A wintery day on the mountain

Day 8- Honeymoon

Waking up on a higher plateau sure is different. We awoke to the singing of mountain birds. Terence woke up early this morning to cook a hearty American breakfast of sausages, eggs and mushrooms. How sweet!

Sausages, fried eggs, mushrooms and kiwi fruits - cooked with love

The breakfast had buffered us for our hike later. Oh no! We’re not climbing up Mount Cook, just taking a few tramping trails that will give us gorgeous views of the mountain. Mount Cook stands 3754m above sea level and it can be seen miles away with its prominent snow capped tip all year round.

Upon reaching the information centre, the guide told us that clouds had crept in and won’t be leaving anytime soon. Mount Cook was blanketed with thick clouds and the entire landscape had an eerie feeling to it. Not wanting to get lost in any trail because of low visibility, we decided to take the recommended hike called the Tasman Glacier track.

You might be wondering, what are glaciers doing in New Zealand, apparently the weather is so apt that chips of mountains that fall off over the years into the Tasman Lake freeze up and form blocks of ice covered boulders floating on water.

Terence fooling around

Thick clouds right ahead of us

Clouds curtain opened a little featuring fierce mountains

At the cliff of the Tasman Glazier

We spent 2 hours hiking up a steep hill overlooking the Tasman Lake. The sight was both eerie and spectacular, as a thick vapor gently lay on the surface of the still grey waters of the lake and gigantic while and dark boulders skimmed the waters. What a sight to be seeing glaciers for the first time!

Glaziers floating on the Tasman Lake

Glaziers all over

Glaziers and snow capped mountains behind us.

By the time we clambered down the hill with tons of photos, our hands was numb beyond realization. The best remedy had to be a hot cuppa by a fireplace. It was Deb’s dream come true as the Old Mountaineers Café provided the ambiance.

The fireplace

Finally departing Mount Cook and its gorgeous wintry scene, we drove to Queenstown – the hub of adrenaline rushing activities. Anything from bungee jumping to canyoning can be found here. It’s definitely not a place for the faint hearted but for the fearless risk takers – this is IT!

We stopped by an orchard sprawling with blooming flowers

Anyone can tell us the name of this flower?

By popular demand: A smooch by the fireplace

By popular demand: Kissing in style