With hindsight, we should have stayed another day. Or maybe two. But we would have had to sacrifice some other days, and then which? We will just have to come back to experience more of the beauty of the area and take in a few more of the walks available.
As it was, with just half a day available, we agreed to get going early, which meant we beat the crowds. And the sun, which didn’t have a chance to thaw the path of the Hooker Valley Track, our challenge for the morning. At only 10 km return in length, gaining no more than 100 metres in altitude, it should be a doddle. We allowed 2.5 hours and we were just about spot on, taking perhaps half an hour extra to admire the views at the end point. And what views. My word, this is just a stunning short walk, one of the best we did on our trip.
I’m going to let the pictures do the talking now – worth 1000 words.
The moon was up early and the weather looked set fair
Our goal for the day – to get a bit closer to Mt Cook on foot
Mt Sefton in the distance and the Mueller Glacier below it behind the Mueller Lake. Taken on an iPhone 11.
Out of interest, the very same shot taken with the Lumix G2. I’m not sure once a photo has been processed through Apple Photos, Flickr and WordPress, anyone will tell much difference on a screen….if anything the iPhone 11 shot is more vibrant.
There were three swing bridges like this one on the route. Not Martin and Heather’s favourite things, but they took them in their stride, unlike the woman we saw stuck in terror trying to cross the first one when we were on our way back.
As the sun beat down on the steep slopes across the valley, we heard and saw good size avalanches as chunks of snow slid off the face onto the glacier below.
The team stopping for a completely unposed photo on one of the three bridges
Although it was colder in the early morning shade, the benefit was there was hardly anyone about
Mt Cook in the distance
Heather and Faye were forging ahead
The sun starting to warm the track – and us.
We reached our end point, the magnificent Hooker Lake
And rewarded ourselves with a rest to admire the views
The view from the rest point
Some of us scampered down to the lake side for a photo or two
Rested and having chatted to some South Africans from PE, we set off back to our start. Heather and Faye set off about 15 minutes ahead of us while we were talking, but we just about caught them, Martin’s knee sore but holding up to the strain.
A startling moraine formation on our way back
No avalanches on the way back, so we were lucky to see them earlier on
The Hooker River and the beautiful Lake Pukaki in the distance
I liked this view so much I took it a third time. Any better?
As we got half way back to the start we were getting loads of people coming the other way. It was nearly lunchtime – why were they starting so late? Maybe because the sun was fully up? Maybe because they were dawdlers. I never found out but was glad we had enjoyed having so few others on the trail.
We got back to the carpark, which had filled up considerably, and then decided we would head for the information centre in the “village”, which I thought Faye had visited the previous day, but it turned out not. Sadly it was closed – another reason to return.
Having checked out of our motel earlier we set off for Lake Tekapo, planning to stop at Mt Cook Alpine Salmon on the way through, to top up our salmon supplies. The whole journey wasn’t far today – just over 100km, so I hoped to stop from time to time to photograph the both Lakes and to try and do them justice. Martin and Faye had offered to go to the holiday rental office to pick the keys up for the house Faye had found for us, and so we would meet them at the house later.
I never really did justice to the beauty of the lakes, as these photos will confirm to those readers who have been there in person.
Plenty of stopping places, but none of them quite enabled me to get the majesty of the lake in frame. Although its probably just bad photography on my part.
I wanted to try and get the orange willow trees, the white snow and the blue lake in one shot, but struggled.
I had to make do with just trees and snow topped mountains
This gives a sense of the scale of the place
Once we got to the blue lake the orange trees had mostly gone
Now some trees but no snowy mountains. Will have to come back!
This was the view back across Lake Pukaki from the salmon place which was really just a retail outlet rather than a farm. I mistakenly bought the same hot smoked salmon as Faye had, but no real problem – we will eat it all…
It looked on arrival that Lake Tekapo would be just as beautiful.
A good reason to celebrate at the magnificent house that Faye had chosen for us. Wow!
Reasons to be cheerful. Plenty of them. Great views being one. Two bathrooms being another. And a log burner.
I can’t remember what we ate for dinner but I’m sure it was great. Faye’s cooking always is. And did I mention we had a log burner? Bliss!
The Lawsons on the Loose 