Gore to Mt Cook via (Dunedin, Oamaru and Lake Aviemore) 22nd April to 25th April

After an early morning shower we got on the road to Dunedin, the sky was clear and the air again crisp. The drive took a little under 2 hours over hilly terrain a numerous fields of sheep and cattle. As we arrived in to Dunedin we found the town to be more like a city with plenty going on. After we parked up we headed in to the city where we finally booked our Bula Combo pass to Fiji. While that was in process we decided that to treat ourselves in an all you can eat round the corner, noodles, salad meet and even apple pie for desert, not bad for 8 bucks. After a brief encounter around the city we headed out towards the suburbs where we found Baldwin Street, the world’s steepest street at a gradient of 1 in 1.286. We both decided that maybe driving up it was probably not the best idea so I took on the challenge of running up it, my little calves went solid. As evening came we headed towards Oamaru in the search for camp although our favored free Doc site was too well hidden so we settled for a powered camp site set in the forest, which we were pretty happy with considering the temperature outside.

As the morning arrived we enjoyed all the pleasantries that come with camping in a forest, wildlife surrounded us even with horses grazing right next to us. After a longer morning of cleaning up last night’s food we continued on the road to Oamaru. This small town was well and truly focused on its main attraction of Penguin, the lonely planet warned of it and it became very apparent when we arrived. After a quick cruise around the town we checked out the viewing times to watch the penguins come ashore and made our way in to the town. After re fueling we stopped for lunch at the end of the road where you could view the Yellow eyed penguins. We stopped here for a little under 2 hours listening to the sea crashing behind us, whilst playing a game of cards and drinking a cup of tea. After lunch we walked down the viewing area to check out the scene, the place was very picturess and a clear favorite with the fur seals that played by the water’s edge, or should I say the younger ones, the parents laid motionless on the sand sleeping in the afternoon shade. As time wore on we made our way in to the town for a quick look around before returning to watch he penguins come ashore. This was a real treat seeing them in their natural environment, we stood waiting for a little over an hour, the sun was dropping fast and we still had not seen any arrive on to the shore. Then one by one they arrived, some more hesitant than others to venture out of the water but the all waddled on to the beach towards the hill. As I was attempting to grab a picture we suddenly noticed them, for some reason they had managed to climb all the way up the hill and next to the viewing platform, they did make a racket though m=once they reached this point but were quality to see up close, there bright yellow eyes and potent pink beak were the stand out features, one was clearly trying to apply for strictly come dancing as he flapped and moved about. Eventually all good things come to an end and the sun dropped down leaving only a glimmer of light, the temperature dropped ridiculously and we made our way to a free camp site 12km down from Oamaru in a small village, where we listened to the sea crashing beneath us with an enormous amount of spag bowl for dinner.

As the morning arrived we pulled up the curtains to the morning sun and looked out to sea, the sand was golden but the sea was not the fluorescent blue we had come to expect but still inviting all the same. After a quick clean we headed back in to town to check the internet and pick up a few bits for the road, (Roy Keane as Ipswich manager) “I didn’t even know Magilton had gone” made my day though. As time wore on we got on the road and started our journey inland towards Mt Cook through the Waitaki Valley, the road surprisingly straight and flat, which is unusual for New Zealand but welcoming all the same. As we cruised through small little villages we arrived at our first stop, they call them elephant rocks, huge limestone boulders shaped by the weather over millions of years, apparently they resembled elephants but my eye may not be filled with enough imagination to see it. The fun part of the area thought was that scenes from Narnia had been filmed there even though we had not seen the film it will be one on our to watch list now. After a quick game of hide and seek and Army we got on the road again, we passed through old Maori rock drawings, thought to be centuries old which depict European ships and hunting.

As we continued on the road we arrived at the tiny village of Duntroon, if we had blinked we would have missed the place it was that small. We parked up and explored a 100 year old black smiths along with the old Gael (Jail) all the items around the sites were left exactly how the owner had left them, the told were amazing. Rachel looked at me and said, “Place that in the UK open to the public on a road site, graffiti, looting at arsonists would have done away with it years ago” I personally could not agree more. As we headed onwards and outwards with the sun on the bonnet we passed more rock drawings and stunning weathered limestone cliffs. The valley road drew more windy, we detoured off over the Aviemore Dam where we nestled the camper van in amongst Autumn colored trees and the water’s edge. As Rachel researched in to activities for the next few days I climb trees, skimmed stones and even went on a jog. Once I had used all my energy up, enough to not pester Rachel all evening we cooked up dinner and relaxed as the sun slowly descended behind the hills leaving a fiery red sky in its wake.

The next morning we were blessed with perfect weather once more, the morning dew dripped from our windows and our sheets were damp after a cold night. As the air warmed up we slowly rose to the gentle breaking of water on the lake beside us. After breakfast we started the final drive in to Mt Cook, we passed over the Benmore dam before leaving behind the autumn trees and the surrounding lake. A few km up the road as the terrain became more rugged we arrived at the clay cliffs we passed through private property where we watched a vast number of falcons fly around us before we arrived at the cliffs... These huge cliff faces have also like the elephant rocks been shaped by the weather and are as special to see but not worth $5 entry fee. As we continued up the road we eventually arrived in to Twizel where we stopped for lunch and fuel. The Ohau River flowed close to the town which gave an impression of what to expect of the enormous lake that runs up to Mt Cook. The water was sky blue, coloured by minerals that have absorbed in to the water leaving a stunning shade of blue, hugely different to what we had seen recently in New Zealand.

After making the most of the local facilities and scamming the Police Stations internet, “as if they have an unsecured network” we hit he highway to Cook. On our right we had Lake Pukaki a stunning sky blue colour, on our left we had towering cliff edges, forested with trees and fallen rocks, and in front we watched as the snow capped mountains of Mt Cook National Park drew ever closer. When we arrived we left the lake behind and pulled in to a huge flat valley, seemingly set in the wrong place as all around snow glistened in the sun atop New Zealand’s biggest mountains. As we wandered in to the visitors centre, set with a huge array of information and a free museum of the park we found out the news of bad weather for the region overnight and for the next few days which we hoped would not completely ruin our plans for walking. With this in mind we hiked in to the Valley where the clouds cleared over Mt Cook and the summit became clear, as if the clouds had just waited for our arrival. Along with others we took the pictures we wanted in fear of not getting another chance come morning. In the distance as we wandered back we heard huge roars and crashes, one could only assume it was avalanches as the air warmed up ahead of the weather front.

As we parked up in the campsite for the night we watched as the sun slowly lost its grip on the mountains and the air dropped still for a moment. Then there was a knock on the door, three lads waved as we looked out, Rachel now smiling opened the door. As they introduced themselves they enquired into our fishing rod, “I looked at Rachel with a big smile hoping for a sale…dam thing” As they asked what we had used it for we told them how we had caught endless meals which had saved us money a real life saver… yeah right the bane of our existence more like. As they pulled their wallets they offered us $38.40, as we weighed up the costs of not accepting it we decided to take the money and run rather than pay the fees at the airports, a loss of around $70 but the memories of catching b***** all will live long and hard. After dinner we headed over to the lad’s camper a bigger one than ours and much more spacious, we nestled in nicely for the night with a few beers and stories of travels past and present one of the lads had even been on a reality TV show which we vaguely remembered from a few years back. Whilst chilling for the night the weather started to turn, rain hammered into their camper and the wind shook the vehicle side to side. As time wore on we braved the weather and headed back to our shack, we were in for a long night, the wind combined with the rain defiantly reminded us that of Mother Nature’s power, especially in alpine regions.