Cloud Piercer

At 3754 meters Mount Cook is the highest peak in New Zealand and it sits in a magnificent National Park with many other mountains over 3000 meters tall. Its a land of rock, ice and permanent snow. Our journey took us down State Highway 1 towards Mount Cook passing through a landscape of hills and valleys. The weather had stayed fine so we were blessed with bright clear blue skies and the forecast was for the weather to stay sunny and hot for a few more days.

Our first stop was in the pretty town of Geraldine where we had a coffee, bought some sausages from the local butcher and cheeses from a local chess maker. We also went into a knitting shop...not my normal choice of destination..but this one was home to two oddities: the world's largest jersey...and an expanded replica of the Bayeaux Tapestry...made from over 3 million tiny metal pieces from knitting machines. The creator of these fascinating artifacts spent some time telling us all about them. I concluded he was almost certainly mad but completely harmless!

Glaciation is the predominant feature that has shaped the land in and around Mount Cook. It continues to do so today. Our first campsite in the area involved a spot of true freedom camping..right by the side of Lake Pukaki.

Formed by a glacier 17,000 years ago Lake Pukaki is almost 10 miles long and 5 miles wide but its most striking feature is the brilliant blue colour of the glacial waters. Rock sediment is suspended in the water to produce this effect.

Another couple of campers had the same idea as us and invited to join them at around 5.00 pm for drinks. They were two retired couples. Noel and Daphne and Pat and John who were next door neighbours in the small town of Geraldine - about 90 miles away. They were very friendly, interested in our home country and John even produced 2 home grown tomatoes for us to try. It was a fine example of the warmth and kindness of strangers that is one of the joys of travelling. 

Lake Pukaki gave the first proper sight of Mount Cook or to give it its Maori name, Aeoraki, which translates as 'cloud piercer'.

First views of Mount Cook over Lake Pukaki

We set off to travel the 60 or so kilometers to get closer. The Department of Conservation operative lots of basic camping grounds, charging £5.00 per head per night. The White Horse Hill camp ground must be one of their most scenic. A couple of kilometers from Mount Cook village, surrounded by mountains and with the snow and ice clad Mount Sefton towering above views in 360° are simply wonderful. 

White Horse Hill Campsite

Lots of walking tracks lead off into the mountains and these range from the extremely gentle to mega serious climbs. For our first afternoon we chose the Hooker Valley track. A 12 kilometer round trip, up through alpine scenery, crossing three swing bridges this walk rewards with a close up view of Mount Cook, the Hooker glacier and glacier lake. Even in summer this lake had icebergs floating in it..as the glacier had melted and chunks had broken off.

The following morning we drove a short distance to see Mount Cook from another angle, climbing to see the Tasman glacier and its lake as well as some smaller glacier lakes.

After lunch we walked another few miles to Kea Point which brought us close to the towering ice walls of Mount Sefton. In between times we squeezed in a trip to the Hermitage Hotel..we sat through a 20 minute 3D film..but the sound wasnt synchronised properly so I asked for and received a full refund! This paid for coffee at the Old Mountaineers cafe..a result! In both venues there are photographs of the early mountaineers including Sir Edmund Hillary. He trained on Mount Cook before his sucessful first ascent of Everest in 1953. A true giant of a man not just for his mountaineering exploits or Antarctic expedition but for a life devoted to helping set up schools and education opportunities in Nepal.

The scenery of Mount Cook is stunning in the day time but the areas 'dark skies' status also means that when it gets dark the night time view of the stars above are almost as impressive. The campsite is located at around 950 meters above sea level so it gets chilly at night...but it was worth putting on a fleece to spend some time gazing at the constellations. I had a go at some photography to try and capture the view.

It was with some regret the following morning we upped sticks and continued on our journey. Mount Cook will live in the memory for a long time...