Mt Cook (Aoraki)

Moeraki boulders

Today is the start of Fall in the Southern Alps. We traveled about 1 1/2 hours to stop at the Moeraki boulders. These boulders started as calcite crystals int he ancient mud and grew over time. As the Pacific Ocean erodes the shoreline they become exposed to the surface. Next stop was the town of Oamara, where the old town is filled with limestone building.

As we left the ocean we started following the Waitaki river which has hydroelectric dams built all along it. These dams supply electricity to the entire country. In fact, the joke is that the North island would float away if it wasn't for the power cables providing electricity to the North island from the South island. At last we saw Mt. Cook or Aoiraki, the cloud piercer, 12394 feet high. Our hotel room has a beautiful view of Mt. Cook and Mt. Sefton.

Aoraki, the cloud piercer

Laura and I decide to hike up the Hooker valley. We pass a memorial to the 69 climbers who have died here. We travel next to a lake filled with glacier milk, cross 2 one lane suspension bridges until finally we get a closer view of Mt. Cook, but it's covered by clouds. We still had a great 3 hour hike through bogs, desert, scree, and scrambling up rocks.