Mt Cook!

When we got our first glimpse of the tallest mountain in New Zealand it was a jaw dropper! I had heard from our previous bus driver that this was one of the best scenic areas, and boy was she right.

It wasn't just the mountain , it was the landscape leading up to it as well. We stopped off a scenic point and the lake below was so wonderfully blue, it was mesmerising.

We had left Queenstown, a beautifull landscape in itself, and only an hour or so out we had come to this as a view from our balcony

The plan was to stop off in the valley leading up to Mount Cook, which would mean we could have the option of walking a 3 hour track up to the start of the Tasmen Glacier. This Glacier is one of the longest when fully frozen, measuring 7km. It is a regular spot for the ski season but as it was summer the ice had melted a created a Lake for us to visit. The track was moderate and we passed flowing rivers by bridge walked over rocks whilst looking up at the snow capped mountains. The weather was perfect for the walk and we all enjoyed the afternoon not travelling on a bus.

Evan and I tried to dip our feet in the glacier water but obviously it was freakin freezing to the point where it hurt!

Getting back too the hostel meant we had to walk a bit further as the bus had driven us part of the way before, so the legs got a bit tired by this point. Sarah spotted a small spider on the way.

We didn't really do much at the hostel apart from a couple of beers and plenty of rest as tomorrow we would be trying out White Water Rafting down the Rangitata river!

Stay tuned for more tales

Dan