After two proper
rain days in Geraldine I left the hostel with clear blue skies
overhead. The road I wanted to take to Mt Cook was closed due to a
washed out bridge but a local told me there was a detour so I thought
I’d give it a try anyway. For hitch hiking that is. A good number
of cars passed until a van full of Germans stopped to tell me the
road was closed. I told them I thought there was a detour. They
didn’t know anything about the detour. I stood awhile longer until
a car load of Chinese stopped. A young woman rolled down the back
window and softly asked where I was going. They were headed to Lake
Tekapo which was right on the way to Mt Cook. I put my pack in the
back with their luggage and they moved over so I could squeeze into
the back seat. There was a detour. It led to the other road the
Germans told me I should take. However, had I not been on the closed
road I would never have met the Chinese. Funny how things work out.
The two women
sitting next to me were in their early 30’s and seemed eager to
engage in small conversation. I think they wanted to practice their
English. Fair enough. The men sitting in front didn’t have anything
to say but the driver was very good and wasn’t messing around
getting to Lake Tekapo.
Like most all lakes
in the South Island Lake Tekapo is quite beautiful and situated in a
broad open valley. The main tourist attraction is a small stone
chapel with a large picture window facing the lake. Aside of the
setting and window I wouldn’t say the chapel is all that special
but for whatever reason it’s on the list for Chinese travelers.
They were all over the place taking photos and selfies. I thanked the
Chinese for the ride and took a couple of photos with the women. One
of the guys shook my hand and I thanked them in Chinese. Sheshia. Not
sure how the spelling goes but that’s how it sounds.
So, back to the
road. It didn’t take long to get the next ride. Constantine, a 29
year old from Germany, stopped with his 1988 Toyota camper van. I
told him where I was going and he said he would take me. Constantine
had been driving around New Zealand for awhile and was scheduled to
start a Mtn climbing course in a couple of days. He had some time on
his hands.
Constantine reminded
me more of someone from Italy or France. Not so structured, easy
going, and relaxed. As it turns out part of his family is from Italy
and he lives close to France. We hit it off and he gave me some tips
on what to see and do in the area while driving me straight to the Mt
Cook visitors center and campground. He also told me of a hike he
heard about up Wakefield ridge. It’s a non maintained trail that
ascends steeply from the valley and follows a long ridge to Mt
Wakefield. We decided to meet the next morning and at the very least
hike up the ridge. The rain that fell while I was in Geraldine
brought a fair amount of snow to the high peaks. Constantine and I
figured we would go as far as we could on the ridge as long as it was
safe.
Constantine picked
me up at the campground the next day at 8am as planned. We found the
trail to Wakefield ridge with no problem and started hiking straight
up. Once we gained the ridge the views were absolutely spectacular.
We followed the ridge for about a mile until we ran into snow. The
summit was still a long ways away considering. Snow, wet loose rock,
and exposure caused us to make a fairly quick decision that it wasn’t
safe. It was already a great hike in of itself so we just spent time
enjoying being up there. And, we had it all to ourselves as we didn’t
see anyone else.
After the hike we
grabbed a couple of beers at Mt Cook village then drove up another
valley for a short hike near Tasman Glacier for a view. At the end of
the day Constantine took me back to the campground and we parted ways
as he needed to get ready for a mountaineering course that was
starting the next day.
The following
morning the weather was spectacular again so I hiked up to the Muller
Hut and beyond to the summit of Mt Olivier which is the first
Mountain that Sir Edmund Hillary ever climbed. I imagine he was quite
young at the time. It’s not a difficult climb. Just a bit of rock
scrambling. No snow, ice or glaciers. The view across the valley from
the Muller Hut and Mt Olivier is pretty outrageous. The photo at the
top of this post was taken on the hike up.
Well, after three
great weather days things have turned. I am sitting in a cafe about a
mile from the campground. It’s windy as heck and the forecast is
predicting heavy rain. The wind is getting stronger and gust are
predicted to reach 60+ miles per hour. I have my lightweight tent
pitched in a pretty good spot with some protection but not great. A
sensible person would have have packed camp this morning and found
some accommodation for the night but good luck. Everything is more or
less booked unless you want to pay. Hostels or anything reasonable
are totally booked. Some tents were already flattened this morning
but I’m sticking it out. I think I’ll be fine. If worse comes to
worse I can move into the campground cooking shelter. Several moved
in last night when the wind started.
As for now I am in
Mt Cook village a mile away. There’s a nice visitors center with a
museum that highlights New Zealand’s rich climbing history. After
all, Sir Edmund Hillary, a native New Zealander, was the first to
reach Mt Everest with Sherpa Tenzing. In the village there’s also a
hostel and a couple of hotels. The Hermitage is nicest hotel with 5
star views for over $200 USD a night. It’s stays fully booked
through the season. The cafe at the hermitage offers some reasonably
priced food and is a good place to hang out. However, as I look at
how the wind is picking up I am a little concerned about my camp. The
sideways rain is concerning. The wind is supposed to stop tonight
with the rain ending by sunrise. Tomorrow is supposed to be nice.
I’ll let you know how it went in my next post.
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