Up at the crack of dawn and off to hike the Hooker Valley Track.
On above picture it extends from the campground heading NE for 10K there and back. It was quiet in the early morning and I had the trail to myself as NZ was entering the last week of tourist season.
I was feeling better. I was out of antibiotics and the infection seems to have run its course. I wanted to ease into some alpine hikes so today was a pretty tame flat jaunt.
The clouds were covering the mountains for the first hour or so and I was starting to get pissed, but it soon cleared up and I had a perfect view. The whole trip had clouds and some rain but by and large things always seem to clear up right at the opportune time.
This hike started with three bridges.
After the bridges I was graced with an incredible view of Mt Cook
Crossing one small creek I found an old wood shelter. It made a great counterpiece to the mountain in the background
The trail terminated in a lake that looked frigid as icebergs floated across the top. These were my first ever views of icebergs. I had seen ice floating before, but it was always just the breakup after winter. I got as close as I could to grab some shots. It was a cool experience.
I wanted to get closer to the glacier but I needed to cross a stream off to the left. I backtracked up over a hill looking for a place to cross. I quickly realized these were no rolling hills but rather pointy peaks with incredibly dense and sharp plants and rocks. I was carefully walking on tall bushes, occasionally falling through and sending sharp needle points through my pants. It was a bloodbath. I was ok, but I could have broken a leg. I thought, "man I just went off track a bit and how quickly the wheels started coming loose." It is so true, unless you have a good feel for the landscape, stay on the trail. I would be taught this lesson again in a few days. But I cannot resist at times. Anyway, I never found a way across the creek and rejoined the path back to the van.
Here is a shrine to some of the first hikers that lost their lives on Mt Cook.
As I got back to camp I saw a group of 20 Chinese with a sherpa guide holding a Satellite phone. Really? The trail was a boardwalk.
I got in the van and headed for the coast and the town of Omarama. From here on out I would basically be making a counterclockwise ring around the Southern Island.
Omarama is a cool seaside town. It is know for its Tymne Historic Precinct full of early 1900s buildings and cute shops
I continued on to the beach where at night all the penguins waddle in to sleep. I really wanted to see this, but was unwilling to waste 4 hours until they showed up on the scene. Instead I stopped in a brewery and then moved on
On the way back through the historic district I stumbled upon the most amazing store. it was called Adventure Books. The entire store was dedicated to adventure stories. They even had a sailboat in the store. I could spend a week in here just creating a list of books, reading them on the brewery patio waiting for the penguins to come home.
I continued on along the coast towards the southern college town of Dunedin. Before reaching the city I stopped along the road at the Moeraki Boulders. These are about a dozen boulders along the Pacific coast that are round in shape due to erosion from the sea. It is always on a list of "50 natural wonders you need to see" I personally did not think they were very special, but I did enjoy the couple climbing on top with their "selfie stick" to take pictures.
I had planned to stop in Dunedin and check out a couple bars but it was pretty grimy and just pressed through.
I stayed at a carpark just outside of town near the southern tip of the island
It was cold down here as we were only a long stone's throw from antarctica. I had to break out the emergency blanket at night to stay above freezing. I am not sure what I was thinking not including a sleeping bag. Thanks be to Fiji Airlines for the quality blankets. These were definitely not the cheap Airplane blankets you get in the US. I ended up bringing them home because they actually looked like pretty authentic Fiji swag.
Until Tomorrow
Darren
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