Mount Cook & Tasman Glacier

After starting the day relatively early with a Skype call and realizing in the morning where a beautiful place we slept, we had breakfast in the middle of nowhere among the mountains.

Around half past 11, we set off to hike the Hooker Valley Track, an incredibly beautiful walk that follows the river, crosses several bridges, runs between the mountains, and leads straight to the glacier, providing a breathtaking view of Mount Cook. The glacier mass was unfortunately covered in rocks, but it was still nice to enjoy the moment at the foot of the glacier.

Afterward, we drove to another walk in the Tasman Valley, which led us to a small hill. From there, we could see not only the Tasman Glacier and the Tasman Lake formed by the glacier but also the Blue Lakes. The Blue Lakes were blue when they were named, but now they have turned green due to rain and algae, so the name is actually outdated and the term "Green Lakes" would be more appropriate.

After being very tired from the walks, we left the Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park and drove back the same way we came yesterday. Since the path we took yesterday was a dead end, we drove the same way again today, passing Lake Pukaki, which once again amazed me (pun intended - I hardly ever wear shoes here because "If you're not barefoot, you're overdressed!").

After visiting the lookout where we were yesterday to take in the beauty of the lake, we drove through the breathtakingly beautiful landscape of New Zealand to Twizel. Once there, we had our lunch and then played two rounds of chess, which dragged on for a long time.

In the evening, we left Twizel and drove to the accommodation for tonight. "Unique" is probably a pretty accurate word to describe the accommodation. Jason, the host and owner, came straight to us and proudly showed us around. You could probably spend hours in the common rooms, as there is something to discover at every corner. From the dartboard to the record player, the music corner, the VHS tapes, the fruit crates used as shelves, the sound system, the disco lighting,.... all the way to the garage entrance, everything is uniquely brilliant. We're cooking now and will end the evening with a beer or two before going to bed.