From Mount Cook to Queenstown

 I am sorry for the gap in communication, but the travelling has been a bit full on and exhausting.  Saturday saw me leaving the Mount Cook area and travelling to Queenstown. We had a chatty driver, who told us lots about NZ as we drove along by lakes and vast stoney river valleys looking at yet more mountains and foothills. The scenery is just stunning wherever we go.

This is Tussock grass. The Maori used to use it to that their huts and also made weatherproof capes with it.  We have a similar grass on high marshy land in the UK but it isn't used for anything.

These stoney wide river valleys hinted at how they would be in spate. Some bigger boulders had been incorporated in the landscape by glaciation and in some parts the hillsides reminded me of Dartmoor with it's tirs, only much steeper. Gorse was introduced here, but they are trying to eradicate it, like the colourful Lupins which are in bloom at the moment. I have never seen an acre of Lupins (near a river as they like it damper) - they are do beautiful enough masse like that, but hard to capture as you zoom past.

This is the best I can do.

The driver stopped in a small town called Cromwell, at a vast fruit farm run by the Jones family. A nod to home for me.  I bought apples and cashew nuts.  They had a truly lovely garden you could wander round. Isn't this a lovely planting with all those Pansies? I will try the same in my back bed next year.

We finally reached Queenstown, at the head of a huge lake and ringed by more mountains.  This was the view from my hotel room. I was here two nights but the Wi-fi was pretty flakey and I couldn't even get TV reception on the 2nd might.   Mine host was a miserable git and must unhelpful. My booking email had said that a Continental breakfast was available, but when I asked if it might be possible for something to be packed to take as I was out early the next two days, I was told they didn't do breakfast and I should try the hotel opposite! No good when it doesn't even open until you are getting on the coach at 6?30 a.m. for Milford Sound. We locked horns again when I had to go back up and tell him that I couldn't get the Wi-fi password to work. I was told that I was putting it in wrong . I showed him what I had typed in and it was the right password but it still didn't work. He fiddled with something and finally sorted it, but it was crap reception. Trip Advisor will be advised. There were only two sound settings on the truly ancient TV remote too - loud or silent!

So it was the view that sustained me, as by the time I arrived there each evening I was too exhausted to go in search or a restaurant.  It was a good walk out of town with a goodly hill involved so I just had cheese and biscuits. I didn't intend losing weight on holiday but I have (and need to lose more). Onwards and upwards.

Just W.O.W.

 I left the little hostel room early yesterday morning to catch the Tekapo shuttle to Mount Cook village and the Southern Alps.  

We were in the Mackenzie High Country now, surrounded by mountain views at one point, and dedicated sheep country. We stopped at several viewpoints to take photos. 

Mount Cook.

One of many rivers we crossed, with meltwater from the mountain snows discolouring it.  Apparently it's the tiny particles of Glacial 'flour' which give the lakes their amazing turquoise colouring as the refract the light in a certain way. Some of the river plains are very wide indeed and you can imagine are quite a sight when in spate, although the Mackenzie country is dry. We were told that in the winter there could be a metre of 🌨️ snow fall overnight. Wet only when that melts.

We had a couple of walks of an hour or so. This one took us to another meltwater lake, right at the foot of the mountains. I was fortunate to notice a small avalanche tumbling down and shouted Look to all the folk taking photos of each other, but they didn't seem that impressed.

Stained glass in the visitors centre. So beautiful. The other photo would only load at the bottom of the page.

A photo of a photo in the excellent Visitor Centre. I was tickled to see she had a little handbag!  The man must have been a monopede mountaineer! Talk about intrepid!

My favourite photo - it looks like a St Trinian's day out!  They must have been shamed in just thin cotton shirts.  Instructions from teacher, "stout shoes today girls" . . .

Finally, view from my hotel room.

Christchurch and Lake Tekapo

 

Rosie outside the Arts Centre I think it was, in Christchurch yesterday. She is a great ambassador for the city.

Now I am at Lake Takapo and I don't think I have been anywhere as beautiful in my life. 

Nor have I seen such blue water.

Sarah - black and blue from pinching myself!!

Now that's what I call a beach

 

Rosie took me to her nearest beach at Waikuku and I am envious. We had great beaches in Carmarthenshire but this one was very special. Just the river estuary was wonderful, edged with banks of wild yellow Lupins.  I could see waders and possibly Spoonbills, but the tide was low and they were the far side of the river and we'd forgotten the binoculars.  We will go back at high tide.

It was very windy. It seems to get they way every afternoon.

Then we walked through the dunes and the wind dropped as it was a landward one, not off the sea, and we got respite from it.

On our way back to the car we visited a colony of Pied Shags along the river.  I am fascinated by NZ birds and gradually identifying the ones I see.

The next post will be our visit to the Zoo. . .

Hike through the woods at Glen Tui

 

 

This was a wonderful piece of wilderness bush - slightly tamed in this area for people to go and explore and some steps had been put in where it was steepest. It was quite challenging for us oldies as steep with rocks and roots, but we survived. I have to say my new medication makes a big difference to my breathing :)

We were NOT on the Blowhard Track!

The trunks and branches of the trees were covered in a sooty mould but if I remember rightly it sustains Aphids which are milked of their honey few by bees. There were dozens and dozens of hives in fields just before the picnic site.

My friends Rosie and Ed.

A tree fern in its natural setting.

A little water-tumble rather than a waterfall into a stream we had to get wet feet crossing, as the big boulders designed to be negotiated looked a step too far for us old 'uns. 

Wild forest.  It was an amazing place to explore AND I got to hear the Bell Bird.