Day 4 - Mt Cook to Wanaka

Sunday 17th June 2012

Frost on the ceiling

The frozen tea towel...

We probably don't need to explain
what that frozen puddle was from

Awoke to sub - temperatures. Don't know how settlers or the impoverished do this. It was painful contemplating getting out from underneath the two quilts as you could feel the icy bite of the air on face. 

Trying to cook breakfast in full
regalia

We had stayed in bed for nearly 12 hours. Each covered head to toe in at least two layers, plus the sheets, a blanket for our feet and two quilts. Rolling over in our sleep, we felt the iciness of the pillows. It was later revealed the ceiling was creating condensation, dripping water onto the bed and pillows, which then would refreeze until we rolled onto it.

Getting out of bed quickly turned from humorous to painful. Ed kicked me out to go make tea. Everything In the van had frozen solid. The water tank for one, meaning no running water. The bottled water had frozen over. The cloths and tea towels, damp from the night before, had frozen solid. We did have a ready supply of frozen banana and veggies though which was quite sporting.

The frozen beauty outside - Mt Sefton

First thing to go on was 4 layers of clothing each. Then came the first shot of rum each (to warm up from the inside). Then the gas burner to make tea out of soda water (that had stayed mostly liquid). Outside the grass was white with frost, the park devoid of life or movement but the air so incredibly crisp you could see forever. The mountains - Sefton, the saddle, and the other unnamed ones, glowed with predawn steel grey reflecting off the snow peaks, 2km above us to all sides.

The gradual sunrise on the mountain tops, iridescent as the blue of the sky deepened in contrast.

Did I mention the cold and the pain of the cold??

No running water, no heat. It would have reached the minuses overnight, and was scarcely warmer before dawn. The sun didn't make it to the campervan until about 12 pm given where in the valley we were. More about that later.

Our original plan was to do the Hooker glacier return hike, around 3 hours. Preparation was hampered by the merciless cold and no means of heating. AG complained feverishly about the pain in his feet that couldn't warm up despite all manner of Bootcamp exercises. 

Eventually got moving onto the walk after a second shot of Bundy. (yes, that's 2 shots each by 9am. Hey I'm not claiming we're classy birds. We were however desperate).

Panorama of the first glacial lake and suspension bridge

2 swinging suspension bridges over icy ravines. Stones and glacial deposits galore. Steep rocky slopes. Frozen ponds and streams. Ice pools you could walk over. Fields of frosted yellow grasses and grey green lichens. Some of the most rugged and chillingly beautiful scenery to hike through, crisp and cold and barren. Viewed from under beanies, ski jacket plus 3 additional torso layers each, 2scarves, thermal underwear and jeans, and thermal socks.

Hooker glacier river

The end of the misrepresented 2 hours there was hooker glacier lake, complete with icebergs and an iridiscent metallic aqua colour. Rising sharply behind it loomed Mt Cook, nearly 3km above us. Glittering snow peaks and alpine glaciers ringing us in. We of course did the boy thing of immediately throwing rocks into the lake to break up some of the thin sheet ice, followed by aiming at the mini icebergs and then skimming stones along its glassy surface.

The return trip was long and arduous, fuelled only by thawed soda water (it froze WHILST we were walking to the glacier) and a packet of chips.

Have never been so consistently cold. We couldn't get ready to get out of there fast enough. After a cup of tea of course. Kindly made by Ed while AG wandered off again to check out the mysterious valley lights from the evening before (closed toilets that someone had forgotten to turn off the power to).

Ed's first proper drive of Bertha took us out of that bone chilling but mesmerising valley. 

Toilet hut on the hike

Bridge over nowhere

The Hooker glacier complete with
icebergs

Off to Twizel next, then to Wanaka.

Twizel was a bit of a blip on the map. Being a Sunday afternoon and it a remote country town, we probably should have expected ... Not much. Which we got anyway. The highlight was finally getting warm, having a coffee in a small cafe that to Ed's trained eyes was flagrantly breaking around 16 health regulations.

Before Wanaka we passed through the " Lindis pass" - after getting the warning advice on the radio. 970m elevation. Snowy and frosty all around. Drive up 500m elevation in a short windy distance to get there, then back down 600m on other side.

Wanaka lakefront

Wanaka was something else entirely. We pulled in just as it was getting dark to behold perhaps the most beautiful town on our whole trip so far. The countryside was once again the dramatic combo of snowy mountains and golden ravines, but the town also sported a clear, still lake. It reminded Ed of an Alaskan fantasy, and AG of a Swiss alp town. The lakeside drive was uncluttered and pristine, the bars and cafes and art shops opposite it homely and hip. 

We decided to do as the locals did, and hit happy hour in one of the hipper places. This ultimately meant we, in our travelling gear finest, did not fit in one bit. But the air was warm with fire light and chatter and we enjoyed our local cider (Monteith and Co - its available in Oz and very nice) and chips before retiring to find our campsite.

Unfortunately for us it was out in the boondocks, a NavWoman-directed journey of 4 km winding through Deliverance country backwoods adjacent to the lake. In the pitch blackness of 6 pm. Over pitted gravel roads. We were reconsidering our choice when we stumbled upon the reception lodge tucked down a long driveway. Such was the remoteness of the place that AG, minding the campervan whilst Ed walked up the driveway, had thoughts of having to rescue the poor boy from the nefarious hillbillies when he hadn't returned to the van after 10 minutes. Apparently it was due to the over exuberance of the owner to have a guest campervan for the night. Ed seems to attract these super enthusiastic types. He did furnish us with the exciting tidbit that the Mt Cook/Aoraki valley where we stayed quite often got down to -10 degrees. Most helpful to learn that after the fact. Perhaps the excitable girl at the info counter who convinced us to stay at Mt Cook should have done less fist pumping ("Yessss!") and more of her job steering tourists away from freezing death!