AORAKI MOUNT COOK NATIONAL PARK

Aoraki Mount Cook Village - the stunning view of Mount Sefton from our motel room.  The weather is just perfect.  We are so blessed.

The next day we take a walk along the Hooker Valley Track, passing over a swing bridge

to the viewpoint overlooking Mueller Lake

eventually arriving at Hooker Lake

and the glacial Hooker River.

At the end of the walk there are amazing views to be had of Mount Cook and the Southern Alps.

Lovely surprise when we get back from the walk to find Julie, Andy, Joe and Evie booked into an apartment around the corner.  Having read the blog, they kindly bring along an aperitif for the evening!

Later we enjoy a meal together at the Hermitage Alpine Restaurant.

Before retiring for the night we manage to fit in a bush walk, in the dark, with just the light of a spotlight app on a mobile 'phone.  The stars are so bright and clear.  Perfect end to a perfect day.

Early next morning, Joe spots this Harrier Hawk outside the window.

It's another gloriously sunny day, so after breakfast we take the Kea Point Track through subalpine grasslands and scrub to the Mueller Glacier moraine wall. 

Whilst admiring the view we hear a loud rumble, which sounds a little like thunder, and look up to see this avalanche.

Time to head back to Outram.

We stop off for lunch and a game of Crazy Golf

before the never to be forgotten drive over Danseys Pass; an unsealed gravel road,  located in the Kakanui Mountains.

DRIVING DAY

Today we have a 6 hour drive from Hokitika on the west coast to our next destination.   Driving in New Zealand is a dream;  the scenery is stunning and there's so little traffic.  We each drive for an hour, then stop for refreshments.

Here are just a few of the special places where we take a break:

Rakaia River Gorge Bridge

Lake Tekapo.

Church of the Good Shepherd

Peter's Lookout to Aoraki Mt Cook

Happiness is a way of travel not a destination.

FOX GLACIER & FRANZ JOSEF GLACIER

Our first ever helicopter flight today.

The vast Southern Alps boast two of the most accessible glaciers in the world.  We choose to visit the mighty Fox Glacier.  Soaring at eye level against the west face of Mount Cook is an amazing experience.  The scenic wonder and sheer scale and majesty of the the mountains really does take your breath away.

We even get to land on a snowfield.

Eventually though we have to come down the mountain ... but look at the view.

After a lunch stop at beautiful Lake Matheson

we take a walk as close as we can to the base of the Franz Josef Glacier.

The awesome beauty of this place really does leave you speechless.  A spectacular, never to be forgotten experience.

QUEENSTOWN

We have had some fantastic views from our hotel rooms up to now, but the one in Queenstown takes some beating.  Looking out across Lake Wakatipu to The Remarkables (which really do live up to their name) was incredible.

The apartment was superb, a real home from home.  It had everything we needed and we could have happily spent out time just sitting on the balcony admiring the view.

However, we recently read that if you haven't grown up by the time you're 50, you don't have to.  So, as Queenstown is often referred to as the 'adventure capital of the world', we decided we should try an 

adrenalin-rush activity.  We didn't have time for the luge, paragliding or a bungy jump, but we did manage a jet boat wilderness safari on the Dart River. 

We are sat behind the driver.

On a quieter stretch we saw Rock Burn Chasm, an impressive split through shear rock at the valley floor.

Also included in the trip was a walk through the forest where some of the scenes from the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit movies were filmed.   We got to sit on one of the props.

The beauty of this exceptional area really does take your breath away.  This is the view from the top of the gondola ride.

Queenstown will stay in our memories for many years to come.

TE ANAU and FIORDLAND

We are now about half way through our amazing holiday and about as far away from Penwortham as we can be.

As we travel around and arrive in a new place we look for and appreciate certain things:

a friendly face
a hot shower
an aperitif before dinner
and a comfortable bed

Simple.

oh, and fast internet, so that we can update the blog, check our emails and Skype home

oh, and each other!

Our base for the next 3 nights is Te Anau, a town on the eastern shore of Lake Te Anau, the second largest lake in the South Island.

Shakespeare House Bed and Breakfast.

We are in the Hamlet room.

It is a little cloudy as we set off for the two hour drive to Milford Sound.  However, the scenery is stunning and there is something to photograph around every corner.

Waiting to drive through the Homer Tunnel.

Arriving at the Visitor Centre for the Scenic Cruise.  

Mitre Peak rises more than a kilometre high straight out of the sea.

One of the many waterfalls cascading into the fiord.

Towering cliffs and peaks with rain forests clinging to sheer rock faces.

Seals basking on the rocks

Mirror Lakes on the way back to Te Anau.

A magnificent day.  And it stayed fine, which is amazing, as apparently Fiordland is one of the wettest places in the world.  Milford Sound averages more than 6m a year.

The next day when we visit Doubtful Sound, it is raining.  Not surprising really as apparently it rains 2 days out of 3.   Still, ... always look on the bright ... the waterfalls will be magnificent.

The coach picks us up early for a full day wilderness excursion.  With no direct road access, the only way you can get to visit is by taking a cruise across Lake Manapouri and a coach trip over Wilmot Pass.  Included in the trip is a visit to Manapouri Underground Power Station, the largest hydro power station in New Zealand, and one of the most efficient in the world.

The 2km tunnel leading underground to the immense machine hall ... very James Bond like!

Next stop, Deep Cove, where we board our vessel for a cruise on Doubtful Sound, second largest of Fiordland National Park's 14 fiords.  It is remote, wild and imposing.   Even when it is raining it is just beautiful and there are rainbows everywhere.

Just some of the spectacular waterfalls we saw along the way.

We went in so close to this one we could catch some water to drink.

In 1986, Fiordland National Park was declared a World Heritage Area on account of its superlative natural features, its exceptional beauty and its role in demonstrating the world's evolutionary history. What a privilege to visit this wonderful place.