Mt Cook National Park
Next stop on our New Zealand road trip: Mt Cook National Park. This was probably the place I was most excited about in all of New Zealand.
Our campground was right in the park, basically beside half the trailheads. Perfect spot, killer views.
On our first day I headed out to Kea Point for sunset. It’s only about 20 minutes. When I get there, two Keas are just chilling. I set up my tripod and sit on the viewing platform. They immediately walk over and try to steal my tripod bag. I grab it back, so one of them decides to try knocking over my tripod instead. Why are they bullying me?!
After about 15 minutes they get bored and fly off. Then new people show up and the Keas come right back to mess with them. Maybe this is why they're endangered?
Next morning we’re having breakfast. I bend over slightly to grab a knife from the cutlery drawer. That was the moment a nerve in my lower back decided to get pinched. At the time of writing, five days later, standing still is still super painful. Also moving or sitting or laying down. Being 40 sucks.
After that, we headed out to Tasman Glacier for a couple of easy walks. It’s only a 15 minute drive, although the route includes a ridiculously narrow one lane bridge. Normally no problem. I’ve driven across dozens in the last five weeks. But this one clearly moved sideways and smacked the camper mirror. The mirror cracked and punched a hole straight through the other side. Shit. Stupid bridge. Let's hope the insurance we purchased works!
The walks at Tasman Glacier were short but pretty.
Later that afternoon we planned another hike. Teddy declared he was absolutely not doing it. My back also voted no, so I stayed behind with him. Mylène and Emma went anyway. What Mylène failed to mention to Emma was that the hike, Sealy Tarns, is often called Stairway to Heaven. Heavy emphasis on the stairway. It’s named that because there are 2,200 steps straight up, climbing about 600 metres. Emma was… unimpressed with Mylène's lack of transparency.
She said it wasn’t easy, but she still bolted up the mountain like a gazelle. Or a mountain goat. Not sure which is more accurate. Impressive.
To finish the day (yes, it was a busy one), we drove out to a viewpoint for sunset. The view itself was great, but all the beautiful colours were behind me instead of in front of the mountain I wanted to shoot. Oh well. The photo still turned out pretty decent.
For our last night in the Mt Cook area, we stayed at a “Freedom” campsite, meaning you can park your motorhome for free. This one was kind of wild, though. I’ll let the photo speak for itself. Yep, this spot was free.
Bonus: there were giant rocks by the lake. The kids climbed them for hours (and left me the hell alone).
A few other photos from the Mt. Cook area
Lake Tekapo
Lake Tekapo is a small town on the edge of a lake called… you guessed it, Lake Tekapo. It’s known for a few things: Dark Sky Reserve, ridiculously blue water, and the purple lupins along the shoreline, making photographers lose their minds.
We were a bit early for peak lupins. The season is usually mid to late November through December. Still, we got lucky and found a few early blooms.
On our first day we went to Tekapo Springs, which has several hot pools. Nice place to relax. There’s even a kids’ area with a splash pad and a cooler pool.
On our second day we rented bikes and rode around the lake. The views were unreal. We also stopped at a little pump track. So much fun. Here’s a quick video.
To finish off the day, we did a cold dip in the lake, which by the way is glacier fed. It was cold as hell but still pretty fun!
Be the first to comment.