New Zealand's South Island is indeed stunning
I had various worries before departure, but it turned out to be way beyond expectations.
Below are the South Island regions ranked by their level of amazement:
Mt Cook P1-P6
- When the weather is good, it's incredibly photogenic. I recommend the Tasman glacier River 25min trail – a round trip of about 45 minutes. The path is easy and not tiring. At the end, you'll see the glacier lake (P1). Additionally, there's a small hill at the top that's great for climbing and taking pictures (P3).
- I recommend the 45min helicopter journey! The duration is just right, and you can stop on the snow mountain for 15min. The snow is knee-deep, so be sure to wear waterproof shoes! Saw a lot of pure ice bricks, and the whole world was very peaceful (P6).
We flew at 17:30, which is a time when the sunlight isn't blinding, so the photos won't have harsh top light.
Pukaki P7
I thought since I was already staying in Tekapo, and Pukaki is also a lake, there wouldn't be much difference. But only after seeing it did I realize that Pukaki is the real showstopper. It's on the way from Tekapo to Mount Cook, and after a few hairpin turns, it suddenly comes into view, shining brightly! The wild grass by the lake also feels very atmospheric. If the wind is calmer, this place would definitely be a world-class spot for wedding photos.
Tekapo P8-9
- The lake scenery is indeed a bit less impressive compared to Pukaki, and it's relatively smaller. The famous Church of the Good Shepherd is also quite mini in size. As a base for Mount Cook, it's a great choice. There are lots of homestays along the lake, most with large windows facing the lake view, and the prices are very affordable.
- Actually, one of the highlights of Tekapo is stargazing. We happened to be there during the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is when the moon is the biggest and brightest of the year, so the stars were slightly less impressive. The Milky Way was faint. However, you can tell that without the moon, the stars here would be stunning. Remember to avoid stargazing around the 15th day of the lunar calendar! The new moon period is the best.
Wanaka P10-11
We stopped by on the way to Queenstown, and a quick visit was enough. The town is very relaxed, with a great atmosphere, and a high proportion of local residents (unlike Tekapo, which has more tourists). But there aren't many unique features, and the lone tree can hardly be considered an attraction. I suggest having a Patagonia ice cream and just strolling around the park. If you're short on time, there's no need to stay.
The weather in Mount Cook is very good, but at that time, I booked a snow plane. The helicopter return activity was cancelled due to the poor weather on the mountain. It was a pity for two consecutive days. I drove from the Tweizer base to the airport under the snow mountain to ask and wait. By the way, I took the shortest walking route and the scenery was not bad.
Go to Mount Cook National Park, 22 of the 27 mountains in New Zealand that are more than 3,050 meters high, are in Mount Cook National Park. Among the more spectacular is Mount Cook, which is 3,755 meters high and is called by Maori people "Oracchi", meaning "Mount Cloud."
Mount Cook National Park is the most important natural landscape in New Zealand, the area is very large, it is recommended that you spend a week to visit, there are endless snowy mountains, magical cradle mountains, and a variety of alpine lakes. It is like a place where the gods live, it is really super beautiful.
The scenery is beautiful and the humanistic landscape is beautiful. We are on the 11th tour of New Zealand's North and South Island on November 30. The enemy tour guide is very professional, answer all questions, and enthusiastically serve every tourist, eat and sleep, introduce attractions, and serve in place.
The magnificent snowy mountain, went hook track, it is said that it takes 1.5 hours from the beginning to the end, not to end, the scenery is beautiful, the snowy mountain is in front of us. Accommodation in the mountains, but there is no supermarket around, mountain restaurants are limited, and some are very expensive. If there is a hotel with kitchen, I strongly recommend that you buy it and make it yourself. Many tourists take things up the hill in the hotel we ordered.
Mount Cook, the highest mountain in Oceania, is covered with snow all year round. A slightly rainy helicopter flew over the Tasman Glacier and failed to do so. Kea Point was chosen for a hike through stony roads and jungles. The end of the hike was Mueller Glacier Lake and the glacier was also seen at close range. Living in Hermitage Hotel, as low-key as the name "hermit", it will be shocked by the magnificence of Cook Mountain in front of the floor windows.
The Cook Mountain National Park is about 60 minutes from the Shepherd's Church. It's all the way west and turns right at the T-junction at the source of Lake Pukaki. Then it winds along the blue Lake Pukaki in the Beech Forest of Silver Mountain. This area is a World Heritage Site in southwestern New Zealand. It consists of Westland National Park, Aspiring Mountain National Park and Fjord National Park. At the end of the journey is the Cook Mountain National Park Camp, which looks like a magnificent landscape. There are five best short-distance trails: Governor's Jungle Trail, Bowen Jungle Trail, Glenko Trail, Parrot-pecking Corner Trail and Hooke Valley Trail, all of which start from Cook Hill Village and have beautiful and pleasant scenery. One of the most popular trails in the park is the Hooke Valley Trail, which is longer and more challenging than the other four trails. The other is the rugged rocky and dense meadows on the way. It is also one of the pleasures of taking pictures through three suspension bridges. The starting point of the trail is near the Baima Mountain Campsite, with a wide view. Originally this place was the Villa Hotel. In 1913, it was destroyed by a mountain torrent. Now some relics can be seen. In 1957, the rebuilt hotel was moved 2 kilometers away from the plain area. It was surrounded by bushes and bushes. It crossed the "Luohansong Arch Arch" and began to walk 9 kilometers along the trail of Hooke Valley. There are also wooden paths between rugged and complex alpine meadows. In summer, daisies are everywhere in the mountains. Velvet grass and buttercups resemble lilies are beautiful. A memorial to the victims of the first mountaineering accident was built on the footpath. Near the site of the Villa on the Hooke Valley Trail, inscriptions show that three climbers died in an avalanche in 1914. Only one body was found. Twelve years later, due to the melting of the glacier, the second body was found at the bottom of Hochstetter Lcefall, 2,000 meters below where the team was buried. The speed of movement. Walking up the hill, the temperature is getting lower and lower. There are also rubble landslides on the hillside. The traces of erosion of meadow vegetation are dim. Finally, we reach the lake. There is a viewing platform on the hillside. The wooden seats are simple. The next step is Lake Hooke. On the glacier cross-section, there are ice-blue faults, flashing blue light. There is also a boulder attraction on the trail, with a photo showing that she is the first woman in the world to successfully climb the Cook Mountains. After climbing the top, Freda left behind her cool grace in a skirt and holding a climbing rod in front of the boulder.
Cook Hill is the most magnificent of all the peaks in New Zealand, so we chose Cook Hill as our first stop before our trip. There are countless beautiful sceneries in New Zealand. People who have seen the strategy are sure to have infinite yearnings for it and have the impulse to walk as soon as they want. Although we are not very fluent in language and familiar with the situation of the road, we still want to choose it. Self-driving, feel that New Zealand is still relatively safe, we made the certification of driving license in advance online, if we choose self-driving, this is necessary, self-driving travel is more exhaustive, need to look ahead to the route, but also to do some certification, so this way of play is more suitable for young people, the elderly have a bit of trouble, so if you take the elderly and children with you, it is more suitable for group tours. There will be Cook Hill in the tour, so you don't have to worry about missing the scenery. So you can consider it according to your own situation. The time of playing Cook Hill is about 3 hours. The friends who love taking pictures can take pictures again longer. Unlike the famous scenic spots in China, the tickets of Cook Hill are free, so you don't have to worry about the high price. Tickets and abandon the issue of attractions, if self-driving travel, the cost of a day's play is around 2000 yuan, excluding hotels, you can choose the surrounding attractions with a day's tour, if the group one-day tour is almost 2500 yuan, although the scenic area is free, but if the surrounding accommodation will be a relatively large consumption, in fact, my own accommodation conditions. There are not so many requirements, but I feel that if you have to live in a scenic room in the Cook Mountains, you can relax your mind. Of course, the better the scenery, the closer the location is, the higher the price. However, the accommodation near the Cook Mountains is really worth more in price. The rooms around 1500 are more moderate and the facilities are perfect. This is also our choice. The reasons for self-driving travel, where you want to go and where you want to live, are all your own decisions. The scenery of Mount Cook is charming and the conditions nearby are good, but for me, there is a little regret that I am not used to eating some local western food, so sometimes I can only rely on instant noodles to fill my stomach, so you can prepare your favorite snacks in advance, to visit Mount Cook, the best sportswear, convenient activities.