4.12.18 Aoraki Mt.Cook

First today we drive to the starting point for exploring Aoraki Mt. Cook. The weather has changed overnight and it is starting to rain heavily. In Mt. Cook village, apart from a large but really nice hotel, motels, visitor center, a campsite, and the starting point for hikes, there is not much else. This is exactly what we had in mind. First, we have our obligatory breakfast toast and then we move on to the next premiere. We put on our rain gear and hike into Hooker Valley, from where we are supposed to have a great view of Hooker Glacier, the associated glacier lake, and of course Aoraki. We are not quite sure what we will see. After about an hour of marching, the rain subsides. Although the view of Aoraki is not as great, the glacier lake with pieces of glacier in it is impressive. On the way back, we have two surprises. First, it seems that a door somewhere has opened and a lot of people are coming towards us. Secondly, we meet acquaintances. Ever since Abel Tasman National Park, we have been encountering two German couples over and over again. We meet at campsites, in towns, or at Milford Sound, and now they are coming towards us. We celebrate with a big hello.

After that, the weather does whatever it wants - sometimes dry, sometimes rainy, sometimes warm, and then suddenly cold. We explore various hiking trails and enjoy the mountain atmosphere. After visiting the nicely designed visitor center, we have a cappuccino at the grand Hermitage Hotel. By now, it has become cloudy again, and we have decided to camp at the beautiful Lake Pukaki once more. We hope that the sun will still shine a bit up front. However, we are taking the weather with us, as it is very windy at the lake. Nevertheless, we find a nice spot and enjoy the view from the camper. Despite the rain, the lake is still deep blue.