Mt Cook for Easter
Trip Start
Sep 13, 2006
1
64
178
Trip End
May 08, 2008
Mt Cook,
New Zealand
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
I still didnt know what i was going to do for the easter weekend but i knew i was going somewhere. Had been invited boating by Jeff from work but as the forecast for the weekend looked shit i favoured heading for the mountains on the west coast. So friday morning i grabbed a map threw some clothes together and took off in the car with the plan to head for Mt cook and anything else i can see along the way would be a bonus.
The first 100km is pretty boring and flat land, but once you hit a town called Geraldine as you turn to go west it starts geting very scenic. I really enjoyed the drive and stopped off at lake Tekapo for something to eat and a look at the Famous good Shepard church which is probably big enough to hold about 20 people... But it sits looking out over lake Tekapo which is pretty class. It was just over an hour drive from there to Mt Cook and i got there just as it was geting dark. The mountains all look bloddy amazing and all capped with snow. So i checked myself into the YHA Hostel and crashed for the nite... Now i knew the weather wasnt supposed to be great but when i woke up saturday it was freezing and the clouds were pretty much down around my feet...
church of good shepard
U couldnt see a fookin thing...lol... kind of weird when u know the biggest mountain in Australasia is sitting rite behind this mass cloud and u cant even see it.. Not too worry.. as it turned out the hostel for saturday nite was full so i headed to the only other hostel about and that was full so then i went to the motel and that was fully booked and there was no way i could afford to stay in the 5 star Hermitage hotel there.. So figured i would worry about accomadation later.Off i went tramping.. (that doesnt mean i went out looking for tramps) Tramping is what the Kiwi's call hill walking... Anyway i did the Hooker trail which i enjoyed despite seeing feck all but there are some cool bridges on the trail over rivers and then i did some of the Kea Trail.. And that was most of my day gone now my decision was to either drive 60km back to the next town to stay the nite or sleep in the car.. (probably should mention that Mt cook village is tiny and is in middle of no where.. it only exists because of tourists coming to see the peak) I semi planned ahead and had a sleeping matt and sleeping bag with me so car it is. Ohh i was still using the hostels facilities so i wasnt exactly stuck. Went to the Chamois bar on the saturday nite which was dead but they were showing the super 14 so no complaints.
I woke up about 6.30 sunday morning.. and i knew the weather was supposed to be better that day but it was already crystal clear.. still a bit dark but sun was rising and not a cloud out.. ohh it was still bloddy baltic.. So i put on my five layers of clothers and hit the trails.. it seemed i was pretty much the only lunatic out at 7 in the morning but was totally worth it. The views of the glaciers and mt cook are amazing but its not just mt cook there are loads of other peaks there too. Could even see the mist of snow that was been blown about by the wind on the mountains summit.
Went up too hooker lake which is at the bottom of the mountain and that had ice bergs floating in it which was very alien to me. While there i also made it to the blue lakes which are now a shitty green colour and made it to the Tasman lake and Glacier. I lucked out big time with the weather as it just couldnt have been better.
So sunday afternoon i got back in the car and headed for a look around lake Pulaki before spending a bit more time back at lake Tekapo. Another few hours drive then back to christchurch and a quick change and down to the Bog for a few drinks with the lads.
