More Pics... Mt.Cook & Lake Tekapo, NZ

The morning we left Lake Tekapo for Queenstown via the bus was a bright and glorious one. We didn't leave until around noon, so we had time to watch the Olympics live on the local pub TV while having lunch. Before we ordered, I walked down to the lakeshore and took some pics of the glacial waters on a sunny day. The blue was amazing.

We were excited knowing that we'd see Mount Cook today. I expected to take some pictures through the window of the bus. However, the nice bus driver stopped at an overlook so we could get out to take photos. "Wow" was the word of the day! If you're a mountain lover like me, the sight of any big mountain delights, but this one was most impressive.

We had a relaxed bus ride all the way to Queenstown. The scenery was great. We went over a pass, rode through a gorge and stopped at a wonderful fruit store. The bus driver's commentary kept us entertained. Learning about the area from a local, is always nice when traveling.

Aoraki... Mt. Cook National Park, New Zealand

We got up early to meet our shuttle taking us to Mt. Cook. Since it was still rather cloudy, we didn't think our chances of actually seeing New Zealand's highest mt. (over 12,000 ft.) would be good and we were right. It began to drizzle and would rain on and off all day.

When we arrived at the base of Mt. Cook, we went into the beautiful Hermitage Hotel and found a leather lounge chair in front of the flat screen TV. Eating a yummy chocolate brownie and drinking a delicious latte while watching the Olympics live made us happy. (New Zealand has Olympic channels but only 15 athletes in the games!)

Oh... if you would like to stay at the Hermitage Hotel, you'll be forking out $550 a night, even if your "room with a view" has no view due to rain/clouds!)

A little later, we bought our tickets for the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Center which was located in the hotel. Sir Edmund Hillary had a longstanding connection with Mt. Cook National Park. He made a number of first ascents and used the area as a training ground for his Everest and Antarctic expeditions.

For the rest of the day, we watched a dazzling 3D movie about the Mt. Cook area, saw 2 wonderful Plantarium shows, had a nice lunch and spent time in the Museum. The Museum showcased the history of the mountain and area. I was interested in in all of the exhibits, but the stories of the early-day women mountain climbers were especially fascinating to me.

The rain stopped long enough for me to have a quick 30 min. hike on an alpine track.