Mount Cook

Leaving Akaroa we checked the weather forecast and decided to avoid heading across Arthur's Pass to the West Coast as the forecast for there was poor.  Instead we headed down the East Coast to stay for the night at Lake Tepako. This turned out to be a good decision as, following overnight heavy rain, the next day dawned bright with scattered clouds. Perfect for visiting Mount Cook.

At 3,754 metres (12,316 ft) Mount Cook is New Zealand's highest mountain.  It sits within the Aoraki Mount Cook National Park which contains 140 peaks over 2,100 metres (7,000 ft) and 72 glaciers, and is the pearl of the Southern Alps chain.  The region was used as a training ground by Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person to climb Mount Everest.  Some of the glaciers feed into Lake Pukaki which, as a result is a beautiful turquoise colour caused by the glacial suspension in the melt water. Aoraki means "cloud piercer", and today the mountain was living up to its name as the summit remained shrouded in cloud. We walked for an hour to Kea Outlook to enjoy some fabulous views of Mount Kenward and Mount Cook.

At Lake Tepako we had been fortunate to find the last available room in town.  So today I was taking no chances and had booked us in to a motel at Omarama at the northern edge of the Otago Province.  We arrived in time to take advantage of the private, open-air hot tubs (sorry, no photos!) and watch gliders coming in to land. Omarama hosted the 1995 World Gliding Championships and is famed for its ridge soaring and thermal flying.  Several world records have been set here.

Later we visited a salmon fishery. Anni can be seen below proudly displaying her catch which provided not only our dinner but also lunch for the next day.