A trip to Aoraki/ Mount Cook

Hello dear ones.

A great day lies behind me and I can already tell you that I'm exhausted, but it was definitely worth it. But let's start from the beginning...

This morning I got up just after 8 o'clock, had delicious cornflakes for breakfast and then cleaned again. Today I only had to clean the camp kitchen and the toilets, so I could start my day at 11 o'clock. I was slightly disappointed with the weather as it was completely cloudy and raining. But never mind, I got in the car and headed towards Aoraki - Mt. Cook, because the weather report predicted a mix of sun and clouds. My HelpX supervisor also suggested that I should take the risk, as the weather report said it shouldn't be too bad. And am I glad that I listened to her. The drive there was already great, as it led past Lake Pukaki and the sun was shining all day long. Hardly a cloud in sight. Words can't describe how amazing the view was that awaited me here. And even the photos only partially show how amazing it really was. Not to forget all the moments that couldn't be captured in photos, because you can't just slam the brakes and park in the middle of a curve, or because the raptor casually circling around just doesn't wait for you. But that's not a big deal, because I saw it and experienced it and that's the main thing. Hehe

At Peter's Lookout, an opportunity arose to park and take some photos. I also climbed down to the beach and took some photos there before I continued on my way. A clear sign that the surroundings were incredibly beautiful was the fact that I couldn't decide whether to look in the rearview mirror or through the windshield.

After about an hour's drive, I arrived at Mt. Cook National Park. My first stop took me to the tourist information where I got advice on hiking trails. It quickly became clear to me that I wanted to hike the Hooker Valley Track, which was marked as a 4-hour round trip. I took a bit longer because I moved more slowly on the snow and ice and took a little lunch break at one of the viewpoints. The trail was really great and led along the mountains the whole time, and you could even see a glacier. I hope you can see that in the photo. The bluish shimmering ice is glacier ice. The trail also led over three so-called swing bridges, and the name says it all, even though it was relatively calm, these bridges swayed quite a bit when more than one person was on them. Those who know me know that that's exactly my thing. But I'm so glad I walked all the way to the end, because I was rewarded with an absolutely breathtaking view of a frozen lake, Lake Hooker, with Mt. Cook in the background. It was definitely worth the effort of climbing through snow and ice. Along the way, I also met Sophie, a Belgian woman who is also traveling alone through New Zealand. I walked back with her, which made the time pass much faster, and she always helped me at particularly icy spots.

Unfortunately, we didn't really see the sunset because we tried to get back to our cars in the light. And we managed to do that, pretty much exactly on time. But at least

That's it from my day. When I got back to the campsite, I just reheated the leftovers from yesterday and chatted a bit with two Dutch people who were also having dinner at the time. Now I'll read a bit and then go to sleep. Hopefully, I'll have good weather again tomorrow so I can explore the surrounding area here.

Until then,

Yours, Jessi