Holiday on the South Island

We've had four lovely days exploring New Zealand's South Island--also called the mainland.  And if you thought the North Island was beautiful...just you wait.  Seriously.  I've never seen anything like it.  At one point Jonathan said, "The scenery almost makes you sick.  It's so stunning you feel like you can't fully take it in."  So true.  

We landed in Christchurch, rented a little mazda 3, and took off.  Our plan was to make a giant loop to see as much as we could.  Leaving the city, this loomed in the distance:

Then this started,

so it kind of muted the spectacular-ness of it all, but it was still a gorgeous drive!  We arrived on the other side of the pass later that evening--and between the clouds and the gathering dark, there wasn't much to be seen.  We checked in and grabbed a bite to eat.  Then...off adventuring.

 We arrived here.

Only it was, like 9:00 at night, so of course it was pitch black.  We had flashlights, but the jungle at night is just sort of freaky.  But we found what we set out for: glow worms!  Funky little larvae things that literally glow in the dark.  Cool stuff.

Next day, we got up early to hit the road again.  To our surprise, the sun was actually shining, and when we walked outside it was like, Oh! That's what we were missing!

  Rainforest-covered mountains climbed even higher,

giving way to snowy peaks glittering in the morning light!

Not to long and we found a beautiful mountain lake, stunningly clear! 

So clear you can see the water's ripples on 

the bottom as well as on the surface!

The road took us down to the west coast where we could see the towering peaks in the distance even while the ocean loomed on our right.  We couldn't resist pulling over for a hike!  Several kilometers through the jungle, and then--a gorgeous beach with huge rocks standing a little way out in the surf.  The best part was how deserted it was!  Supposedly, at the right time of year, it's a famous beach for penguins.  Bummer to miss that!

Some cool rock formations at the beach.

The only downside of our beach visit was the sand flies that absolutely devoured me in only a short time.  Somehow Jonathan got away with only a few itchy welts.  Figures.  Anyway, we were sad to be driven away since we were having so much fun!  But, it was time to get on the road anyway.

 Our view most of the day.

Once we crossed over to the other side of the mountains, the scenery changed dramatically.  Gone were the jungle-covered mountains with spectacular waterfalls careening down their slopes.  Now the mountains that weren't snowy, were carpeted in short yellow grass with pops of colorful bushes--light purple, olive green, and rich brown.  

Soon our destination loomed ahead in the distance.

 Mt. Cook, the tallest mountain in New Zealand.

The sun was beginning to set, painting the peak a most vivid pink and gold!  Just looking up at something so incredibly awe-inspiring turns something inside, like a twinge of pure praise that can't help but bubble up at the truly awesome display of the beautiful power belonging to our Creator!

We knew we were getting close to our accommodations for the night--within sight of Mt. Cook itself--but we kept expecting to climb up some foothills and switchbacks closer to the mountain's height, like the Rockies.  But that's what makes this range so dramatic.  You feel dwarfed as the mountains shoot up all around you--from nothing!  Right from the plain you're driving in!  

 Only minutes from our hotel.  Almost there!

The sun set as we checked in, and after grabbing dinner at a café opened by a guy by the name of Sir Edmund Hillary--the first guy to summit everest, and a New Zealand native, we bundled up for some star gazing.  Yes, it was cold.  Imaginably so.  But the stars!  The stars!  I've never seen anything like it!  The small village of Mt. Cook is very conscientious of light pollution and has all "down-turned" lighting.  You've never been in such a dark township at night before--no streetlights at all.  With dark mountain peaks rimming the sky, billions of stars literally twinkle in the crisp air.  I've never seen a night sky like that.  And I lived in Mexico where the desert sky at night without much light pollution was pretty spectacular.  This was breathtaking!

The next morning, we were up decently early, hoping to beat the rain!  Our plan was to hike Mt. Sebastopol, the lowest peak in the area, but affording great views of Mt. Cook and the two glaciers that come down into the valley.

 Mt. Sebastopol from about halfway up.

Looking across to the neighboring peak, you could follow a stream all the way down--

over waterfalls and rapids.  The sound of it serenaded us as we hiked up.

 It was chilly, and a tough trek, but we had a blast!

 And the views were unbelievable!

Really.  I had a hard time believing what I was seeing!

 You can see the glacier lake and floating icebergs off in the distance.

 From the top!  It was really windy and really cold!

And good thing Jonathan thought to get me a waterproof jacket, because I needed it!  We got a little wet when some rain came through, but nothing bad.

 It doesn't do it justice.

 Stunning!

Looking out over the yellow valley toward the sheer mountainside jutting up out of the landscape, you could almost picture Gandalf cresting the hill in the sunlight bringing much needed help to the mountain city of Gondor!  (sorry, couldn't help it)

Three hours later, we finished the hike as the rain set in.  We didn't let it stop us, though!  We had to see a glacier up close!  

 Tasman Glacier and Lake.

The bright blue ice was cool, but most of the glacier and surrounding the lake was mostly muddied rock and ice.  Sort of a let down, but still cool.  Much of the mountains in the range sported glacier-like blue ice up by the snow layer.

We had a fantastic, if short, stay near Mt. Cook.  The hotel was like a resort with several restaurants, activity choices, even a planetarium.  One of the best features was a lounge with a grand piano facing the huge picture window overlooking the mountains.  I enjoyed that one!  When we left, it was raining and the clouds hid the mountains too well.  However, we did drive by a spectacular lake on the way out.

 Bright blue, like it belonged in the Caribbean!

Tomorrow, it's back up north.  But I'm so glad we made it down even if for such a short time!  I can't imagine thinking of New Zealand as just the North Island.  I've never been so awed in my life!  And now that the seed's been planted, we're hoping to come back for more adventures!