- Planning and preparing for our epic vacation to New Zealand and the Maldives
- Flying to New Zealand via Honolulu, visiting Auckland and Devonport
- Waitomo Caves and Tongariro Alpine Crossing
- Taupo, Waikite Thermal Pools, to Christchurch
- Mt. Cook National Park
- AJ Hackett Kawarau Bungy Jump, K-Jet boating, hanging out in Queenstown
- Day 1 of Routeburn Track 3-day luxury guided walk
- Day 2 of Routeburn Track 3-day luxury guided walk
- Day 3 of Routeburn Track 3-day luxury guided walk
- Arrowtown, Wanaka, Mount Roy Track
- Franz Josef Glacier
- Tranz Alpine train Greymouth to Christchurch, then to Singapore
- From Singapore to Conrad Maldives Rangali Island
- Day 1 and 2 at the Conrad Maldives: beach villa, overwater spa, Atoll Market, snorkeling
- Day 3 at the Conrad Maldives: water villa, diving with manta rays, meeting new friends
- Day 4 and 5 at the Conrad Maldives: Vilu, Sunset Grill, reef diving
- Day 6 and 7 at the Conrad Maldives: whale sharks, Ithaa, snorkeling
- Returning from the Maldives via Singapore
- 10 hour layover in Seoul and landing safely in SFO
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Saturday morning, Kaleb and I checked out of the Beechtree Suites and drove towards Mt. Cook (Aoraki) National Park. We didn't have any time to visit Christchurch in depth; driving out of the city, we could see construction still going on since the 2011 earthquake.
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| many areas were filled with orange construction cones and scaffolding |
It would take around 4.5 hours to get to Mt. Cook...at the 3 hour mark, we stopped by Lake Tekapo. What a beautiful sight, even though the sky was cloudy! (the lake would be more blue) It was also home to one of the most photographed buildings in New Zealand, the Church of the Good Shepherd.
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| some snacks on the road! |
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| Lake Tekapo |
17-second video of peaceful Lake Tekapo: (click here if you cannot see the preview below):
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| quaint stone building |
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| nearby statue commemorating sheepdogs |
Then it was an hour more to Mt. Cook. The drive into the national park was breathtakingly stunning, with the highway hugging many lakes, with views of mountains in the distance. We stopped by a viewpoint to capture the beauty on camera, even though pictures and video do no justice. You have to see this for yourself.
41-second video of part of the drive into Mt. Cook (click here if you cannot see the preview below):
Our home for the next couple of nights was at the Hermitage, located within Mt. Cook National Park. There was a main hotel and a less expensive motel option located a little ways away but in the same complex. We were in a "motel studio", though the view can't be beat. The check-in for the motel was in the main hotel.
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| view of Huddleston Glacier outside our patio |
The weather was starting to get worse as finally the weakened Cyclone Lusi caught up with us. It wasn't raining just yet, so we walked around Mt. Cook Village to enjoy the scenery.
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| Bowen Bush walk |
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| trekking through the forest |
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| beautiful even on a cloudy day |
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We returned to the motel and relaxed. Dinner consisted of tasty instant noodles that we bought in Christchurch, along with fruit. When we turned on the TV, we noticed that there were many channels showing either rugby or netball, practically 24 hours a day. Netball was interesting; it was like women's basketball except that no one seems to block the shooter when she is going for a basket. (reading the rules, it's probably because the defender must be at least 35 inches away from the player with the ball!)
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| tonight's dinner |
The next morning, it was pouring outside. We drove to the Hermitage hotel for a continental breakfast buffet at the Alpine Restaurant, included in the room rate. You had to walk through a bar area to get to the dining room. Hot breakfast items could be added for an additional $10 per person, but looking at the offerings (eggs, sausage, bacon, Chinese congee), it didn't seem worth it. There was protein available in the form of cold cuts and cheese, so we were satisfied.
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| Alpine Restaurant dining room |
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| fresh fruit on this side; cereal and accompaniments the other side of the wall |
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| salad, cold cuts, cheese, and spreads for bakery items located at another station |
Since it was raining, we decided to visit the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre located in the same building. There were movies (in 2D, 3D and planetarium format) being shown as well as exhibits on Sir Edmund's treks to the far reaches of the globe including the North and South Pole and Mt. Everest.
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I browsed through the gift shop attached to the "centre" and noticed some really nice and soft, lightweight "Merinosilk" jackets. The price tag? NZ$400! Ouch!
We returned to the motel and since we couldn't hike due to the rain (we're usually fair-weather hikers), we spent the time reading and watching TV. We did venture outside our door for a few minutes when guests in the neighboring motel room set off a piercing fire alarm due to burning food in the kitchen. When the rain let up a bit in the afternoon, Kaleb went for a short hike on Governors Bush walk.
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For dinner, we decided to have a normal meal and walked out into the mist to the one independent restaurant in the village (everything else was run by the Hermitage), the Old Mountaineers Cafe. Its location was not obvious, as the national park didn't have signs pointing to it. It was located down a path behind the visitor's center. We walked in without a reservation around 6pm and were seated promptly. If you make a reservation in advance, you could get a seat by the windows to enjoy the views. The food tasted decent and fresh. The prices were also reasonable for being in the middle of nowhere. (compared to the $90/pp dinner buffet at the Hermitage hotel!)
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| tables by the window were all reserved |
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| Mount Cook salmon |
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| Sir Ed's pork sausages |
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| "Delicious Chocolate Cake" a la mode |
After dinner, the rain let up a bit so with the remaining bit of sunlight, we hiked Kea Point Walk (2 hour return), starting from the Hermitage hotel. We made it back to the motel just before it got too dark.
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| Mueller glacial lake |
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| description of the view from Kea Point |
The next morning, the sun broke through and you could see blue skies! The view during breakfast at the Alpine Restaurant was pretty nice.
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| view at breakfast |
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| quirky public bathroom "sinks" - granite countertop that drained into a trough |
After we checked out, as the weather was looking a lot better, we took a chance and drove to the Hooker Valley Track trailhead to do the hike (4 hour return). It started out nice, but by the time we turned around at Hooker Lake, the rain came down hard, accompanied by a lashing wind. We ended up completely soaked. My hiking boots somehow filled up with a cup of water.
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When we got back to the car, we squirmed in the front seats changing into dry clothes. We stopped by the hotel once more to go to the restroom and dry off as well as grab a quick bite to eat at the Sir Edmund Hillary Cafe before our drive to Queenstown. The prices were decent here so this would be another good alternative to dining in the hotel's restaurants. I forgot to take pictures of our food.
Now we're headed to Queenstown! Stay tuned...
