Friday, 31.01. Lake Tekapo and Mount Cook National Park

The night was quite stormy and we woke up to the sound of sirens!! Oh no, what's happening??? Reinhard knows this as a storm warning from Lake Constance. After a while, it stops and the people from the neighboring houses are not fleeing. So we go back to sleep!

After breakfast and being dressed warmly, we set off. The Mount Cook National Park is truly alpine - with breathtaking high mountain peaks, glaciers, and permanent snowfields. Although the park includes 23 peaks over 3,000 meters high, it is easily accessible. Mountaineers appreciate the area as the best climbing region in Australasia, and even less experienced adventurers have fun here: the mountain hiking trails lead through fragrant herb fields and offer spectacular views of the glaciers. On clear nights, you have an overwhelming starry sky because this region is famous for its extremely clear air and sparsely populated surroundings.

Today we will take a Mount Cook Glacier Cruise. The Tasman Glacier is located south of Mount Cook and with its dimensions of 27 km in length and 4 km in width, it is the largest glacier in New Zealand. As with all glaciers in the world, this one is also rapidly retreating due to climate change. The rapid growth of the local glacier lake is the best visible evidence.

So we set off on the 1.5-hour drive. Right on the main road, we pick up Jan, a backpacker from the Czech Republic, who has been traveling in New Zealand since November and has been waiting by the road for 1 hour now. It will be a very entertaining drive and we have a good conversation. We take pictures of each other and exchange email addresses. We will randomly encounter Jan a total of 4 times today and tomorrow!!!

We check in on time at the counter for the tour, which consists of a short bus ride, a short hike, and a boat trip to the glacier. Just as we are sitting in the bus, the tour is canceled due to strong winds. We immediately sign up for the tour at 2:00 pm in the hope that the wind will calm down. We enjoy the very good coffee, take a short walk, and collect stones and flower seeds. It's warm! We won't need merino underwear at the glacier!

2nd attempt - but at the counter they tell us that the further tours are also canceled due to wind. :-( We make a note for tomorrow because we definitely want to do the tour. After that, we take a big round trip into the Hooker Valley to the glacier lake, passing dizzying suspension bridges, blackberries, and wild currants in an impressive mountain landscape, always with the snow-capped mountains in sight. When we arrive, Reinhard dips his feet into the 3 degrees cold water for a maximum of 20 seconds! Then we make our way back. Unfortunately, we don't have any snacks with us and I'm feeling a bit weak, so I'm rewarded with a chocolate bar at the station.

On the way back to Lake Tekapo, we want to make a detour to the famous observatory and the attached Astro Cafe. Unfortunately, the road up is closed. We are too late!