Aoraki/Mt Cook and around (NZ)

After our wonderful experiences around Stewart Island, The Catlins and Dunedin, we drove our motorhome Vwhā, northward toward Aoraki/Mt Cook. But first, we stopped to view the amazing Moeraki Boulders. 

Leigh with a Moeraki boulder on Koekohe Beach, Otago, NZ

These are very large and mysteriously round boulders, lying on coastal Otago’s Koekohe Beach. Apparently, each can weigh several tonnes and some are up to 2-metres high. They are made of a hard solid calcite mass formed about 65 million years ago.

According to Māori legend, the boulders are gourds washed ashore from the great voyaging canoe Araiteuru, when it was wrecked upon landfall in New Zealand hundreds of years ago.

Leaving there, we headed to Ōamaru, a rather lovely town full of Victorian architecture.

Victorian architecture, Ōamaru, Otago, NZ 

Built in the late-1800’s, most of the town’s main buildings are constructed out of the local limestone, giving it a solid and impressive look.

After an initial drive-through, we went looking for a campsite for the night. We found the Top10 Ōamaru which was clean and tidy, but had a railway line on one side and a busy road on the other. It caused a little noise during the night but we slept ok.

The next morning, we drove into Ōamaru township and found parking so we could explore the town. What we found delighted us.

Victorian architecture, Ōamaru, Otago, NZ 

Along the waterside area, most of the handsome historic stone-built properties have been re-purposed into cafes, restaurants and shops, all with a Victorian theme. The whole forms a vibrant and interesting Victorian precinct. 

Apparently, Ōamaru is now recognised as having New Zealand’s most complete collection of Victorian buildings. The whole effect is enhanced by the use of the lovely cream-coloured limestone which is called Ōamaru Stone. This stone has also been used in many grand public buildings throughout New Zealand, and its workability also makes it popular with carvers.

As another string to this little town’s bow, Ōamaru is also known as the “Steampunk Capital”, and there is an impressive Steampunk Museum there.

Steampunk Museum, Ōamaru, Otago, NZ

Steampunk is based on sci-fi/fantasy inspired by steam-powered technology, that fits perfectly with the Victorian era look and activities in the Victoria precinct. Think….. Victorian costumes and steam-machinery with a fictional futuristic bent. Interesting!

We stopped at the local bakery where everyone is dressed in Victorian outfits, and bought two pepper-steak pies. They turned out to be the largest and most delicious pies we’ve ever had.

Lunch sorted; we drove north-west along a scenic route to see several sights there. The first was Elephant Rocks.

Elephant Rocks in Maerewhenua Valley of the Waitaki Whitestone Geopark

In an open field on privately owned land in Otago's Maerewhenua Valley, we found an interesting group of weird rocks, called Elephant Rocks.

Technically part of the Waitaki Whitestone Geopark, these large rocks look like surrealistic natural carvings. They are made out of oekaike limestone that formed on the seabed over 24 million years ago. Since being pushed to the earth’s surface, they have been sculpted by wind, rain and streams over many millions of years to form the interesting shapes we could now see.

The A2O (Alps to Ocean) cycle path runs alongside the site and we saw three different cycling groups that had paused to look at the rocks on their way to, or from Aoraki/Mt Cook in the Southern Alps. Nearby, we found a site that had ancient Māori rock art.

Ancient Māori rock art at Maerewhenua cave

We found it very interesting, having seen several ancient rock art sites in Europe and South America. The site is in a rock shelter in Maerewhenua Valley, and is estimated to have been occupied during both pre- and post-European times. A small section is open for public viewing but the site overall, has high cultural significance to the Ngāi Tahu people.

Moving on, we drove SH83 through several quaint towns, and around several dams on the Waitaki River. Then we turned north toward Lake Pukaki.

Then suddenly, in the distance, there was a hazy view of Aoraki/Mt Cook, the highest mountain in New Zealand at 3,724 metres, and 3rd highest in Oceania (the highest are in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea at over 4,500 metres).

Distant but alluring Aoraki/Mt Cook at the end of Lake Pukaki (UNESCO), NZ

Its pointy cone was cloaked in a vague mantle of snow, and framed by a vivid blue sky and lake, underscored by green and gold vegetation; it took our breath away.

We stopped to take photos many times, marvelling at its majesty - we couldn’t wait to get closer to this mountain. But it seemed to take forever.

Nestled into the Southern Alps, it sits within the Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where there are more than 140 peaks over 2,000 metres high, and 72 named glaciers. 

The long road to Aoraki/Mt Cook (UNESCO)

This giant is visible from so far away that it seemed to take a long time to meet it face-to-face. It was like a promise of something magical that was just out of reach. But when we finally arrived, it didn’t disappoint! It was wonderful.

We drove through the tiny Mt Cook Village, to the Department of Conservation (DOC) campsite, as we were planning to stay for a few nights. 

The camp has drinking water and flushing toilets – a luxury for DOC - but no electricity. We settled in along with an assortment of big vans, small vans, and tents. It was very peaceful. 

Sunrise over Mt Sefton viewed from our campsite

The campsite is beautifully located right under Mt Sefton, and we had a spectacular view of the mountain at sunrise.

At the end of the day when the sun went down, suddenly so did the temperature – we turned our heater on and snuggled down inside Vwhā. 

Now and again, we popped outside to view the night sky as this area is part of a “Dark Sky Reserve” with no ambient lighting. Every night was crisp, clear and beautiful with the Milky Way showing in all its starry glory. 

We were woken very early every morning by a noisy visit from a large clutch of kea. They screeched and jumped on all the vans and tents trying to peck everything black or shiny.

Mischievous keas at the DOC campsite, Aoraki/Mt Cook (UNESCO)

We thought it was quite an amusing circus, until they decided our bike cover was great to chew on, and they made a number of holes before we managed to move them on. We’d had a run-in with two keas near the Homer Tunnel and already had a hole, so now we had many.

Dashing outside to shoo them on, we were surprised by the huge audience of campers with cameras. Those cheeky keas had been performing on other vehicles as well, and were well into the act before we took notice of them. They eventually did move, but not before thumping and banging across our roof. They are big birds - no more sleep for us that morning!

While at Aoraki/Mt Cook, we wanted to see the Tasman Glacier. It is New Zealand’s largest at 23.5 kilometres long, covering an area of 101 square kilometres.

Walking on the Tasman Glacier (UNESCO), NZ

So, we arranged a helicopter flight up onto the glacier for a two-hour walk on the ice.

After a briefing, we jumped into the helicopter with the pilot, a guide and three other people. Being the smallest of the passengers, we scored the front seat next to the pilot and loved it. The view of the mountains and glaciers from the air was magical.

Before long, we were stepping out onto the 2-million-year-old Tasman Glacier. Wow! It was an incredible feeling being on that ancient ice. 

We used crampons to walk on the ice, as instructed by our guide Rich. It wasn’t difficult, as long as we watched out for large crevices; but Rich was a very knowledgeable guide.

Entering an ice-cave on the Tasman Glacier (UNESCO), NZ

We found several ice caves, with a couple being big enough for us to enter. The blueness of the ice was incredible. 

We spent two hours being guided up, down and around the most amazing ice-scape. Then it was time to make our way back to our waiting helicopter and begin the flight home. We couldn’t believe that two hours could go so quickly.

On the return flight, we flew along the snow-capped Aoraki/Mt Cook mountain range, past a hut built for mountaineers part way up Aoraki/Mt Cook, and over several smaller glaciers. Then we soared over more snow laden slopes, before landing back at Mt Cook Airport. It was an amazing experience, and we enjoyed every moment of it.

Leigh and our Tasman Glacier helicopter

Leaving the helicopter after landing, we realised how hungry we were. We’d been out right through lunch time and now it was quite late. 

We found the café in the Mt Cook Village closed, so we headed up to the Hermitage Hotel for some very expensive food and wine, enjoyed while viewing the snowy mountains through their big front windows. We heard that Marg’s friend Bridget from Wellington was in the Village too, so we met her for a quick catch up. New Zealand is a small country, when you run into someone you know in such a small remote place.

The next morning there was a low mist, but not as many kea, which made for a quieter start to the day. Then as the cloud lifted and the sun emerged, we went for a walk up the Hooker Valley to get a bit closer to Aoraki/Mt Cook.

Aoraki/Mt Cook with the scree-covered Hooker Glacier and its lake beneath, as seen from the Hooker Valley Track

It was a hut but easy 5.5 km walk, with three swing bridges to cross. We eventually reached the end of the Valley finding the Hooker glacial lake with its scree-covered glacier at the end, and fantastic views of Aoraki/Mt Cook. We decided the hot walk had been worth it. 

The temperature really dropped that night, and it was very chilly the next morning as we got ready to move on. We were very sad to be saying goodbye to the beautiful scenery and peacefulness of this area.

We drove back alongside stunning Lake Pukaki, and stopped at the lookout at the bottom of the lake. 

Lake Pukaki with Aoraki/Mt Cook the highest peak in the distance

The view was superb, looking back up its vivid blue expanse to Aoraki/Mt Cook. The colour apparently comes from the fine stone particles in the water, that are created by glaciers as they grind their way down valleys toward the lake.

While there, we visited the Lake Pukaki Visitor Centre and bought some Mt Cook Alpine Salmon sashimi for lunch – very yummy!

Happy and with full tummies, we drove on to nearby Lake Tekapo. Like its neighbour Lake Pukaki, it is a very blue-coloured lake. Tekapo township seemed to be quite touristy, with lots of new buildings and hotel accommodation all along the lake.   

While there, we stopped to look at the famous Church of the Good Shepherd.

Church of the Good Shepard, Lake Tekapo, NZ

This stone Anglican church is striking, and sits overlooking Lake Tekapo. It was built in 1935 as a memorial to early settlers. 

The church’s simple architecture and idyllic location has made it widely photographed. It wasn’t open to see inside on the day we were there, but it is very attractive from the outside. 

Leaving there we drove east, stopping briefly in Fairlie. Leigh had heard they had award winning pies and wanted to try one. However, we decided they were not as good as the ones we’d enjoyed in Ōamaru! 

Still travelling east, we were headed towards Christchurch, which is our next destination. 

This is part of a bigger blog on our travels around the South Island of New Zealand. The first blog is called “NZ's South Island-the top”