Mount Cook & Lake Tekapo, NZ

Driving north from Queenstown to Christchurch we decided to stop off at the spectacular Aoraki/Mt. Cook National Park, which along with Fiordland, Aspiring, and Westland National Parks, is part of the Southwest New Zealand World Heritage Area. Of the 27 NZ mountains over 10,000 feet high, 22 of them are in this park. None are as high as towering Mt Cook which rises 12,319 feet and is the highest peak in this area of the world (including Australia).


Typically Mt Cook is covered in clouds but we were able to catch glimpses of the towering peak on our way into the National Park. The Cruza was also being tossed around a bit by the massive wind bursts coming off the mountains. Eventually, we made it to the mountain and were unable to hike any of the trails due to inclement weather on the mountain (it was snowing not far from the base). We took some time however to look at the Hermitage Hotel, arguably the most famous hotel in NZ, principally for its location and fantastic views of Mt Cook. We sampled the goodies at their cafe, grabbing a long black (coffee) and a muffin, took a few photos, and got back on the road.

After an hours drive, surrounded by the Southern Alps to our left, we decided to camp at Lake Tekapo for the night. This is a small town, as so many of them on the south island are - population 315, on the lake, with hills and snowcapped mountains as the backdrop. We met a local who kindly picked us up early the next morning and drove us to the top of Mount John, a popular trek where at the top resides the University of Canterbury Earth and Sky Scientific Observatory. Thanks to clear skies and its distance from any main towns (along with local restrictions on types of lights they can use), the star gazing here is world renowned. The views during the day are not so bad as well. We took a few minutes to take in the 360 degree panoramic view and then started our trek down (an hour or so of hiking) and jumped into the Cruza en route to Christchurch.
Click HERE for more pics.