group of people to experiance it with has been a highlight of my jorney so far.We left Queenstown for a 5 hour road trip towards the Sothern Alps of New Zealand. Again passing rolling hills and finally in the distance the summi http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Mount-Cook-National-Park/blog-387151.html MOUNT COOK NATIONAL PARK Sir Edmund Hilary Country. http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Mount-Cook-National-Park/blog-386074.html 24th March 2009 TREK UP TO MUELLER HUT TOUGH BUT WORTH ITI woke up at around 6.30am and was not impressed to find that I was still in bed. I had just had a dream that had got up showered and prepared myself for the day and now I had to do it all again Not fair It was pitch black outside and so I was pleased that I had organised myself the night before and laid all my clothes out. Very M http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Mount-Cook-National-Park/blog-384605.html 23rd March 2009 THE RIDE TO MOUNT COOK VILLAGE.....UP UP AND UPI woke up early again...think my body clock is set to 7am these days It was lovely and warm under my covers though and so I stayed there until 8am dozing on and off I then got up washed and had breakfast before getting myself ready for the cycle to Mount Cook Village. I was not in a good frame of mind this morning and I did no http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Mount-Cook-National-Park/blog-384600.html Mount CookNext on the hit list was the highest peak in Australasia Aoraki cloud piercer or Mount Cook. Without mountaineering experience we knew the summit was a no go so we intended to do some walking at the base. On route we stopped at Lake Tekapo for photos of the charming little Church of the Good Shepherd set amongst the turquoise waters of the lake. What was not so charming were the r http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Mount-Cook-National-Park/blog-383514.html Thursday March 19 2009ldquoIn Mother Naturehellip therersquos such a clearing of the air after a rampage that she may go off whistling to herself all settled down ready for dinner and a good sleep.rdquoldquoThe Water of Liferdquo by Michael MeadeAnd so it goes. All that was crappy yesterday is wondrous today. As I sit in the van talking to Carla on the phone thought I do swear http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Mount-Cook-National-Park/blog-383456.html Wednesday March 18 2009 Up in the air junior birdmen... old camp songBright and early at the crack of nine I roll out of bed and walk over to the Southern Gliding office. There is actually a little camper park adjacent to the airstrip with clean wellkept facilities. They do it on an honor system so I just filled in the envelope enclosed the money and dropped it in a box. I talk to Chris th http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Mount-Cook-National-Park/blog-383454.html Mount Cook 17th 18th FebruaryThe drive from Lake Tekapo to Mount Cook was spectacular. We stopped at the edge of Lake Puketi where we could see Mount Cook from across the turquoise waters of the lake. Driving up along the lake towards the mountain we could see Mount Sefton with its impressive ice and snow. We camped on a DOC site with Mount Sefton towering in the background. I don't http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Mount-Cook-National-Park/blog-381254.html March 10thSince leaving Dunedin we had some lovely weather the first sustained period of lovely warm sunny days since our first week. David is now wearing shorts and we have hopefully put away our thicker jumpers. Wersquove seen the big boulders on Moeraki beach and been to Twizel. Itrsquos the starting point to go up the approach to AorakiMount Cook. We were told in Twizel in glorious su http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Mount-Cook-National-Park/blog-381021.html