Mount Cook and the Hooker Valley Track

Driving to Mount Cook 

The only thing on the plan today is to head to Mount Cook and walk the Hooker Valley Track. So after a light breakfast, Gimpy and I set off for the beautiful drive to Mount Cook. The highway  follows along the shore of Lake Pukaki. From yesterday we know that the Lake is beautiful and driving along this side of it further reinforces that notion. Both Gimpy and I make it a point to stop along the lake on the way back for a photo or two. The drive takes around 45 minutes and for most of it we were ooing and aahing our way through. Upon arrival we found the parking lot completely full and we needed to back track a little park further out.

Hooker Valley Track

After parking, we found the trail head and started the Hooker Valley Track. Its a lovely walk through the Hooker Valley. Its extremely picturesque and Gimpy and I took our time walking, stopping for photos whenever we could. Being surrounded on both sides by mountains and walking along the river that runs between them is awesome. Add to the fact that the weather was spectacular, its a recipe for a great day!

One of the cool things about this walk is that while you follow the river, you also cross it a few times on these pretty cool suspension bridges! They do get a good amount of sway, so you do have to watch your step when crossing them. It also adds a little that you are crossing a pretty fast rushing river.

Hooker Lake

After an hour or two we arrive at the end point of the track, Hooker Lake. This is a glacier fed lake with an amazing view of Mount Cook behind it. The view is truly amazing and you can even see part of the glacier peaking around the corner. However one thing I didn’t expect (throughout the whole walk actually) is how grew the water is. I recognize this is likely due to all the sediment in the glacier and rock faces and suspect this is what causes the stunning blue lakes we see further down. But the hope that this would be a clear blue glacier lake was there as well! Nonetheless I really enjoyed this “reward” for the hike and with the beautiful sunny day we had, I couldn’t have asked for better conditions!

After a little rest it was time to turn back. And as lovely as the trip up is, going back down is equally as pretty!

Highway 80

As promised, on the way back we made attempts to stop along the highway to take a few photos. I have to say its only day two on the South Island and I’m already in love with the driving and the scenary!

NZ Alpine Lavender farm

One other stop before getting back to Twizel was to the NZ Alpine Lavender farm. We saw a sign for it on the way up and figured we would check it out on the way back if there was time. Gimpy is a huge sucker for lavender ice cream so when this was still open on our return trip we pulled in, and I’m glad we did. I ordered a peach lavender ice cream and it was DELICIOUS!.

Twizel

By the time we got back to Twizel, it was the afternoon. Both Gimpy and I were a little tired so our motivation to do much of anything was quite low. We ended walking around town (which isn’t very big) for a little, stopping at the local market to pick up a few groceries. On the way back we spotted this odd “sign”/”Advertisement at the Razza Bar:

Naturally Gimpy and I had to try it:

Its not totally what I expect to be honest. So underneath the smoked salmon is a kind of salmon Pate and for a pair of hikers that were a bit hungry, it certainly settled our bellies! After the “Salmon Balls” Gimpy and I relaxed at our place for the rest of the afternoon. There was some Kiwi TV on and I started getting into the New Zealand version of the Bachelorette (I’m not proud of this fact, but it was on ALL the time!). 

Dinner

Because we intended to cook both nights we stayed in Twizel, after a bit of vegging we got up and started making Pasta for ourselves. And as has been our tradition in New Zealand, added wine for another Classy dinner!

I think the combination of the wine, food and day of hiking probably started taking its toll. After dinner I hopped into the shower and by the time I got out Gimpy was fast asleep on the couch! So trying not to disturb her I retreated to my room and was soon in dreamland myself! Unfortunately, we leave Twizel tomorrow but make our way to Queenstown.