Mount Cook

Kia Ora!

Kiwi Consort (KC) and I ventured into the mountains recently driving west for 1 1/2 hours to the resort village of Lake Tekopo, where we had lunch. While there we met travelers from Spring Valley, Minnesota who knew my cousin's family. I have 30-something first cousins from my father's family. This is not the first time I have run into tourists overseas who knew members of my extended family.

Bay on Lake Pukaki

After lunch we drove on to Lake Pukaki. These huge lakes are fed by glaciers and cold enough to induce cardiac arrest. The climb was gradual and the roads well maintained. In the valleys and foot hills, we  passed farms with pens of  pigs, sheep, dairy cattle, venison (elk), alpacas, and chickens. In the high country, the stations seemed to be raising cattle, which have replaced sheep in many instances.

Overlooking Lake Pukaki is an historic stone church built by the early settlers in the high country, still actively used for services and gatherings. According to a  pamphlet available to visitors: The early run holders of this district risked their lives in the hills around us caring for their sheep so they understood the words of Jesus the Christ when he said 'I am the good shepherd ...'

Rock cairns around Lake Pukaki

Visitors have taken to building cairns along the shore in front of the church. They project skyward like prayers to heaven, hundreds of them.

Nothing can compare to the majesty of the Queen of the Southern Alps, Mount Cook (Aoraki in Maori).* We have seen Mount Cook from the west side of South Island. Now accessing the high country from the east side, this mountain seems far more dominating. Rising 3,754 meters (12,316 feet), she is the highest of the range of mountains that runs like a spine down the South Island. Her beauty is unmatched.

*The official name of this iconic mountain is now formally known as Aoraki Mount Cook, honoring both the traditional Maori name and the English name that honors the early western explorer, Captain Cook.

Cheers,
Kiwi Traveler