Aoraki Mount Cook and Sir Ed

Total Nights and Distance Travelled on Tour to Date = 17 Nights & 1415 Kms

The temperatures dropped dramatically last night at Pattersons Ponds free camping spot beside the Tekapo Canal Road in the middle of nowhere, registering 6 degrees inside the caravan and down to 1 degree outside.  No wonder it was so chilly that our cat Muffy snuggled right under the bedclothes with us.   The diesel heater was fired up, sounding  rather like a blast furnace from outside, and in no time at all we were comfortable and toasty warm.  Making our way back along the canal road, we stopped for a photo shoot as we slowly drove over the canal bridge.  Such beautiful scenery with the snow dusted mountains in the background.

Crossing the Tekapo Canal Bridge

Then it was an easy run down SH8 to an Information Site rather nicely situated at the southern end of Lake Pukaki and offering glorious views of Mount Cook, our destination for the day.  But before we continued with our journey up the length of Lake Pukaki, we detoured to Twizel to leave our caravans on site at Lake Ruataniwha Motor Camp.

Lake Pukaki with Mount Cook in the distance

Halfway up the length of Lake Pukaki we stopped at Peter’s Lookout for more photos of Mt Cook – this giant at 3754m was getting closer all the time.  But there were plenty of other snow dusted peaks crowding close by, and 140 of them measure 2000m high.  Geoff set up his camera atop his tripod for our group photo just in the nick of time before the area was overrun with tourists.  He had only just set the delayed shutter timer and scampered into position when a large bus disgorged a pack of tourists who walked right in front of us and our camera position.

    Quick – here comes a bus load of tourists

We had heard about the new Sir Edmund Hilary Alpine Centre at the Hermitage Hotel, right at the end of the road, and were keen to go for a visit.  The area of Aoraki Mount Cook National Park covers more than 70,000ha of stunning alpine scenery, bare rocky mountains, streams trickling down steep hillsides, acres of golden tussock land, and is now a World Heritage Site.  The Hermitage Hotel was bustling with tourists and is perfectly placed for guests to look out at Mt Cook and the adjacent peaks.  There were also plenty of day trippers like us who came to visit the Alpine Centre.

The Hermitage Hotel

Sir Ed, as he is affectionately known, trained in these mountain peaks before his becoming the first person to climb Mount Everest, 8850m or 29035ft.   He achieved this feat on 29th May 1953 with Sherpa Tensing Norgay.  The  museum has displays of his time on Mt Cook, his ascent of Everest and his trip to Antarctica.

   Overview of the museum

Tensing and Hilary having a celebratory cup of tea after conquering Everest

Tractor used by Hilary’s team in Antarctica

Standing outside the hotel is a statue of Sir Ed, by Bryn Jones,  based on a photo when he completed a Grand Traverse of the three peaks of Aoraki Mount Cook in 1970.  This was commissioned by the hotel to recognise the 50th anniversary of the ascent, and the influence of the area on his early climbing experience.

Statue of Sir Edmund Hilary

A visit to the adjacent theatre to view a 3D film was quite a new experience.  We went to the screening of “Mount Cook Magic”, a delight of soaring snow capped peaks, glaciers, and climbers slowly making their way up the mountains.  Those 3D effects made us want to duck down in our seats as various items appeared  to fly off the screen straight towards us.   And I have to admit that I was completely flummoxed on my visit to the ladies room.  Where were the basins when I went to wash my hands?  There weren’t any, the tap water flowed straight onto a slab of granite.  That’s certainly different.

Where is the hand basin?

At the Hermitage Hotel, with Mt Cook in the background

Romany Rambler: Travelled 21,042Km; 365 Total Nights (1 Year Tonight)