Mt. Cook

This last weekend Luke, Dave, Eliza and I headed out to explore the Mt. Cook area. On the way to White Horse Hill Campsite, our car demolished four rabbits in less than two minutes. The rabbits kept jumping out in front of our car and staring at us like a deer in the headlights. We arrived at our campsite just before dark and set up camp. That night the stars were brighter than I have ever seen.

Our first day we hiked the Ball Hut Shelter Route along the Tasman Glacier. This was my first time ever seeing a glacier. I was amazed by how massive it was and how fast it was melting. We probably heard a piece break off about every five minutes. The majority of the glacier was covered in dirt, but we could see the layers of ice at the edge of the glacier and in the icebergs.







When we finally got up to Ball Hut, we decided to explore the ridge above the hut. We hiked up to a 300 ft. drop off that looked down into a huge valley. Standing on the edge was terrifying, but probably one of the coolest things I have ever seen. It was really beautiful to see all of the waterfalls that formed on the peaks of the glacial mountains.

That night we headed back to camp, made some dinner, and spent another couple of hours laying out and looking at the stars. We decided to get up for sunrise the next morning and do the Hooker Valley Track. About 10 minutes into our hike, we stopped at Mueller Lake and watched the  sunrise on Mt. Sefton for about 30 minutes.








The Hooker Valley Track is known to be the most scenic day walk in all of the South Island. This hike definitely lived up to its expectations! We crossed two, old suspended bridges and spent most of the hike following the Hooker River.










At Hooker Lake we spent some time taking it all in before the crowds showed up. We were so glad we got up early to experience the beauty alone. Despite the massive winds ripping through the valley, Eliza and I spent a good three hours lying on the rock beach skipping rocks. Once again, not a bad way to spend the day.

On the drive back home, we drove past three massive lakes that were some of the bluest water I have ever seen. Driving in New Zealand is absolutely amazing. You can drive for miles without seeing anyone. I am getting really excited for our mid-semester break when we hope to do a big loop around the South Island!