Week 31 - the highest mountain in New Zealand

The week started with a visit to a workshop. So far we have driven about 10,000 kilometers and wanted to have an inspection done. Well, what can we say... the gravel roads are not exactly good. Some small things are broken, which we want to repair in Christchurch after Christmas. It could have been worse. Since we need to have these things repaired for the sale in April anyway, we are willing to incur the costs now.

After that, we headed to another tourist hotspot - Rob Roy Glacier. Some hotspots deserve their reputation, but we were disappointed by the glacier. However, we have already had the chance to see some up close in Norway. Therefore, the distant view of a white layer on the mountain was disappointing for us. The 30 kilometers of gravel road fit perfectly with our results from the workshop. However, what was new here was that we had to drive through 7 ruts. These had varying amounts of water. Without our lifted vehicle, we wouldn't have dared to do it. However, there were even very small low vehicles in the parking lot. Tourists with rental cars simply know no limits ;-)

On Tuesday, we finally escaped the tourists again - we climbed Grandview Mountain. We received this tip from a German who had lived in New Zealand for some time. The trail, with 18 kilometers and 1000 meters of elevation gain, was not easy, but the view was amazing. Even better was that we only encountered 6 people.

The next day was a day for errands and relaxation. Julian had caught a bit of a cold, so we took it easy. Since he felt better the next day, we returned to the tourist crowds. We headed to Mount Cook National Park. Aoraki / Mount Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand, standing at 3724 m.

Just during the drive, we had great views of Mount Cook - sometimes completely without clouds.
Since the Hooker Valley Track is mostly closed, we only walked the beginning. We also walked to Kea Point. Because we hadn’t had enough yet, we drove to Tasman Glacier. This glacier also disappointed us. It is covered with a thick black layer, so you can’t really see the ice. Although we continued walking further along the lake, the view did not improve.

In the evening, we arrived at the most beautiful campsite we've seen so far, or at least the one with the best view. The campsite is located by Lake Pukaki and offers a great view of Mount Cook and the surrounding mountains. The water of the lake is glacial water and therefore light blue/turquoise. The day was topped off with a particularly beautiful sunset.

The downside of this beautiful spot: countless vans and tourists. It’s truly astonishing how many people are here. We are grateful to have a housesit over Christmas and New Year's because this time is summer vacation in New Zealand, bringing in not only international tourists but also domestic ones.

On Friday, we had a relaxed day at Lake Pukaki. Due to strong winds, we barely left our van. That was okay too.

Since Julian was still feeling a bit off, we spent a relaxing weekend at Lake Tekapo. We visited the Church of the Good Shepherd and took a short walk to Cowans Hill. The latter was fantastic and completely away from the tourist crowds.

In the afternoon, Michelle joined us again, and together we drove to our campsite by Mc Gregor Lake. Today, on Sunday, there was such strong wind that we just sat together, played cards, and talked a lot.

In the afternoon, we drove together to the Lake Poaka Campsite. We want to go back to Mount Cook next week and do a great hike. However, first, Julian needs to get completely healthy.

Throughout the entire week, we have always seen and photographed lupines. The season has just started, and the colors of the lupines are beautiful! If there is also a view of the lake and/or mountains behind them, we took plenty of pictures. We will upload a small selection for you :-)