Aoraki / Mt. Cook

Mt. Cook or Aoraki (which is the Maori name for this peak) - highest peak in Australasia.

The plan today involved hiking into Hooker Valley, then back for a quick look at The Department of Conservation Centre (DOC) and if time then the Sir Edmund Hillary Museum which is on bottom floor of The Hermitage, a very cool hotel with every room facing Mt. Cook. After lattes in the coffee shop with the group, the three of us decided to forgo the hike so we could spend the 4 hours it would have taken going through both the museum and the DOC Centre. (This had nothing to do with the fact the clouds were so low it was impossible to see any mountains much less Mt. Cook, it was raining and we were still stiff, bruised and a bit sore from our mountain pass crossing in the rain 3 days before. I won't tell you how I got the bruises on the mountain until later - over a glass of wine cause it sounds like "and there I was climbing up a mountain!!!!).

The photo above is one Judy took of a picture in the Hermitage, just so you can see what it looks like without the low cloud.  It was the closest we got to seeing it as well.  The group went off to hike and we started with the museum. It cost $20 each but we could come and go all day. We checked out the museum which is all about Sir Edmund Hillary and mountain climbing, This was one of the first mountains he ever climbed, and he and his team used it to train for Everest. Then we went into their theatre to watch a 35min. movie about the beginning of New Zealand and the mountains. After that we walked down the road to the DOC Centre. It's like an info centre, nature house and all things about Mt. Cook park. It was very well done and very interesting. We watched a short movie there about search and rescue in the mountains. These rescuers risk their own lives to save those who have had climbing accidents on the mountain. 

There is a room just off the main foyer that is devoted to the memory of those climbers who have died on Mt. Cook - over 177 since the first mountaineers climbed this mountain in 1907. Wendy was looking for the name of a young 20 year old university student from Winnipeg who is the son of her masters adviser. She was able to find his name and then to read the file of his accident in 1980. He and his climbing partner were very close to the summit when they fell to their deaths. Very sobering but a neat way to remember all those climbers.

We returned to the museum after eating our lunch sandwiches in a covered picnic area. Remember it was raining and cold so covered was good; we'd had enough of being wet. We got back to the museum in time to watch the movie about Sir Edmund Hillary's life and his climb of Mt. Everest. The rest of our group had wanted to be back in time for this but did not make it. We three thought it was a great day. We all boarded the bus for the ride back to our hotel in Twizel for dinner. Tomorrow we head off to Christchurch after a morning hike.  We are nearing the end of our HF trip. 

Mt. Cook National Park (photo of a picture by Judy)