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We woke to a warm day with high cloud after a sound night sleep in Glentanner Holiday Centre, a bit of wilderness not quite in the wilderness if you know what we mean. We'd hoped for a great clear night for a bit of star gazing, Dave has an app on his phone to show us the stars in the Southern Hemisphere but not tonight - it was a nearly full moon and far too bright. Thankfully no wolves howling in the night, we still haven't got used to the fact that there are no large wild animals here and expect to see bears crashing out of the forests and bush.
We did experience a 'bear moment' however as we left the park and the cloud lifted over the mountains cars and motor-homes screeched to a halt to capture the mighty Mount Cook without her cloud veil, she was to remain in our vision and without cloud all day and into the evening, how lucky were we! We must have taken about 50 photos as we continued along the approach road to Aoraki village each one a certainty that we'd just captured the best shot! Parked up in the village we sat and enjoyed the peace and quiet. Even people passing by were hushed, maybe it was the vastness absorbing the sounds.
Into the cafe, a browse through the goods, postcards and coffee bought, we sat pondering on our day ahead. The Old Mountaineer Cafe is owned by the Hobbs family whose family line have settled in Aoraki and enjoyed climbing, tramping and guiding guests over the years. There is a great collection of old photos of climbers and walkers made into postcards for purchase that remind us how getting close to nature is a 'down the ages' thing, perennial.
We'd noticed a sign In the cafe which said: 'never let an adventure pass you by' and we decided to heed this advice and do some glacier kayaking. In case you're wondering this isn't tobogganing down the glacier on a kayak, more a sedate - if strenuous - paddle in the lake at the bottom of the Mueller Glacier. After an Aoraki smoked salmon picnic lunch we met our fellow 6 kayakers and our guide, Lee-Anne, who took us through some practice paddle strokes in the car park and clearly we were in for an entertaining as well as adventurous afternoon after which there was distinct possibility of divorce as we were all in double kayaks with our spouses - you get the picture! We had a half hour bush walk, climb and scramble to get to canoes hidden from view under 'carpet camouflage' to protect them from wind, colour pollution and theft.
Shirley chose a pretty sunset coloured kayak :-), on went the skirts and life-jackets a safety briefing - 'if you fall in I will throw you a rope, you can swim to the shore or climb on the canoe', oh yeah!? We were reassured though that failing encountering an iceberg of Titanic proportions our kayak was truly un-capsizable as it had sweet little 'floaties on either side at the back so we looked a bit like an 'out-rigger'!
So into the kayaks, men in the rear to do most of the paddling and the women in the front to do most of the directing and we were off! Immediately we were on the water all sound dropped, we felt the hot sun and could hear the gentle breeze, the noisy rumble of a distant and hidden waterfall and the gentle 'plopping' of paddles cutting through the water. As still as still can be.
To reach the head of the glacier lake took hard work as we were against the flow of water and a breeze but as we rounded a corner the breeze dropped, the lake became an opalescent millpond of green and blue, the ripples on the lake slightly darker as they shaded from the sun. Overhead the glacier towered but dwarfed by Mount Cook watching our kayak efforts - no doubt with amusement The beauty of the location and situation was indescribable really, a very special and for some - spiritual - place. As we turned to leave with no icebergs to avoid but some steering and directional problems persisting we successfully beached at our start point fairly quicklyand so avoiding permanent domestic strife! Most of us were wet - icy cold drips from the paddles floating down jacket sleeves and seeping through the skirts.
There was a brief moment of hilarity as Shirl was stuck in her kayak, and says she really really must do some upper body strengthening! Dave was amazingly helpful taking snaps of her stuck-fast - bottom in, legs out - but Shirl managed to save her dignity by doing a very delicate roll over the top of the kayak onto the other side, flat on her back with her feet into the lake all the while unable to much for laughing ! Such fun!!
Canoes and floaties stowed, it was the same scramble back to the mini bus but via a memorial to guides, service-man, trampers and mountain climbers lost to the mountains. 200 since the park was founded in 1914, 60 of whom were never found. The memorial made sad reading as we saw that the vast majority were young men in their late teens and twenties, no women. Perhaps this says something about the risk-taking and invincibility of youth.
One glacier correction re an earlier blog: the rate of glacial melt (recede) and growth (advance) depends on the steepness and snow dump as well as climatic conditions and seasons. Unlike the Fox Glacier which is completely renewed every 5years and therefore is always an over-sized youngster, the Tasman Glacier is on a much less steeper gradient and thus is 1000years old!
Oh, and here in NZ most Alpine flowers are white because at this height there aren't any honey bees to pollinate them and so this is done by moths at night - hence the white flowers.
On returning to base and changing into dry clothes we sat smugly enjoying a coffee, Dave nursed his thumb blisters and Shirley her 'getting out of the kayak bruises' all the while we reflected happily on our adventure.
Onward then to Lake Tekapo, a near miss with a ?hawk who avoided a collision with our windscreen from a mere 4' away as it rose from feasting on road-kill - birds of prey are very common and especially alongside the roads where there is generous easy pickings. We arrived at Tekapo campground with a measure of disappointment, beautiful location, very sad camp ground. Poor and unloved facilities, vans crammed in and only unisex showers and loos. We managed to get some photos of the Lake in her evening colours but we were to be cheated of the glacial blue of the water due to the cloud.
Camp-site bookings for our last few days made it was time to upload photos, finalise blog notes, dinner and bed.
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