Robert's Travels

Aoraki / Mt. Cook National Park

This is the most incredibly beautiful place I have ever seen. It is peaceful, quiet, and surrounded by the majesty of the Southern Alps. The tourist areas are all located in the valley, which is flat for miles; the result of ancient glaciers. The mountains surrounding the valley, including Mt. Cook, are still arrayed in their winter finery - the hanging glaciers look like giant snowy highways. Hiking up to Kea Point gives an incredible view of Mt. Sefton, The Footstool, and Mueller Lake (whch was formed by a glacier) with Aoraki Mt. Cook in the background. It is very quiet at the point, which sits high above the lack, but occasionally you can hear a thunder like sound, from high up in the mountains - the result of minor avalances on the upper mountain.

I hiked up the Hooker Valley Trail from the campground, taking about 4 hours to do the trip. The trail has two hanging bridges which must be crossed, both over the Hooker River. These bridges are not for the faint of heart, since they are barely wide enough for one person, and the wind can blow quite hard here. After passing these bridges, the trail follows the river until it reaches Hooker Lake. The lake still has small icebergs floating in it from the glacier that feeds it. I managed to shoot about 8 rolls of film, and 30 4x5" transparencies, which I will post after my return, on my website.

posted by Robert M. Teague @ 5:39 PM