- Chapter 13

As announced in the last article, our next destination was supposed to be Milford Sound. But the weather ruined our plans. Our route took us to Te Anau instead. There, we spontaneously decided to book a boat tour to admire Milford Sound from the water.

We spent the night with our camper van at a DOC campground about an hour away from our destination. The next day, we had to wake up early to make it to the dock on time. However, after about 10 minutes of driving, we encountered a different problem. The heavy rain from the night before had blocked the only access road. Debris and water prevented us from continuing.

We waited in a parking bay, but without internet access, we couldn't find out what was going on. A DOC staff member then informed us that the road was impassable for the time being and we had no choice but to turn back.

Feeling somewhat disappointed, we headed back to Te Anau, where we gathered information about the situation and discussed how to proceed with our journey. Even on this drive, we could already see the extent of the rain. Rivers were already overflowing, and DOC campgrounds were already flooded.

The next day, we planned to drive to Queenstown. However, this plan was also thwarted by the weather, as the roads were closed in both directions. So, we had no choice but to retreat to the car and wait for the floodwaters to recede and the road closures to be lifted.

Therefore, we spent three and a half days in Lumsden. A small town equipped with everything a camper needs.

It was February 6th when the road to Queenstown was finally reopened. We set off in time to reach our destination before the next rain. Upon arrival, we decided to hike the "Tiki Walking Track" to get a beautiful view of Queenstown.

There was also the option to take a gondola up the mountain. But after spending the last few days in the car, we were grateful for some exercise. Besides, it's twice as nice when you have earned the view yourself.

From here, we continued to the Mount Cook National Park. Mount Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand and is covered in snow. We made our first stop at Lake Pukaki, which is extremely blue in good weather and an absolute photography magnet.

There is also only one paved road to the national park, along Lake Pukaki. Once we arrived at the back, there is a campground where we spent the night. That same evening, we walked the "Hooker Valley Track". The goal of the track is the "Hooker Lake", a glacial lake fed by Mt. Cook. There are even small icebergs in the water and plenty of mountains and waterfalls to admire along the entire way.