Mount Cook

We made an early start this morning and drove up to Mount Cook, which is the highest mountain in New Zealand. When we arrived, it was disappointing to find that it was really foggy, and we couldn't see the mountain at all. We headed in to the visitor's centre anyway which was actually very interesting - lots of things about Edmund Hillary (the first person to summit Mount Everest - a kiwi), and also a planetarium which was great.

We spent a few hours watching all the videos, and by the time we came out, the weather had cleared beautifully to blue skies so we had fantastic views of the mountain. By the time we left, the clouds had started closing in again, which really highlighted just how quickly alpine weather can change, and how easily climbers can get into trouble.

On the way back from mount cook, we drove up to see the views of Lake Tekapo from the Mount John observatory, and then spent the night in the middle of nowheresville in a weird place called Fairley.

Mount Cook in the Background

Sir Edmund Enjoying the View

Blue Lakes on the Way home

At the Top of Mount John, overlooking Lake Tekapo