Sheep and snow covered mountains

It was a cold night in Lake Tekapo. Thankfully, the room came with a little plug-in heater and lots of blankets on the bed, so I was warm enough overnight. I went to bed much later than planned because I was reading but didn’t check time until 1am and I was shocked it had gotten so late. So, I bundled up and went to brush my teeth before snuggling into the bed for the night.

In the morning, I woke up at 7am but I decided to lounge in bed a little because I was tired and just felt like it. So, I didn’t get out of the hostel until almost 10am but that was alright. I’m not here to rush around. I did eat two Feijoia for a quick breakfast before I left. Though, I supplemented to that by going over to the supermarket for some breakfast bars. I decided not to have a big breakfast because I wanted to have an early lunch at Kohan, a Japanese restaurant. The idea of fresh salmon rolls from fish from the local salmon farm (Mount Cook Salmon Farm) down the road was too hard to pass up.

However, before lunch I went down to the lake’s edge for some photography. I visited the local, historic church down by the lake as well as the collie dog statue commemorating the sheep dogs that helped develop Mackenzie County. I briefly chatted with an Australian couple that would also be visiting Queenstown in the next few days. They had a daughter that was off in Scotland, by herself I might add, working on and off for a year.

Now it was time for lunch, so I made my way over to Kohan and ordered a salmon avocado roll. It made me think of my Dad because I know that he would be delighted with this fresh salmon sushi, but perhaps without the avocado. Lunch was cheap because for $9 I got the sushi roll (8 large pieces!), miso soup and green tea. Glad it was inexpensive because I definitely made up for it at dinner, but I’ll get into that later. (I should probably mention that unless otherwise stated, prices are in NZD. You probably know that already, but just in case.)

After lunch, I drove up to the Mount John Observatory for a panoramic view of the landscape. Was only 9km but was a rather interesting drive since it was a one lane road and it was a bit of a challenge when two cars passing each other. The view was just as promised. Stretched out before me was broad plains of yellow grasses and dark brown earth until the met up with the surrounding mountains. The milky blue waters of the glacier fed lake sparkled in the sunlight. The weather, by the way, was almost impossibly bright sun with not a cloud in the sky. It was the kind of blue sky that you only see in the mountain which fades into a very light blue right at the horizon where it merges with the mountains. Since I’m still such a novice at photography in so many ways, it made photographing the mountains a bit difficult for me because of lack contrast. However, I really couldn’t complain because at least I could see them!

From Lake Tekapo, Google maps said it should take about an hour and 16 mins or so get to get Mount Cook National Park. Well, as Corina and I were chatting about over the weekend, Google should also give a “photographer’s estimated time”. I easily doubled that trip with all the stops I made for photos. To give you some reference, I normally take 100+ photos in a day. Except for the first day, it’s always been under 200. Today it was 281. Not bad for one day. Many of my pictures didn’t turn out as well as I would have hoped, but all pictures can’t be perfect. That’s why you take as many as you can.

On the way to Mount Cook, I stopped at Lake Pukaki for a few photos. The lady at the visitor’s center there said it should be a spectacular 40 min drive up to Mount Cook. Heh, yeah, well you already know that it was at least twice as long. I had wanted to get there before 2pm, so that if I felt like doing the Glacier Lake exploration tour, which is 3 hours long, at 2pm, I could. Well, as you can imagine, that quickly flew out the window and I took my time enjoying as much of the stunning scenery as I could. I thought I knew the definition of a beautiful landscape until I came here. Unfortunately, my photos could never even come close to capturing its awe inspiring beauty. It might sound cliché or just plain silly to say this, but it was moving. I’m glad I took this drive on my own so that I could enjoy it in my own way.

Along the way, there was a sheep crossing sign and I fervently hoped that I would actually get to see that iconic scene of a herd of sheep crossing the road, slowing down your drive to a crawl. I had been seeing postcards with that very image, with Mount Cook in the background. I didn’t have to wait long because I drove around a few bends and there they were! I crowed with delight, parked my car on the side of the road and hopped out as the sheep both munched their way past me or just trotted by, maa-ing and baa-ing away. I have to admit I did a fair bit of giggling as I snapped loads of photos. I also enjoyed the grins on faces of the people in the cars passing by, passengers also brandishing their cameras, ready for quick shots. At the tail end came the shepherd with a small pack of sheep dogs. I was strangely surprised that he was a tall, handsome guy and I gave him a shy grin and a wave. He nodded as he walked past. I had to wonder if the shepherds get tired, annoyed or bemused of having to drive their flocks through herds of tourist cars and if they roll their eyes at the silly tourists that won’t stay in their cars. I did get back in my car after the herd past and drove slowly through the next herd of sheep that was following a ways behind the first flock. Though, I did take some more pictures from my car. I gave a short way to the cute shepherd at the end of this flock and he acknowledged me with a quick “Hi”.

After several more photo stops, I finally made it into the little town at Mount Cook National Park. It was after 3 at this point, I think. I drove over to the Youth Hostel (YHA), since accommodations selections were slim. I hoped that they had a double room available, but they didn’t. So, I’ve ended up sharing a triple room with an older woman that was in line in front of me. I’m not entirely comfortable sleeping with a stranger in the room, but at least it’s only one, instead of several in a dorm room. She seems nice enough and actually lived in Seattle for about 13 years in the Madrona area. The reason I’m staying here is because it is about a $75 - $100 price difference from the next place up. Might as well save some money somewhere, since tomorrow’s activity, which I booked over the phone while I was waiting for someone to appear at the reception desk, would be plenty expensive. However, how often do you get to go on a tour of a lake ON a glacier and get up close and personal with icebergs? But, man oh man, this upcoming summer’s going to be a lean one. Worth it, though!
I went to the visitor’s center for awhile before dinner. I wasn’t feeling all the well.. really light headed.. So I just sat down for a bit and flipped through some information. After awhile the feeling passed, so I decided to go to dinner at the café next door. Like the sleeping options, dining options are also slim and quite expensive. I could have eaten cheaper than I did but I decided to go for lamb that the menu said was local and free range. Well, I saw proof of that today. It was still much cheaper than what you pay for lamb at home, but by far the most expensive dinner I’ve had while in New Zealand. The lamb was tasty, at first, but overall, wasn’t the best that I’ve had. At least it was local and organic as well as the vegetables and potatoes. So, that’s something. I did go ahead and have dessert, enough though I already felt like I just paid too much for the dinner. Though, at least I wasn’t disappointed with the dessert! Best homemade apple crumble with ice cream, whipped cream, raspberries and butterscotch drizzle I’ve ever had, or at least in memory.

One thing the Old Mountaineering Café had going for it was that it had wireless and a place to plug in my laptop. After dinner, I went to the lounge area sat by woodstove while I typed up most of this entry. Just before closing, I started chatting with a girl from Barcelona. Again, another woman who’s traveling on her own for an indefinite period of time while she makes her way through New Zealand and later, Australia. I envy these women.

Now, I’m finishing up this entry in the hostel’s dining room. Normally, I’d be in my room but I guess it’s good to be out and about in the evening. Soon, I’m going to go back to my tiny room and try to maneuver getting ready for bed. This certainly isn't the best hostel in the world for the money but what can you expect up here? Hrm, I wonder if that was a possum that scurries up into the bushes while I was driving back to the hostel.

Quick edit: Spoke with the girl from Spain at length tonight. She’s into animals, organic food and conservation. Learn all about the Spanish wolf, with the beautiful dark face. They are called Signatus. If I spoke Spanish, I could go take a 5 day trip to study them in the middle of Spain. Alas, I do not. She wants to come to the States to do some volunteer programs on studying wolves. When I get back, I'm going to gather some information for her. :)