NZ Land Logs 20, Year 2: South Island–Majestic Mt. Cook to Fairlie
Date: Saturday, March 10, 2007
Weather Today: Absolutely Beautiful–Warm, Sunny, and Clear Blue Skies
Location: Fairlie, New Zealand
What a day! We got up in Oamaru with overcast skies and headed to Mt. Cook with low expectations for seeing the mountain. Mt. Cook, Aoraki in Maori, means Cloud in the Sky, so you know you don’t have a great chance of seeing this spectacular mountain right from the start. But we had high hopes and headed in that direction anyway, taking a chance on what we would really get to see. We had a couple of stops planned on the way and the first was at Elephant Rocks. These rock formations in the middle of a sheep pasture were the setting for the “otherworldly” Aslan Camp in the 2005 film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe. It was a bizarre contrast to see these rocks in a sheep pasture setting, but they provided a great photo opportunity. It also got us closer to the sheep than we have been by being in the middle of their pasture. We drove on to the next stop, the Takiroa Maori Rock Art Site. Here we saw red ocre and charcoal drawings–some from the 1800’s and some dating back many centuries. After viewing the drawings, we drove past beautiful Lake Aviemore on our way to Omarama where turned north toward Mt. Cook. As you drive toward this mighty mountain, you first drive through the town of Twizel. It was in this area that the largest battle scene film in the Lord of the Rings was set. The Ered Nimrais or snow-covered mountain chain was filmed from here. We were in awe at fields of gold and bronze Tussock grass sliding up to the base of majestic mountains. As we drove further north, we were then driving along the fantastically beautiful Lake Pukaki. The “blazing turquoise color” of this lake, as well as neighboring Lake Tekapo comes from the sediment created when this basin was ground out by glaciers. The result of the grinding was “rock flour” which suspends in the water to create a milky quality that produces the beautiful colors of green and blue in the water. Seeing the ice-capped Mt. Cook and her surrounding mountains with this surreal blue water in the foreground was really spectacular.
The main stop for the day was Mt. Cook and we arrived there around noon with absolutely clear blue skies with not a cloud in sight. We went to the Information Centre and then walked up to The Hermitage. This is New Zealand’s most famous hotel, not for its beauty but for its location, location, location. The first Hermitage was destroyed by a flood in 1913, and the second Hermitage was destroyed by fire in 1957. This third rendition was built around 1960 and is still standing. It provides a staging for fantastic views of Mt. Cook and the surrounding mountains. We had lunch in the hotel cafe and really basked in the beauty of the surroundings. We then took the most popular short walk up the Hooker Valley. You walk a short way and then climb to a lookout that gives a great view of Mt. Cook. You then walk on up the valley and cross a swing bridge across the steam created by glacial melt. This was as far as we planned to go today, so once we crossed the bridge, we reversed our trail and headed back. Our drive out was as beautiful as our drive in and we made one more stop at the Information Center at the end of the lake to take our last pictures of Mt. Cook. Our last stop of the day was at Lake Tekapo on our way to Fairlie. We visited the Church of the Good Shepherd on the lakefront and took pictures of the quaint little church and the beautiful surroundings. It was then time to head over Burke’s Pass to Fairlie. Once we reached the pass and headed down the other side, the terrain changed abrubtly. We were no longer in golden grass country, but found ourselves in a much greener terrain. we got to Fairlie and checked into our Top 10 Holiday Park and then went to the Old Library Cafe for dinner. It is a great restaurant with good food and even better music. The owner chooses the music selections, and his choices of everything from Nora Jones to opera kept our interest. We are now back in our cabin at the Top 10 and enjoying the luxury of having wireless internet. Life is good and we are happy. Tomorrow we go to Sumner, just outside of Christchurch. We chose this little place as it is on the ocean. We are hoping for a little beach time and relaxation before heading into Christchurch on Monday morning.
By the time I write the next log, it is my understanding that you will have moved into Daylight Savings Time. That means you will be seven hours ahead of us instead of six. But remember that we are still one day ahead. In another week New Zealand will be going off Daylight Savings Time which will put you another hour ahead of us. But then remember, we are still one day ahead of you. How confusing!
Majestic Mt. Cook
Date: Saturday, March 10, 2007
Weather Today: Absolutely Beautiful–Warm, Sunny, and Clear Blue Skies
Location: Fairlie, New Zealand
What a day! We got up in Oamaru with overcast skies and headed to Mt. Cook with low expectations for seeing the mountain. Mt. Cook, Aoraki in Maori, means Cloud in the Sky, so you know you don’t have a great chance of seeing this spectacular mountain right from the start. But we had high hopes and headed in that direction anyway, taking a chance on what we would really get to see. We had a couple of stops planned on the way and the first was at Elephant Rocks. These rock formations in the middle of a sheep pasture were the setting for the “otherworldly” Aslan Camp in the 2005 film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe. It was a bizarre contrast to see these rocks in a sheep pasture setting, but they provided a great photo opportunity. It also got us closer to the sheep than we have been by being in the middle of their pasture. We drove on to the next stop, the Takiroa Maori Rock Art Site. Here we saw red ocre and charcoal drawings–some from the 1800’s and some dating back many centuries. After viewing the drawings, we drove past beautiful Lake Aviemore on our way to Omarama where turned north toward Mt. Cook. As you drive toward this mighty mountain, you first drive through the town of Twizel. It was in this area that the largest battle scene film in the Lord of the Rings was set. The Ered Nimrais or snow-covered mountain chain was filmed from here. We were in awe at fields of gold and bronze Tussock grass sliding up to the base of majestic mountains. As we drove further north, we were then driving along the fantastically beautiful Lake Pukaki. The “blazing turquoise color” of this lake, as well as neighboring Lake Tekapo comes from the sediment created when this basin was ground out by glaciers. The result of the grinding was “rock flour” which suspends in the water to create a milky quality that produces the beautiful colors of green and blue in the water. Seeing the ice-capped Mt. Cook and her surrounding mountains with this surreal blue water in the foreground was really spectacular.
The main stop for the day was Mt. Cook and we arrived there around noon with absolutely clear blue skies with not a cloud in sight. We went to the Information Centre and then walked up to The Hermitage. This is New Zealand’s most famous hotel, not for its beauty but for its location, location, location. The first Hermitage was destroyed by a flood in 1913, and the second Hermitage was destroyed by fire in 1957. This third rendition was built around 1960 and is still standing. It provides a staging for fantastic views of Mt. Cook and the surrounding mountains. We had lunch in the hotel cafe and really basked in the beauty of the surroundings. We then took the most popular short walk up the Hooker Valley. You walk a short way and then climb to a lookout that gives a great view of Mt. Cook. You then walk on up the valley and cross a swing bridge across the steam created by glacial melt. This was as far as we planned to go today, so once we crossed the bridge, we reversed our trail and headed back. Our drive out was as beautiful as our drive in and we made one more stop at the Information Center at the end of the lake to take our last pictures of Mt. Cook. Our last stop of the day was at Lake Tekapo on our way to Fairlie. We visited the Church of the Good Shepherd on the lakefront and took pictures of the quaint little church and the beautiful surroundings. It was then time to head over Burke’s Pass to Fairlie. Once we reached the pass and headed down the other side, the terrain changed abrubtly. We were no longer in golden grass country, but found ourselves in a much greener terrain. we go to Fairlie and checked into our Top 10 Holiday Park and then went to the Old Library Cafe for dinner. It is a great restaurant with good food and even better music. The owner chooses the music selections, and his choices of everything from Nora Jones to opera kept our interest. We are now back in our cabin at the Top 10 and enjoying the luxury of having wireless internet. Life is good and we are happy. Tomorrow we go to Sumner, just outside of Christchurch. We chose this little place as it is on the ocean. We are hoping for a little beach time and relaxation before heading into Christchurch on Monday morning.
By the time I write the next log, it is my understanding that you will have moved into Daylight Savings Time. That means you will be seven hours ahead of us instead of six. But remember that we are still one day ahead. In another week New Zealand will be going off Daylight Savings Time which will put you another hour ahead of us. But then remember, we are still one day ahead of you. How confusing!
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| 070310 Web Pics–Oamaru to Fairlie |
