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Published: February 11th 2008
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Saturday 9th Thank goodness I woke 650am, as my alarm clock has stuck at 1130! Quick dress/finish pack/brekkie before Campbell, with Isaak/Luke, takes me into the city centre to catch my bus. I'm fairly sure the bus time is 815, but it could be 8am so I want to be sure I'm on time. We get into town and the Octogon, where my stop is, is blocked off, so we find the 815 backpackers and wait there and sure enough the bus turns up on time! Waving goodbye, I find out our driver is Greg before we stop at our first stop - Baldwin Street - in the Guineness Book of Records. Is quite a hard climb as you can imagine but it's another photo opportunity!
Back on the bus for an hour or so to our next stop - the Moeraki Boulders - naturally formed 'rock marbles', where there's time for a few photos amongst the low-lying mist - or is it cloud? Back on the road to Oamaru where some have arranged to stop to see the Blue Penguins overnight, but I'm not bothered about that so the rest of us are dropped at the supermarket for 30
minutes as Lake Tekapo doesn't have a full supermarket/restaurants are not cheap - go for a good portion of fruit/veggies - feeling unhealthy again! Back on the road and next stop Kurow - another ice-cream stop, one of the reasons feel so unhealthy but hey-ho... Let's have another Caramel Fudge Tip-Top ice cream ('real ice cream creamier')! We're now back on the bus for the last trek to Lake Tekapo where am going to stay til Tuesday morning.
Made it to Lake Tekapo. We stop at the Little Church - very much photographed, along with the dog statue - a wedding about to start so can't go in, but check and service tomorrow is 7pm. Not sure about the hostel/area as a place to really chill so stuck to 2 nights for now. Chatted to Greg the driver and no probs - has moved me to Monday. Wandered into town for a look round, then back to cook my food on the BBQ. On the way into town had seen someone waving frantically from the Cook Connection bus - as I thought, it was Netty, so she joined for a chat as Matthias and I BBQ'd our food. They
then mentioned the walk up St John's - I missed that, and won't have time tomorrow! Not sure where the evening went - chats, washing, internet, bag sorting (as always). Full room so hope can sleep in these creaky beds!
Sunday 10th Up pretty early - but bathroom is heaving - guess everyone but us is on the Magic Bus at 830. By 750 we're on 'The Cook Connection', a small bus with our driver Bill. It's raining pretty badly, but he reckons it will clear up later and we have 1.5 hours to go before we're at Mount Cook village. Usually the bus would stop for photo stops but not much but cloud to see. He does, however, give us info on things we pass - and a tour of the village when we arrive.
Getting off the bus Tom and Eveline (from the Magic Bus) and I decide we'll walk together to Kea Point and the Hooker Valley where there's supposed to be the best chance of seeing Mount Cook up close - Lonely Planet says spectacular if not obscured by cloud - which according to the DOC office it probably will be! Tempting as it
is to sit and nurse a hot drink all day, we set off. As expected, we're quicker than the DOC timings. We decide to see if the sky will clear before we go to Kea Point, and head off down the Hooker track. Although there's a lot of cloud, there are some atmopheric photo opps, and a couple of swing bridges to bounce across.
We're getting wetter and wetter, but stopping for chats/to look around regularly so pretty pleasant. We get to the Hooker Lake... Formed at the base of the glacier we can see on the other side of the lake. It's lunchtime so we go for the sarnies and wonder if anything will clear because we know that Mount Cook (NZ's highest mountain) is in there somewhere! After half hour we're getting cold and the cloud's getting thicker, so we head back, 'coming through' another large group.
Decide no point going to Kea Point either and go and get that hot drink and take a few photos as Mount Cook peaks through occassionally! Quick visit to DOC souvenier shop and back on the coach in time. We have one stop by Lake Pukaki as the sun
comes out and lights it up - although Mount Cook is still hidden in cloud. Back in for a quick shower, some hot soup, and I walk back into town. Get to the church 650, and service starts 5 minutes later... Nice service - about 20 people. The vicar's rotate I think, and this one has prepared the music for the songs/hymns by burning the MP3s to CD - must remember that one. Few songs, sermon on temptation, time of sharing (stories), few songs and then wander back into town with a Dutch guy who's just arrived from Oz - and not spent a cent on accommodation in 2 months - just keeps taking people up on their offers. Back at hostel, some TV, pack bag properly, read and sleep. Only 3 in our room this time, so can take bottom bunk each and not be disturbed every time person on other bunk moves!
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