Geraldine to Mt Cook (aka tea with Warren)

Geraldine was a fine place but we were after fairer pastures. We headed uphill towards Fairlie. We started with just overhead clouds but as we progressed rain consumed us. We were hoping it would just pass over so we pulled into a farmhouse driveway and took cover under the trees and our lucky tarp. In no time at all that farmer came out to check his mail and we met Warren Pagan, sheep farmer. He invited us in for tea and we eagerly accepted. He is a wonderful animated man with bright eyes and a quick wit. We enjoyed pummeling him with questions about sheep farming (MJ has a secret passion to keep sheep wherever we move to next) and he was happy to field them. He is a naturally passionate man and so very genuine. Amazing how an act of kindness on a rainy afternoon can change an otherwise gray day into a bright ray of sunshine. Thankyou again, Warren!!!

After tea we again resumed climbing up to Fairlie for lunch and on to Lake Tekapo. The rain really picked up in Fairlie but MJ and I were feeling strong. Burke's Pass was but a mole hill and the rain simply cheering us on.

Our arrival at Lake Tekapo was met with a sun break, the first in 4 days. A rainbow strethed in the distance only adding a dash of color to the already pituresque glacial lake. I joined the other tourist in galloping down to the lake to shoot some photos. We were quite chilled by the time we arrived. The campground we ended at rented us a small cabin for $30 (half price for being Americans??? maybe he thought we had a gun, many New Zealanders think we are all packing heat) and we were really excited but not half as much as we were when we found out there were hot pools just 300m down the lake. Yahoo!!!

We woke the next morning to more rain and a bitter cold bite in the air. I was leader for the day and prompted us to get back on the bikes. We got no further than the little town in Tekapo and we decided to search for an alternative. Luckily there was a bus to stop there in just 15min bound for Mt Cook. We were hesitant to even go to Mt Cook because the weather was so poor that viewing it was not likely. We took the bus despite our reservations.

As we approached Mt Cook we were delighted to see breaks in the clouds. We could also see fresh snow that had fallen the night before blanketing the peaks nearby. An Antarctic weather system had blown through. We were happily sitting in the front seats of a luxury coach taking it all in. When we arrived at Mt Cook there were still clouds but by the time we set up camp and began hiking the trail up to the Hooker Glacier we were pleased to see them almost gone. See the photos for yourself although neither my words nor the photos will do it justice. We were treated to an absolutely stellar day and I couldn't stop filling up my memory card. You will have to all wait for the show when we get home to really experience the magnitude of the scenery, absolutely huge.

We witnessed parts of the glaciers calving off down the slope and into the cirque lakes. We drank silty mineral water straight from the glacial melt rivers. We stood in awe of the peaks that dwarfed us into a dizzy dream. We lived inside a John Denver song for a day. Simply magical