We woke up this morning at The Hermitage Hotel to something we hadn’t seen in two days—sun☀️! And just like that, there it was…Aoraki / Mount Cook, finally showing off after being completely hidden behind rain and clouds. Worth every bit of the wait.
Good morning, Aoraki / Mount Cook (view from The Hermitage Hotel).
We took our time leaving (hard not to), then hit the road to Christchurch. What should’ve been a shorter drive turned into 5½ hours with all the stops. And honestly, that’s the only way to do it.
Back along Lake Pukaki, the water was still that signature glacial blue—but without full sun, it wasn’t as turquoise.
Taking a picture of Brendan, who is taking a picture of Lake Pukaki. Aoraki Mount Cook breaks through the clouds.
We continued on to Lake Tekapo, where the same thing held true—those unreal blues, just a touch softer under the clouds.
Lake Tekapo is another glacial lake on the South Island. This area is part of a Dark Sky Reserve. I wish we could have hung around for stargazing 🔭 as they say it’s one of the best spots in the world.The Church of the Good Shepherd was build in 1935 as a tribute to the early settlers of the Mackenzie Basin and named after the sheepdogs that helped these early farmers survive the harsh winters. It was designed to blend into the landscape as it sits on the edge of Lake Tekapo with the Southern Alps in the background. While no pictures are allowed inside, there is a large window that frames the lake and mountains instead of a traditional altar. The church is still in use today, with two weddings coming up (according to the tour guide). The one guide sang Amazing Grace for us and then she and her husband sang a Māori blessing song.The walking bridge with Lake Tepako. Behind where I am standing is one of the most interesting public restrooms I have ever been to. The door slides open and then locks by pressing a button. And, the toilet doesn’t flush until the water turns on to wash your hands.This is how blue the water is when the sun is out ☀️!
Continuing on our day trip, we made the essential stop at Fairlie Bakehouse—famous for their pies. I even had a gluten free one!
We made it to Christchurch around 4:30 pm (16:30), checked into our hotel, and then went out walking. We ended up on New Regent Street to start.
Brendan standing on New Regent Street Precinct, which was built in the 1930s with a Spanish Mission architecture. The pastel-colored street is lined with bars, restaurants and shops. A tram runs down the street. It’s said this is the most beautiful street in all of New Zealand 🩵💛💜💚
Dinner at Gin Gin was small plates of tapas. And we desserted at another gelato 🍧 shop called Rollickin’ Gelato, because apparently this is now a nightly ritual that needs to end soon or I may turn into Hokey Pokey ice cream!
A raspberry mojito mocktail and a coffee martini at Gin Gin
We tried to walk it off by taking in some of the city’s landmarks and sights—ChristChurch Cathedral, The Bridge of Remembrance, the Chalice Sculpture, Cathedral Square, Avon River, the City Tram, Canterbury Earthquake National Memorial, Riverside Market, etc. I will write more about the city itself after I spend more time here tomorrow.
The Cathedral (under re-construction after the 2011 earthquake)The Bridge of Remembrance – A War Memorial in 1923 to honor the sacrifice of the servicemen and women of two World Wars, plus conflicts in Korea, Malaya, Borneo, and Vietnam.By sculptor, Neil Dawson, the Chalice celebrated the new millennium as well as the 150th Anniversary of the founding of Christchurch and Canterbury. It was officially lit on September 10, 2001, has been lit ever since at night.Love this mural!💙🩵Chief Post Office
We had another amazing New Zealand day that started with finally seeing Aoraki and ended under the lights of Christchurch…with a lot of scenic stops (and sheep 🐑 ) in between.
It rained…and rained…and rained. A steady rain that gets you soaked after being outside for 5 minutes, which we know all too well because it took us 5 minutes to walk to the park’s Visitor Centre!
Rain rain go away!☔️
Despite the weather, we had plenty to do at the Hermitage.
View of the Hermitage.The Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre Theatre and Museum.
They have the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre Theatre and Museum. You could literally spend all day reading/viewing the pictures and exhibits about the history of the Hermitage, the climbers, guides, and of course, the legendary Sir Edmund Hillary. Sir Hillary, a New Zealander, is known for being one of the first two people to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 1953, alongside Sherpa, Tenzing Norgay. He also reached the South Pole in 1958, the first to get there overland since Amundsen/Scott. He spent a lot of time in this area and ascended the south ridge of Aoraki/Mount Cook in 1948. There’s even a bronze statue of Sir Hillary at the front entrance of the Hermitage Hotel.
Sir Hillary is on the $5 NZ note.
In addition, they have a theater and show movies about Aoraki, Sir Hillary, and the SAR (search and rescue team).
We braved the weather and spent time at the Visitor’s Centre where they have a great historical display as well.
In the evening, the theater turns into a planetarium where we learned about the Southern sky since our outdoor stargazing experience was cancelled due to cloud skies.
🌍 🌖 The Planetarium 🪐☀️💫
Now a few things I have been meaning to write about…
The eggs🥚🍳🥚! I call them the golden NZ eggs because the yolk is so yellow. And the eggs are so fresh. I looked it up to see if it’s just me. It’s not! It’s diet high in carotenoids (natural pigments) and a free range lifestyle. The hens eat a diet rich in yellow corn or lush greens. There are no synthetic dyes and the eggs are shipped to the grocery stores within days of laying. I had poached eggs multiple times and they eggs were all amazingly delicious. I will miss these eggs.
Freshest golden eggs I have ever eaten. This plate was eaten at The Wrinkly RamsFrom the cafe at the Hermitage Hotel.
The hot drinks! Every place (from a gas station to a coffee shop) makes a great flat white and hot chocolate with milk or milk alternative. Sure beats those hot chocolate “machines”.
What is this?? It’s the best ketchup on the planet, that’s what! it’s ketchup spiced with Indian aromatics and I will never look at ketchup the same way again.
Brendan and I went to this gelato place twice while in Queenstown. You have to work for it as it’s up a hill as you head to the gondola. It’s delizioso! The flavors were some of the best I have had. I mentioned in a prior post that New Zealanders eat more ice cream per capita than any other country in the world. I don’t know what I’ll do when I get home and don’t have daily ice cream options! NZ is also the 3rd largest milk product producer in the world.🐄 They do dairy right. 🧀🥛🧈
The cows🐮 and the sheep🐑! Cows more on the North Island because they don’t like the hills. Sheep everywhere but more on the South Island. They outnumber people 5:1.
Those are cows on our way to Aoraki.I spy with my little eye…sheep! Look closely, they blend into the scenery.Most of our “activities” have scared me! But they’ve been more than worthwhile. 💚
We started the day with an incredible sunrise in Wānaka before hitting the road for the 2.5-hour drive to Aoraki/Mount Cook.
Sunrise over Lake Wanaka.We stopped at The Wrinkly Rams for breakfast. New Zealand does hot chocolate right!
After a quick breakfast stop in Ōmarama, we continued toward the Southern Alps and Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park—home to 19 peaks over 3,000 meters.
About 40% of the park is covered by glaciers, including the massive Tasman Glacier, which stretches 17 miles long, 2.5 miles wide, and reaches depths of nearly 2,000 feet of ice. Other notable glaciers here include the Hooker and Mueller.
“Aoraki” means “cloud piercer” in Māori, and the story behind it is just as powerful as the landscape itself. In Ngāi Tahu tradition, Aoraki was a young boy traveling with his brothers when their canoe capsized. The canoe and boys turned to stone, forming the South Island and the highest peaks of the Southern Alps, with Aoraki the highest peak. Today, Aoraki/Mount Cook is the physical form of that ancestor, connecting the natural and supernatural worlds.
Standing at 3,724 meters (12,218 feet), Aoraki/Mount Cook is the tallest mountain in New Zealand and the crown jewel of the Southern Alps.
And…we couldn’t see it.
This was our first cloudy, rainy day of the trip. The normally spectacular scenic drive in? Completely hidden behind a wall of clouds. Not exactly what you picture when you come to see New Zealand’s most iconic peak.
We’re here for two days, and unfortunately our stargazing and the glacial boat tour were both cancelled due to the rain forecast. We did catch brief glimpses of the surrounding peaks before everything disappeared into cloud cover, but Mount Cook itself stayed completely hidden.
We stopped at Tapataia Mahaka Peter’s Lookout and could see the top of one of the mountains of the Southern Alps, fronted by Lake PukakiAs we started out on the Hooker Valley Track, the clouds parted just long enough for us to peak at another snow capped mountain!
First rainy day hike = Hooker Valley Track
We didn’t let the rain stop us.
The Hooker Valley Track is one of the most popular hikes in the park for good reason. Even in the rain, it delivered. Think suspension bridges, rushing glacial rivers, and moody mountain backdrops that somehow feel even more dramatic with a little weather.
We couldn’t complete the full hike since they’re rebuilding the second bridge, so the modified version came in at about 2.8 miles. Honestly, it still felt like we saw plenty.
Getting ready to enjoy the Hooker Valley hike. 🌧️Very good to know!Snow capped peaks and glaciers. 🗻
Sign by the suspension bridge on the Hooker Valley hike, which can only support 20 people. 😨
The first suspension bridge on the Hooker Valley Track. Below you’ll see the glacial fed Hooker River. Mueller Lake, which is fed primarily by the Mueller Glacier.Another view of Mueller Lake.
Second rainy hike = Tasman Glacier View
Next we did a short but steep hike to the Tasman Glacier viewpoint.
Not long, but uphill the entire way…and absolutely worth the view at the end.
Blue Lakes🩵 These pools used to be blue when they were named in the mid-1800s as they were fed by the glacial meltwater from the Tasman Glacier. Since the Tasman Glacier has shrunk, it no longer flows into the lakes. The warmer rainwater now feeds the lakes and supports algae growth, turning it green.💚
From the top, you get a look out over the glacier lake, dotted with floating icebergs. It’s one of those views where you take a deep breathe, exhale, and tell yourself to always remember this moment.
Tasman Lake is a milky-blue lake that sits at the end of the Tasman Glacier (to the left).
We wrapped the day at our hotel, The Hermitage, and it’s as iconic as the landscape surrounding it. Originally established in 1884 (with the current building dating to 1958), it’s more than just a place to stay…it’s part of the Mount Cook experience.
The cloudy and incredible view from our room.
Inside, there’s the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre and museum, a planetarium, and multiple dining options. We went with the buffet tonight. After a full day of hiking in the rain, it absolutely hit the spot.
Some of the “lollies” on the dessert buffet, including chocolate fish (with a marshmallow center), Milk Bottles, and Jaffas (maybe?).Very creative “Do not disturb” for the door.And then the other side!
Not the bluebird 💙 day we imagined, but it doesn’t matter…we won’t soon forget the incredible hikes!
A view of the iconic Hermitage Hotel. What started as an alpine lodge for 12 guests in 1884, is today a luxurious hotel with an amazing history. There is a museum in the hotel that tells the tale of its past.
Note – Every outlet in NZ has a switch to turn on the power—flip the switch down to make sure the power is on!
NZ’s power outlets—flip the switch down to start the flow of electricity.⚡️
Christina’s Journey Journal 