Mount Cook - 🚁

Cook there - a helicopter!

The next morning I slept in because the helicopter flight wasn't due to take place until 4:30 p.m. and I wasn't supposed to be there until an hour earlier. In Aoraki (the village by the campsite) there are also public hot water showers, which I used to freshen up for the flight and to warm up my bones a bit. After the shower it was still only 12 noon and I still had 3 hours to spare. I used this time to look at the Visitor Center in Aoraki, where the history of the glacier and the history of its exploration is described in more detail. Those interested can also find all kinds of information about the flora and fauna in the region. There is a lot to be found here, especially about the Kea. One of the last wild alpine parrots. These cheeky badgers have about the same intelligence as a 4-year-old child and really dissect and explore everything that comes in front of their beak or in their claws. Due to Corona, the birds have returned to their natural habitat and have gotten used to getting their own food and hunting again. This makes everyone present happy, because the animals can really cause a lot of damage and like to dismantle cables, wind protection rubbers, cables and anything that isn't nailed down. The center also has a lot of exhibits about the equipment used for mountain hikes and glacier hikes. I was particularly interested in this, because the comparison to today's equipment is simply immense. It's crazy what people used to experience their adventures with in the past.

Afterwards there was a quick coffee break with a view and even though I was much too early, I still drove to the airport. There the people in charge were able to rebook me onto an earlier flight and so I was able to take to the skies unexpectedly early.

After about 20 minutes of flying we had reached the glacier landing site. My flight group consisted of 4 Chinese people (2 couples), the pilot and me. The guide during the safety briefing told the couples to please take a few photos and from now on that is my trick 17. If I want a good picture, from now on I will only ask Chinese travelers for it because they simply do a great job! The lady almost snatched my phone out of my hand and then told me where and how to stand so that she could take photos of me.

Let's just say that some photos turned out better than others and I felt more comfortable in some poses than in others. Some of them made me laugh out loud and amused the group. After the first photo shoot, I built a little mini Glacier Olaf.

After 15 minutes on the glacier we went back into the helicopter and back to the airfield. We flew along the slopes of Mount Cook. I want to be able to fly a helicopter too!

What an experience! Simply breathtakingly beautiful and I am so grateful that I was able to experience it!

After the flight I went back to the campsite and after a really nice chat with my neighbours I packed my things for my hike to the Mueller Hut. More about this hike in the next post.

Until then, I will continue to dream of flying,
Your Britta