We woke up, looked out the window and saw Mt Cook’s snowy top! What a great sight.
We then heard the wonderful sounds of helicopters buzzing all around indicating that they were currently flying people up! The weather forecast was again terrible, so time was of the essence.
You never saw two people scramble like we did to shower, dress, and make several calls to companies to perhaps show us something we probably will never get the chance to see again - a real, honest-to-goodness glacier!
The trip was amazing! Finally I got to do an “adventure”! Not too many muscles involved, but I did work hard to keep my breakfast down! (Doesn’t that determine ‘”adventure”?) We circled around and went straight up the biggest mountains! The wind was really blowing, and I feared crashing into a cliff. Norman, the crazy man, wasn’t even fazed! I was lucky enough for the front seat, and between the two of us took over 100 pictures! It didn’t even occur to me to take a movie, and I am still berating myself over it!
You would have loved it, and I could have shared our thrill, zipping up the rock face, checking out the several glaciers, and just how amazing this country is! We saw two different huts that are used by hikers and are accessible only by helicopter. Both of them were perched at the edge of cliffs. Maybe you would have lost YOUR breakfast! Wouldn’t that be fun? The trip lasted 30 minutes and was very memorable!
One thing we have been noticing about the South Island is the lack of inhabitants.
Hardly anyone is here, and its vast, unspoiled, rugged environment. Awesome!
After the flight we decided to head south and perhaps do some hiking on the way toward the town of Haast since the weather was still sunny. We were headed through a very mountainous pass, and we wanted to actually SEE the mountains. The previous day, all we could hardly see was the road, and what fun is that?
The most gorgeous countryside. Reminds Norm of his travels through the Swiss Alps.
On the way to Haast, we saw breathtaking beauty! It was so windy and now cold (about 55 degrees and so windy you could hardly stand up). So drove another 2 ½ hours to camp in Wanaka where Norm could golf, and there was another smaller glacier I felt I was able to hike to. The only problem is, I have been so very, very exhausted! Perhaps it is all the mending I am doing?
Check out the pictures. Absolutely no houses anywhere – even around the beautiful lakes. We just can’t understand why that is. I am sure it won’t last long.
Arrived at a 5 star campground early enough to enjoy the sun, looked at all our pictures and went to bed.
We then heard the wonderful sounds of helicopters buzzing all around indicating that they were currently flying people up! The weather forecast was again terrible, so time was of the essence.
You never saw two people scramble like we did to shower, dress, and make several calls to companies to perhaps show us something we probably will never get the chance to see again - a real, honest-to-goodness glacier!
The trip was amazing! Finally I got to do an “adventure”! Not too many muscles involved, but I did work hard to keep my breakfast down! (Doesn’t that determine ‘”adventure”?) We circled around and went straight up the biggest mountains! The wind was really blowing, and I feared crashing into a cliff. Norman, the crazy man, wasn’t even fazed! I was lucky enough for the front seat, and between the two of us took over 100 pictures! It didn’t even occur to me to take a movie, and I am still berating myself over it!
You would have loved it, and I could have shared our thrill, zipping up the rock face, checking out the several glaciers, and just how amazing this country is! We saw two different huts that are used by hikers and are accessible only by helicopter. Both of them were perched at the edge of cliffs. Maybe you would have lost YOUR breakfast! Wouldn’t that be fun? The trip lasted 30 minutes and was very memorable!
One thing we have been noticing about the South Island is the lack of inhabitants.
Hardly anyone is here, and its vast, unspoiled, rugged environment. Awesome!
After the flight we decided to head south and perhaps do some hiking on the way toward the town of Haast since the weather was still sunny. We were headed through a very mountainous pass, and we wanted to actually SEE the mountains. The previous day, all we could hardly see was the road, and what fun is that?
The most gorgeous countryside. Reminds Norm of his travels through the Swiss Alps.
On the way to Haast, we saw breathtaking beauty! It was so windy and now cold (about 55 degrees and so windy you could hardly stand up). So drove another 2 ½ hours to camp in Wanaka where Norm could golf, and there was another smaller glacier I felt I was able to hike to. The only problem is, I have been so very, very exhausted! Perhaps it is all the mending I am doing?
Check out the pictures. Absolutely no houses anywhere – even around the beautiful lakes. We just can’t understand why that is. I am sure it won’t last long.
Arrived at a 5 star campground early enough to enjoy the sun, looked at all our pictures and went to bed.
Drive to Wanaka aboveLake Matheson Side trip
