Glaciers and ice bergs

Trip Start Sep 23, 2004

Trip End Ongoing

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Flag of New Zealand Mount Cook, New Zealand
Thursday, January 11, 2007

After popping to the visitor's centre for the weather forecast (rain and cloud), I decided that optimism was the best policy and set out on the Hooker Valley walk. The start was a boardwalk, gently sweeping up to the Muller glacier lookout and a swingbridge. The Muller glacier and its lake were unremarkable, the glacier dirty with moraine and the lake white, cloudy and silty. However, the scenery above them was fantastic; the Huddleston and Stocking glaciers tumbled down the mountains ahead, pristine white with their seracs a glowing pale blue. Mount Sefton's wall loomed, though the mountain kept its head in the clouds throughout the walk, and Mount Cook was shy and shrouded itself entirely.

After I crossed over the bridge and made my way through the Hooker Valley, more hanging glaciers came into view, these deeper and more intense views. The plant life was prolific, with white Mount Cook lilies, like giant buttercups, in bloom amongst the daisies and hebes

01 Mount Sefton and glaciers

. I came to a tumbling stream, which led to a huge glacial lake and the terminal of the Hooker glacier. Like Muller, it was a dirty glacier, but the terminal still had an intense blue face. The lake was full of icebergs which had sheared away from the glacier and were reflected perfectly in the milky waters. I found a spot by a stream which cascaded don from a hanging glacier above, and had a relaxing lunch before wandering back, enjoying the ever-changing light and listening to the roars of avalanches.

Japanese tourist watching soon became an interesting past-time, due to their choices of outfit, ranging from the hyper cautious to the super co-ordinated to the rather bizarre. There were men dressed in fluorescent full body ski suits, girls in pink trekking trousers with pink waterproofs and pink umbrellas, ladies with immaculate makeup in plastic ponchos, colour co-ordinated couples in his'n'hers outfits and even a chap in a business suit, his jacket carefully folded over his arm as the sun came out.

Our final morning gave us that elusive view. Mount Sefton and Mount Cook came out to play in all their glory, pure white snow against the bright blue sky. Via Lake Tekapo and its church by the lake, we headed through the sheep stations of Mackenzie country back to Christchurch and our plane back to Auckland. We sat outside for a glass of wine, the clouds came in. You never know with the weather.

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