Lake Tekapo and Mount Cook:

After spending about month in Wanaka working and settling into the area, we had the itch to get on the road again to explore beyond the Wanaka area. So, when we had a couple of days off from work again, we loaded up Ernie (our camper van if you don’t remember from an earlier post) and headed for the Mount Cook and Lake Tekapo area, which is about 2 and a half hours north of Wanaka.

Even though we were only gone for the weekend, it felt great to get beyond Wanaka again to see new areas of New Zealand. The Wanaka area is beautiful and there are a lot of things to do and see, but we were beginning to feel stagnant, and it’s hard to stay in one spot when there are so many awesome places to explore in this country.

So, with a full tank of gas, some groceries, and somewhat of a plan, we headed out for the weekend.

Lake Tekapo:

Lake Tekapo sits in an area where the flat farmlands of the eastern part of the South Island meet the mountains. Around the lake are rolling hills and high ridges, which rise into large mountains in the distance.

On the south edge of the lake is the highway and the small town of Tekapo which has a gas station, a grocery store and a few restaurants.

The main attraction around Lake Tekapo is the Church of the Good Shepherd. It’s a small stone church that was built on the edge of the lake in the 1930’s. This was one of the first stops that we made, and when we arrived, the church was surrounded by large groups of tourists that get dropped off by tour busses. We ended up walking along the edge of the lake and checked out the church quickly and then returned later on in the evening when it was less crowded.

We were very lucky with our timing for the trip to Lake Tekapo as all of the Lupins were blooming in colourful displays along the highways and hillsides. Lupins are tall flowers that are different shades of purple, blue, pink and yellow, and they make a bright contrast to the cool blue water of the lakes and rivers and the dark mountains in the distance. The colours are amazing, especially when there are large groups of them, and they smell like expensive hotel soap. They’re also probably the most photographic noxious weed in the world.

Lake Tekapo is also part of an area which has been deemed a dark sky reserve of New Zealand meaning that there is no light pollution from surrounding cities or towns. Unfortunately there was thick cloud cover on our night in the area so we weren’t able to take advantage of it by doing any stargazing. There is also an observatory on a hill above Lake Tekapo that you can walk to, but unfortunately we ran out of time and were never able to get there.

After Lake Tekapo, we had planned on going to Mount Cook/Aoraki National Park for a night to do some walking but because of the rain we weren’t able to do any walking and ended up heading back to Wanaka earlier than planned. But, we made our way back to Mount Cook a couple of weeks later to do the exploring that we had originally planned. So…

A few weeks later…

Mount Cook:

A few days after Christmas, we headed back up to Mount Cook Provincial Park to try to explore the area and do some walking. Several weeks before we had gone to Mount Cook but ended up heading home early without doing any walking or camping because it was raining heavily.

Unfortunately, the weather forecast for our second trip showed rain as well but we decided to try our luck with hopes that it would clear. We arrived in the park in the early afternoon to find that there was even more rain and cloud than when we were first there. We weren’t able to see any of the mountains or peaks even though we were surrounded by them on all sides.

We were determined to stick it out this time and committed to setting up camp and staying the night while hoping that the rain would pass. It was about 3 or 4 hours of no visibility, horizontal rain, and no break in the clouds, before the weather finally began to break up. Even though the wind stuck around, the rain subsided and the clouds lifted. This was our first sighting of the mountains in the Mount Cook park and it was awesome watching the clouds slowly peel away from the valley floor, the peaks and the glaciers.

The park is set at the end of a long valley at the head of Lake Pukaki. The floor of the valley is completely flat and laced with braided rivers and streams from the melt water of the many glaciers throughout the area. Where the valley floor meets the feet of the mountains, there is no gradual transition. Instead, the mountains rise straight upwards in steep walls which makes a very dramatic landscape.

There is a small village and an airport at the end of the valley, as well as one campground. We stayed at the campground (which costs $13 per night) where you can look up at several glacier capped peaks that seem to loom directly above you. Further on in the valley lies Mount Cook itself which is the highest peak in New Zealand.

Hooker Valley Track:

Once the weather cleared (which was around 3 in the afternoon) we headed for the Hooker Valley track. It leaves directly from the campground and, besides the slightly inappropriate name, it’s really easy and offers amazing views. It only takes about 45 minutes to an hour each way and takes you across 3 suspension bridges and several boardwalks

The trail ends at a glacial lake near the bottom of Mount Cook which is filled with icebergs. There is a small beach on the close edge of the lake where the chunks of ice wash up as well.

We ended up spending quite a few hours hanging around at the lake taking pictures and flying my quadcopter and by the time that we left, the sun was beginning to set. The sky had completely cleared off since the early afternoon and the only clouds in sight were the ones created by the mountains themselves that curled around their edges and peaks.

As the sun went down, a soft warm light settled on the face of Mount Cook and the wind settled down. We realized that most of the other walkers had headed back already and we had the place to ourselves. It was so peaceful and beautiful and by far one of the most memorable walks from our time here in New Zealand.

It was December 27th when we went to Mount Cook and it still felt strange spending the Christmas holidays in the warm summer sun with long days, no snow, and away from family. And while I can’t say that I prefer it that way, I can definitely say that, besides the unusual and strange feeling, this amazing country doesn’t leave us with much to complain about.

Sealy Tarns Hike:

For our second day in Mount Cook, the weather was still clear and we were able to do another walk called the Sealy Tarns track. It also leaves from the campground, but where the Hooker Valley track is flat along the valley floor, the Sealy Tarns track climbs straight up a steep wall of the valley. This means that you get incredible views of the area, but the climb is a never ending staircase that quickly becomes exhausting. Luckily, the climb is quite short and you can be at the top in about an hour and a half.

The track ends at a few small ponds (which are called tarns) that are on the side of the mountain. They aren’t very large, but it’s still unique to see bodies of water like that on such a steep slope.

From the tarns, you can also keep climbing higher although the track gets steeper and rougher from that point. The next section of trail takes you all of the way to the top of the ridge and ends at Mueller Hut where you are able to stay overnight.

We kept it simple and didn’t journey much past the tarns before heading back down. After the hike, we checked out the area around Tasman Valley and Tasman Lake before heading back to Wanaka for work the next day with another successful New Zealand weekend under our belts.