We enjoyed a hearty Sunday morning breakfast at the Wrinkly Rams. It was a good start to a busy day.

We are in Mackenzie Country, named after a Scotsman who, in 1855, was accused of stealing 1000 sheep and taking them to this previously uninhabited area. He was jailed and he escaped three times before the judge determined he was innocent. Thus he became a folk hero, and they named the area after him.

After Mackenzie made his mark, other sheep farmers imported merino sheep, which is why this area is famous for merino wool.

We drove through the town of Twisel, "the town of trees."  We just love that name. Nearby Lake Ruataniwha has an international rowing center.

We stopped at the Lake Pukaki Visitor Center. Lake Pukaki is the most beautiful turquoise color. A receding glacier created it.

Then we drove the 55 km to Mt Cook Village in Mt Cook National Park. Mt Cook National Park has the highest mountains and the longest glaciers in NZ.

We visited the National Park Visitor Center that has wonderful exhibits related to mountain climbing. The Sir Edmund Hillary mountain climbing center is here.

We walked around the village and then decided to hike the Blue Lakes and Tasman Glacier Overlook trail, which first required driving 8 km on a gravel road. We hiked up to the Blue Lakes, which were a disappointment, as they are more similar to green ponds.

The hike up to the Tasman Glacier overlook was extremely steep, rocky, plus it was a hot day. I was glad to make it to the top; the view was pretty amazing, and even if the photos are not that impressive, I'm glad I did it.

We had considered staying at the DOC campground at Mt Cook Village, but we decided that showers would be a good thing. So we drove on to a Holiday Park at Lake Tekapo. And the showers were great!