Last Day at Mt. Cook - Night 111

On my third and final day in Mt. Cook I

begrudgingly opted for the popular Hooker Glacier Trail. Only a three hour round trip, the hike was certainly worth it with two large swing bridges and an iceberg filled lake lying at the feet of New Zealand’s highest peak. The downfall of this trail is the volume of people on it. Most small groups, couples and solo hikers follow accepted trail etiquette; however, the large groups of guided Japanese tourists are truly a menace. Stopping every five feet take a photo of another rock or another stream, they constantly clog the trail with their seemingly total lack of wherewithal. I suppose in some sick karmic sense this is but the beginning of our payback for dropping the bomb all those years ago…damn you Harry.

The Hooker Valley

The weather was absolutely fabulous for the fifth or sixth day in a row (I’ve lost count), though one could tell that the west coast wasn’t faring as well. All day long clouds literally rolled over the dividing range and then instantaneously dissipated into the dry air on this, the leeward, side of the mountains. The sky on this side remained cloudless all day. My shuttle bus arrived promptly at 4pm and with only two us on the return trip, I rode shotgun opposite the ever-informative Allen, owner of the company. Jacques, a chain smoking Frenchman in his 40s, sat quietly in the back vigorously shaking and humming to himself to combat his lack of nicotine on the 90 minute drive.

The Tekapo YHA was full so I was forced

Mt. Cook across Lake Pukaki

into staying at the Tailor Made Backpackers just up the hill. The desk worker/mechanic/maid was an old man who didn’t quite have both oars in the water, if you know what I mean, but was friendly enough. Not the greatest looking place I’ve stayed, the comfortable, non-bunk beds made up for the shabby exterior. After the sun finally went down (around 10pm) I trespassed onto the newly developing subdivision next door to avoid the street lights in order to get a good view of the stars. As evidenced by the observatory on Mt. David nearby, the Tekapo region is known for its clear, dry, and dark sky. It didn’t disappoint. The Milky Way, Orion, the Southern Cross and a host of other constellations I cannot identify were lit up like Amy Winehouse at happy hour. I manage to get lost in revelry for about an hour before the wind brought a chill that sent me back to the hostel.

What I Learned Today: The sheer number of satellites crossing the night sky is mind blowing.

written by

exumenius on January 29, 2008 from Lake Tekapo, New Zealand

from the travel blog: Kiwis and Kangaroos

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