A trip to the Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park

As announced earlier, I went back to the Southern Alps of New Zealand in the last two days. However, this time I approached the Alps from the other side. The destination of my journey was the Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, where the highest mountain in New Zealand is located. In the evening after my last blog post, I took a short trip to the Moeraki Boulders. These are round stone balls that have been lying on the beach for many thousands of years. Because of their shape, I first thought of the Death Star from the Star Wars movies :D After that, I went to Katiki Point, a nature park with a beautiful rocky coast. There, I had the luck to see one of the very rare Yellow-eyed Penguins up close again. Some seals were also enjoying the sun. In the evening, I slept in a free camp nearby. The next morning, I headed towards the mountains. Just a few minutes away from the coastal road, I could already see the first snow-covered hills in the distance. Absolutely beautiful! The closer I came to the national park, the more beautiful and indescribable the landscape became. Passing a water dam and huge lakes, until I reached the entrance to the national park, I couldn't stop being amazed. I took lots of photo breaks. In addition, on this day I was lucky that the weather was good, so I could see the landscape that was denied to me about a week ago in Queenstown and surroundings. Beautiful mountain panoramas, followed by mountains that are reflected in the lakes, to seemingly endless green meadows. So far, this was definitely the most beautiful road I have traveled in New Zealand and it brought back memories of May when I was traveling in the Rocky Mountains. Since I spent a large part of today in the car, it was already afternoon when I arrived in Mount Cook Village. I wasn't sure whether I should do the ten-kilometer hike through the Hooker Valley, which is supposed to take three hours, today or tomorrow morning. Therefore, I stopped at the visitor center and checked the weather conditions and received advice from a friendly staff member. I was advised to hike in the morning, even though clouds and rain were forecasted for tomorrow. I decided to follow the rangers' advice and therefore only took the short one-hour hike to the Blue Lakes and the Tasman Glacier Viewpoint. This hike was not very long, but went up very steeply, which made you sweat due to the sun. When I arrived at the Blue Lakes, they weren't really blue. A sign explained that the lakes have not been fed by glacier water for several years, but only by rainwater. The rainwater has caused algae to form in the lakes, so that was the end of the blue color. Okay, too bad, but still beautiful to look at. A few hundred steps further, I stood at the viewpoint and had a breathtaking view of Lake Tasman and the Glacier. At first glance, I didn't even perceive the glacier as such, it was only when I looked closely that I could see the thick ice. In addition, there were some smaller icebergs floating on the lake, which had probably recently broken off from the glacier. A truly amazing sight and the perfect end to this day. In the late afternoon, I drove to my campsite, which was right next to the village and at the foot of the mountains. The best thing about this campsite was, in addition to the view, that it was also the starting point for the Hooker Valley Track. I could see a lot of people coming back from the track in the evening, so I decided to leave very early to avoid the crowds. The next morning, at around 06:40 am, it was time and I started the first five kilometers of the track. The weather had been good so far and the sky was blue. As hoped, at this time I felt like the only one on the track. Only 1-2 other hikers had also started their journey. Fortunately, the route was relatively flat but still exhausting. The landscape, on the other hand, is an absolute highlight. Rarely have I walked through such a fascinating nature. I couldn't stop marveling. I had to cross three suspension bridges before reaching the viewpoint of Hooker Lake, Hooker Glacier, and Aoraki/Mount Cook. Already after the first kilometer, you could admire Mount Cook, the highest mountain in New Zealand, in the distance. In the morning, it was still partially covered by a layer of clouds, later on, you could see it in all its glory. If you have ever wondered where the 'Volksbanken und Raiffeisenbanken - Wir machen den Weg frei' commercials are filmed, you will find the answer in my pictures :D This hike will also count as one of my absolute top highlights of New Zealand. Unfortunately, you have to walk the same five kilometers back, which made the return trip a bit tedious. Nevertheless, I kept looking back, took the camera out of my backpack once again, and couldn't get enough of this view. I arrived back at the camp at around 09:20 am and saw the first larger tour groups heading out. When I saw all the people, I was really glad to have started so early. After packing up my things, I made another stop at the visitor center in the village. There, I enjoyed the sun a bit, got a coffee, and walked around the exhibition in the center. It showed different mountaineers and their equipment in different eras. I read the signs about the national park with great interest. Fortunately, the weather had held up in the morning and only now did I see the first thick clouds coming in. It didn't take long and you couldn't see the peak of Mount Cook anymore. After that, I made my way to Lake Tekapo. There, I had seen a picture of a small church standing in front of a lake and with mountains towering in the background in the travel guide. When I arrived there, unfortunately, there were also 100 other people. It seems to be a popular photo motif. Nevertheless, I pressed the shutter button a few times and also walked down to the lake to take a picture without people. You are supposed to have a fantastic starry sky here as well. Unfortunately, there is no free campground nearby and the sky was also cloudy in the evening. Since it was already relatively late, I drove a bit further to find a free camp for the evening. Today, I'm heading back to the sea to Christchurch. I will stay there for the next few days and also make two day trips to nearby destinations. On Sunday, I will return my camper in Christchurch as well. You will find out what I experience on my day trips and how I like Christchurch here :) See you soon!