Lake Pukaki & Mount Cook

16.11.22

Waking up again at 5:30 am🫣

Doesn't matter, I'll just watch the sunrise at the lake then.

It's so quiet here and the air is so clear. Unfortunately, too cloudy again to see the stars.

We decide to drive to Lake Pukaki for breakfast. 

Another good decision, as we drive into the sunrise and to a gigantic rainbow. Bunnies hopping along the roadside.... and unfortunately often crossing the road without caution....that's really shocking😫 There are so many roadkill here that you can be glad not to have hit one yet. 

We have breakfast at Lake Pukaki, overlooking the lake. 

Lake Pukaki is fed by the Tasman Glacier and the Hooker Glacier. At the visitor center, we find the best toilets so far..... not an outhouse but clean toilets with flush. 

Unfortunately, without sun now and it starts raining. We still decide to drive to Mount Cook and hope for better weather. Mount Cook, also called Aoraki (Cloud Piercer), is 3,754 meters high and thus the highest mountain in New Zealand. The Aoraki Mount Cook National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

There is a Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Center here. Sir Edmund Hillary climbed his first summit here.

We don't want to do that today, instead we treat ourselves to a coffee at the Hermitage Hotel with a view of Mount Cook.... and here we have WLAN again 😊

We continue to the White Horse Hill Campground. 

You have to put the appropriate amount of money in an envelope and throw it into a box. After we skipped paying last night because we didn't have the right change, we now walk around trying to change money. With success! We are standing in front of a glacier, super beautiful. The place is ideal for hikes.

Today we will hike on the Hooker Valley Track to Hooker Lake. To do this, we cross 3 suspension bridges and hike uphill to the lake. 

There are some icebergs swimming in the lake that have broken off from the Hooker Glacier. 

The lake has a temperature of 3 degrees. After a break at the lake, we go back the same way, accompanied by great views of Lake Pukaki and the other glaciers. You can hear cracking in the glaciers all the time and constantly check if it calves.

A really beautiful hike that reminded us a lot of Patagonia. 

It is super clean and the trails are in top condition. Back at the campground, we cook and sit in the sun with a view of the Mueller Glacier. 

Such a special place with a breathtaking scenery.