Day 28 Aoraki Mount Cook

Sleep in and plan the next few days. Then do some cleaning up, but what's more important: fix the left side mirror of the VW Bus. It almost fell off yesterday. The mirrors are glued onto an adjustable plate and have a habit of coming loose after a while. That's why I have tools, black duct tape, transparent tape, cable ties, and super glue with me. VW Bus essentials for solving everyday problems. Today I'll use the super glue to stick the mirror back on. It's already noon, very hot, and luckily a few clouds are appearing. When I set off for Mount Cook, the road is busy. At the first scenic lookout, the same scene as almost always: a Chinese bridal couple standing there, and a whole team of photographers taking pictures. I've even had it happen to me on some of my hikes, where something rustled in the bushes near the trail, and then, rather clumsily but very likably, out came Chinese people who let themselves be photographed in front of lupines, underbrush, some rocks, or a small stream.

On the way to Mount Cook, a convoy of "high class campers" suddenly starts aggressively pressuring from behind. That's never happened to me here before. I pull over into a passing bay on the left and let them pass. As they drive by, one of the guys looks at me a bit cheekily, even aggressively. On the horizon, I see the convoy then rushing into Mount Cook. I turn right into the valley behind to the White Horse Hill Campground. One of the most beautiful in the country. There's only toilets and nothing else. The location is unique. I register myself at this official DOC campground, set up my chair, and sit down comfortably with a beer. Then the convoy rushes by again. I clink glasses with the guy who looked so aggressive earlier, in a relaxed manner. Hehe, make haste slowly 🙂 It's 5 Australian couples who are getting drunk on beer after their arrival and making a lot of noise. Everyone at the campground just shakes their heads at these proletarians. Nevertheless, the atmosphere is super relaxed.

At half past four in the afternoon, I set off on one of the best day walks in New Zealand, the Hooker Valley track. After an hour, passing by dreamlike mountain lakes and three suspension bridges, I've reached the end. My camera is also at its end, it now has hopefully just under 4000 photos after only 5 weeks. Probably a servo motor burned out, as an ad hoc research on the internet reveals. Here in the wilderness, I have 4G mobile internet, that's a good example. New Zealand has very good coverage in all the important corners of the country.

At Tasman Glacier Lake, there's a great big picnic table where the few evening visitors from all over the world really get into conversation. Here, among other things, I get to know some very nice Americans from Los Angeles and also learn how to fly a drone. A totally mixed group of people enjoys the sunset, during which the clouds disappear punctually and the sun bathes the valley and the icebergs on the glacier lake in a fantastic light. The camera trouble is quickly forgotten. On the way back, I think about how nice the summer is now. Sitting outside every evening, in a T-shirt, shorts, simply great. As I turn the next corner, it starts raining. But where's the cloud for it? The shower is over after 5 minutes. The official weather report calls it: chance of evening showers.

When I walk to the toilet at night at the White Horse Hill campground, the starry sky is super bright. The Milky Way is so clearly visible that you could take great photos of it. If it weren't for the camera issue. But that's tomorrow's problem. I stay outside for a long time and enjoy the sight of the stars.