The day started off overcast, but still warm. Rain was forecast, so we packed a rucksack with waterproof jackets, sunblock, insect spray, water and a packed lunch, then set off on the Hooker Valley Trail.
The first thing we came across was the Alpine Memorial, a tribute to all those who have lost their lives on Aoraki/Mount Cook. There have been a lot, and sadly most were in their twenties or early thirties. You can just see Mount Sefton in the background, peeping through the clouds.
The trail was well prepared, gravel path or wooden boards for the entire length, with three suspension bridges along the way. These are called swing bridges here, and we did get them to swing and undulate by jumping up and down!
The bridges crossed the Hooker river, and had views of Mueller Lake at the foot of the Mueller glacier, before reaching the Hooker lake at the foot of the Hooker Glacier.
Throughout the walk we could see Aoraki in the distance. As we walked the sun came out, and the air grew warmer. I had managed to get the back of my neck sunburnt yesterday, so did the entire walk in long trousers and a high necked jacket. Bit sweaty, but better than getting burnt again.
When we reached Hooker lake we were rewarded with a wonderful view, plus cooling breezes from the lake, and lunch! There were a few, very small, icebergs on the lake, and the occasional bird landing on the water. Lots of people also did the same walk, and we had to keep avoiding groups taking selfie photos at every view point.
The walk back showed more wonderful views of Mount Sefton.
Back at our van we had a nice rest before walking back down to the village. Our plan was to see the Edmund Hillary museum, but it turned out that you can't see the museum without paying to see all the films. As that didn't interest us, we went back to the visitor centre and spent another hour reading all the information there. We learnt lots about the history of climbing Aoraki, the local climate and vegetation, and some facts about rescues on the mountain, none of which I can now remember.
Leaving the village for the walk back to the campsite, we decided to extend our walk to Kea Point. Another highly maintained trail which took us up through the moraines below Mueller glacier to a look out point over the Mueller Lake. Whilst sitting at the look out we saw another avalanche on the mountain, and this time managed to get a photo of it. If you look at the bottom right hand side of this photo you can just see it!
The walk back showed the typical U shaped valley of this region. In all we think we walked about 16 km today, not too bad for a pair of retirees who do very little physical exercise!
Posted with Blogsy
No comments:
Post a Comment