2/26/18
We woke up to beautiful views of the mountains and lake as a fog was burning off where we camped. We drove onto Lake Pukaki which had more beautiful mountain views, including Mt. Cook (NZ's tallest peak). Lake Pukaki is also a surreal blue color, much like one would imagine belonging to the Caribbean. We drove alongside the lake until we arrived at Mt. Cook village, which is dominated by Mt. Cook in the background. We picked up our hut permits at the visitor center and then hiked up the steep (but mostly staired, first 1/2 of the hike is 2100 straight stairs.) trail to Mueller hut. The entire hike had stunning views of mount cook, mt sefton, and the glaciers clinging to the steep faces of the surrounding mountains. We reached the bright red hut in the afternoon. It of course had the same views. We relaxed for a bit on the sunny deck and then hiked to the top of Mt. Olliver, which was the very first peak that Sir Edmund Hillary (First person to summit Mt. Everest) climbed. The Mueller hut sits up in the alpine, surrounded by the big peaks with great views of Mt. Cook and the glaciers. In fact, we could often hear the glaciers creaking and moaning. In the evening we walked to the ridge of Mt. Olliver and watched an unreal sunset.
2/27/18
We woke up to a beautiful sunrise. We were above a thick sea of clouds obscuring the valleys below. Mt. Cook and the other peaks glowed pink as they rose up through the sea of clouds. After we packed up, we hiked into the dense clouds below. In the campground at the base, we ran into Danny Gregory and Irene (friends from McM). From Mt. Cook Village, we drove to Queenstown, which included a cool canyon drive and going past some of NZ's wineries. In Queenstown, we shopped and showered at their rec center. Queenstown is surrounded by jagged peaks and has a huge lake as well. There are a couple famous ski resorts near to the town as well as great mtn biking. It's famous for being one of the adventure capitals of the world. I decided I wanted to move to Queenstown! We cooked dinner along the shores of the lake and watched a burning red sunset. We then drove to Mt. Aspiring NP where we spent the night.
We woke up to beautiful views of the mountains and lake as a fog was burning off where we camped. We drove onto Lake Pukaki which had more beautiful mountain views, including Mt. Cook (NZ's tallest peak). Lake Pukaki is also a surreal blue color, much like one would imagine belonging to the Caribbean. We drove alongside the lake until we arrived at Mt. Cook village, which is dominated by Mt. Cook in the background. We picked up our hut permits at the visitor center and then hiked up the steep (but mostly staired, first 1/2 of the hike is 2100 straight stairs.) trail to Mueller hut. The entire hike had stunning views of mount cook, mt sefton, and the glaciers clinging to the steep faces of the surrounding mountains. We reached the bright red hut in the afternoon. It of course had the same views. We relaxed for a bit on the sunny deck and then hiked to the top of Mt. Olliver, which was the very first peak that Sir Edmund Hillary (First person to summit Mt. Everest) climbed. The Mueller hut sits up in the alpine, surrounded by the big peaks with great views of Mt. Cook and the glaciers. In fact, we could often hear the glaciers creaking and moaning. In the evening we walked to the ridge of Mt. Olliver and watched an unreal sunset.
2/27/18
We woke up to a beautiful sunrise. We were above a thick sea of clouds obscuring the valleys below. Mt. Cook and the other peaks glowed pink as they rose up through the sea of clouds. After we packed up, we hiked into the dense clouds below. In the campground at the base, we ran into Danny Gregory and Irene (friends from McM). From Mt. Cook Village, we drove to Queenstown, which included a cool canyon drive and going past some of NZ's wineries. In Queenstown, we shopped and showered at their rec center. Queenstown is surrounded by jagged peaks and has a huge lake as well. There are a couple famous ski resorts near to the town as well as great mtn biking. It's famous for being one of the adventure capitals of the world. I decided I wanted to move to Queenstown! We cooked dinner along the shores of the lake and watched a burning red sunset. We then drove to Mt. Aspiring NP where we spent the night.
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