26.11.2017: Mount Cook up close

I've already completed today's program in 2013, but it includes two must-see attractions at Mount Cook that I don't want to withhold from Eric. We meet with Isa at the start of the Hooker Valley Track just before 10 o'clock.

The weather forecast for the day is anything but good. But after the announced rain and hail, it doesn't look like it at all when we set off. We stroll off cheerfully under light cloud cover and after about 1.5 hours we reach the shore of the glacier lake, where I took photos in 2013 with Mount Cook in the background. But today luck is not on our side - Mount Cook has once again let itself be lulled by clouds. We wait at the shore for over an hour, have some snacks, walk along the shore and chat, always keeping a watchful eye on the cloud movement, which seems to be stuck to the mountain. Whenever a blue gap approaches Mount Cook at a snail's pace, hope arises, but before the mountain can finally come into view, clouds move in again and close the gap. When the impenetrable wall of clouds has taken away all hope, we give up and make our way back. After 20 minutes, I turn around one more time and am horrified to see that the sky is shimmering in innocent blue and is giving all the people standing on the shore of the glacier lake the vacation photo of their lives. None of us had expected such a drastic change in weather in such a short time. For the moment, I am extremely disappointed, although I later try to console myself with the thought that it could have been much worse, for example if the mountains had completely disappeared behind a thick fog and it was pouring rain during our stay. The way back under the blazing sun and with a growling stomach is dragging on, but shady spots for our lunch are waiting for us only at the end of the hike, and our sunburned skin desperately needs them. Despite using sun protection factor 50, I burned my arms, hands, and partly my neck, but with the scorching heat, a long-sleeved top was simply unthinkable.

After lunch, we say goodbye to Isa and drive to the Tasman Glacier or what's left of it. The glacier used to stretch extensively through the valley, but from today's viewpoint it can only be seen from a distance, covered in a layer of dirt. At our feet lie its melted remains in the form of a milky turquoise lake, with ice floes drifting on top. According to the photos on the information board, a lot has changed here in 150 years and the glacier has retreated significantly. We also visit the Blue Lake on the way, but since it no longer has a connection to the glacier and is only fed by rainwater, its blue color has turned green due to algae growth.

In the evening, we take a short walk through Mount Cook Village to the Hermitage Hotel, where countless little rabbits hop across our path, showing little fear of humans, and we do a short bush walk that I hadn't known until now. Mount Cook presents itself in all its glory under a blue sky, but when we go back half an hour later to see if the sun might color it orange/red during sunset, it hides completely behind a thick wall of clouds again. The perfect photo here is all about the right timing.