Post from Tim:
Yesterday morning, we picked up the campervan we will be using for the next two weeks. It has heat, a bathroom, hot water, a fridge and microwave, and lots of cool extras. Couldn't ask for more!
Though I struggled with driving on the left and using using a stickshift with my left hand for the first time, we eventually made our way out of the east coast plains and down to the snow covered New Zealand Alps. The mountains are jaggy and tall. The vegetation is sparse. Only bushes, evergreens, and sheep dot the landscape. We passed by a beautiful lake around sunset, just in time to watch the sun fall behind the historic stone church that sat on the shore. Soon after sunset, we arrived to Mount Cook.
Mount Cook is the tallest peak in New Zealand. The area offers several "tramps", but many require serious mountaineering experience and equipment. To impress upon visitors the dangers of hiking, the Mount Cook Visitor's Center displays a book of the dead. This book details the hundreds of people who have lost their lives in the mountains. Each person in the book has a page with a bio describing his or her interests, backgrounds, and cause of death. The book is thick and sobering.
Today we spent a while touring the area by car, but the cold rain prevented us from potentially being added to the book of the dead. Instead of hiking, we drove on to Queenstown.
Though I struggled with driving on the left and using using a stickshift with my left hand for the first time, we eventually made our way out of the east coast plains and down to the snow covered New Zealand Alps. The mountains are jaggy and tall. The vegetation is sparse. Only bushes, evergreens, and sheep dot the landscape. We passed by a beautiful lake around sunset, just in time to watch the sun fall behind the historic stone church that sat on the shore. Soon after sunset, we arrived to Mount Cook.
Mount Cook is the tallest peak in New Zealand. The area offers several "tramps", but many require serious mountaineering experience and equipment. To impress upon visitors the dangers of hiking, the Mount Cook Visitor's Center displays a book of the dead. This book details the hundreds of people who have lost their lives in the mountains. Each person in the book has a page with a bio describing his or her interests, backgrounds, and cause of death. The book is thick and sobering.
Today we spent a while touring the area by car, but the cold rain prevented us from potentially being added to the book of the dead. Instead of hiking, we drove on to Queenstown.
Photos From This Location
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