Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Mt Cook, Queenstown, and Milford Sound

March 8th-9th: Mt Cook, we are here!

Since we were put off the TA because of injury we decided to make the most of our time and see all the amazing things New Zealand has to offer.

First on the list was Mt. Cook!

After spending a few days waiting out bad weather in Twizel we packed up the tent and headed for the highway. We had been free camping which meant lots of time spent in cafes and sleeping in pine forests near the town. It was very peaceful, but uneventful. We really looked forward to seeing New Zealands tallest mountain.

After a couple of easy hitches we stood in front of Mt. Cook. We had sunny days forecasted, but the air was very chilly.


I left Cody in the museum to hitch to the Tasman glacier nearby. His knee still hasn't recovered and he preferred to sit in comfort watching documentaries while I tootled on the trail.


Let me just say that it is incredibly easy for a lone girl to get a hitch. Not 5 minutes later I was walking down to the turn off for the glacier when 2 German women picked me up in their camper van. I hadn't even had time to stick out my thumb yet!

The Tasman glacier was a very sad sight. Global warming caused its retreat miles back into the mountain range. It left behind a very sorry looking "glacier" lake that was opaque from "flour" or sediment in the water.

View of the valley before Tasman glacier
                               The Tasman

On the way back I stuck out my thumb and got a hitch from the first car I saw. They turned out to be a nice kiwi couple that had passed up Cody and I earlier on hitching into the park.

Cody and I saw Paul and his gang (my American friends) while in the museum. We had gone our separate ways in Wanaka and ran into each other again. Small world!

Back at camp we were gifted with a beautiful sunset. The weather was very cold, this was the first time we had to sleep with every piece of clothing on.

In the morning I went for a very beautiful run up the Hooker Valley track towards Mt. Cook. I must say that this has been the best run I've ever had. I ran past snowy mountains rumbling with snow breaking off their peaks. Past lakes while dodging Japanese tour groups, and finally making it to a lake at the base of Cook. I took a lot of pictures along the way. It's all too beautiful for words.












March10th-11th: Queenstown, Gondola rides and World class burgers

We left late that afternoon and hitched our way back to Queenstown. We had planned on obtaining a free rental car but hadn't arrived in time to get it. After a brief night in Queens we organized a new game plan and set our sights on the Milford Sound. Regarded as one of New Zealands most beautiful parks. We'd visit the car idea later on.

Queenstown is a very busy place, we arrived in chaos with nowhere to rest because every room had been taken. Eventually we settled on $50 camping! They charged $25NZD per person to set up a tent. Unbelievable, we understandably had a pretty sour opinion of the town after that bill and couldn't wait to get out.
                      Downtown Queenstown
While we were there we did see the local sights however.

We rode a very steep Gondola ride to the top of a mountain overlooking the town. Paragliders were jumping off the top, bike riders were mountain biking down, bungy jumping and luge rides were happening all while we sat in the gondola. This was the place to do it all!


The sky's of Queenstown were full of people flying, gliding and sailing.


The views at the top were stunning.

We even made a friend at the top.

It's made entirely out of jelly beans

I had a very handsome view on the way down as well :)



We ate at the world famous Ferg Burger, regarded as the best burger in the world...to avoid a helacious line we had it for breakfast. It was very good! And cheap :)


Ferg burger also has ice cream and a bakery, it was definatly the best ice cream both of us had ever had! The make it daily.


The machinery to make the icecream was very impressive.

We hitched from Queens to Te Anau, a gateway town near the Milford Sound. Both of us were ready to leave Queenstown's busy party scene behind us.

March 11th-14th: Te Anau and Milford Sound

Te Anau is a quiet, spacious, little town. We both really enjoyed our time there.
Training for little kiwi children to walk across 3 wire bridges

By far the most dangerous toy on the playground

The New Zealand playgrounds really impress us, I swear they are designed for both adults and kids.

We got a discounted tour with Eco Bus and headed out for Milford Sound on the 12th.

The bus drivers of New Zealand have continued to surprise us. Ours was a conservationist, geologist, and biologist. We had very good commentary on the way up.
 There were many sites to be seen before even reaching the Milford Sound.
Mirror Lakes



                         A very large chasm


The Milford Sounds was absolutely stunning. Even though we were amongst clouds it was still a very impressive sight. Much like the feeling one gets from seeing Half Dome or Yellowstone for the first time.






Just a reminder a Sound is part of the ocean. Milford Sound has steep cliffs bordering a very deep pocket of water that spread inland creating a very large lake-like body of water.


Because of the steep cliffs there are many impressive waterfalls.





We thoroughly enjoyed our tour, and the lunch it came with.



More adventures to come, there is much adventure to be had in New Zealand and we plan to do it all in the short ammount of time we have left.

3 comments:

  1. Jaz, your stories, your pictures... it all gives me goosebumps to know that the two of you are getting to have this incredible experience together. I wish I would be in Casper when you guys are so that you could regale me with more tales, though stories never quite do the real thing justice :) I hope that this next bit of time doesn't go too fast and that the world continues to be your oyster!
    Love from DC (come visit me next!),
    Elisabeth

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  2. Thank you, New Zealand has definitely given us a lot of adventure. It's too bad that you won't be in Casper Cody had mentioned that you are an amazing snowboarder. I think he was hoping for a partner to hit the slopes with.
    Anyways time is going by fast, but we are making the most of it. Thank you for all your kind words
    All the best :)

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