After the gorgeous day yesterday, we woke to light rain and cloud. This was looking the best of the next few days so we decided to stay with our original plan and head up to Mt Cook Village and hope that the weather would be kind to us. It is 70kms from Twizel so the weather could be quite different. But first, we wanted to check out some hired bikes for tomorrow.
Real Journeys manage many of the cycle trails down South as well as the A2O which passes through here. There doesnt seem to be a problem with hiring bikes, just not ebikes. They are well and truly booked out for months! Ah well, well stick to some canals and avoid some of the more challenging parts of the trail further on from here.
We got some food for lunch, packed our backpacks for all weathers and headed off up the Pukaki Road to Mt Cook Village. Normally this drive is azure and absolutely stunning. This time the clouds ruled and it was dull all the way. Fires had gone through the pine trees along the road leaving large areas of blackened stands. Wilding pines are everywhere and
On arrival we drove on to the White Horse Car Park from where the Hooker Glacier Walk leaves. We set off on a much improved track on what it used to be. Three new swing bridges have been built and new metalled track has been laid. It was still cloudy and we were rugged up in jackets, hats and longs. Soon, as we worked our way uphill we started to shed clothes and by the time we arrived 1.5 hours later we were thoroughly warmed up. Best of all, the weather was slowly lifting with peeps of the higher alps showing every now and then. There were some monster rocks, huge gravel slides and avalanches booming off high glaciers. We passed the Mueller Glacier first with its large glacial lake, then continued on to the Hooker Glacier up another valley where icebergs are still floating in the lake. Theyve broken off the glacier further up the valley and are floating down where theyll eventually melt. The whole area has changed over the years as the glacier has continued to recede back. The old Hooker Hut and the Hooker Track also disappeared
After a most lunch and time to soak up the mountain environment, it was time to return to base. The bonus for the day was that the cloud lifted around the high alps, the sun came out and we were able to see Mt Cook, Mt Sefton and many other peaks. The snow glistened in the sun in a clear blue sky. By the time we got back to the car park, the cloud reappeared in the lower areas. How lucky were we to time it perfectly for a sunset last night and a glistening mountain today. Perfect.
We went to the Hermitage to look for a cafe for tea, but nothing seemed to be operating for the general public. Covid and the lack of tourists has hit this area hard and many things have been scaled back. We intended to visit the Hillary Museum anyway because this is where he did his mountaineering training for his Everest trip so we spent a little time perusing the memorabilia and then headed back to Twizel.
