Aoraki/Mt. Cook
Leaving Oamaru, we continued our criss-crossing route around the South Island, our destination for the day was Mt. Cook, about 200 km/2.5 hours of driving. It was a shorter driving day, so we made a few stops along the way.
Near Duntroon, on the south side of the Waitaki River, just about 30 minutes from Oamaru are two Maori Rock Art Sites along with Elephant Rocks. The first rock art site was Maerewhenua Maori Rock Painting Site.
Maerewhenua Maori Rock Painting Site
Elephant Rocks is a sheep field full of eroded limestone boulders.
Takiroa Maori Rock Drawings is the second site just after Duntroon. A short trail follows along the base of a rock wall with the drawing at the bottom. Interestingly some of the drawings were cut from the stone and I think sent to a museum, but I can’t find anything that says where they are currently located.
As Aoraki/Mt. Cook gets closer, the scenery gets more and more spectacular. Lake Pukaki was particularly blue when we saw it.
Mt. Cook and Lake Pukaki
Although the road to Aoraki/Mt. Cook is an out and back route, it’s a popular stop both for camping and day hiking. We arrived mid afternoon and the parking lot was quite full. There is a lower lot for parking for day hiking and then an upper area for camping. It took us a little while to get ourselves in the right place, but we finally got the campervan parked in the overnight area. And then we hiked the popular Hooker Valley Track.
The trail follows the Hooker Valley to Hooker Lake. It is well graded with little elevation gain, so it is not overly strenuous and many people hike every day, although there are stairs, boardwalks, and three swing bridges. There is no shade at all and the sun was very intense the day we hiked.
Hooker Lake has a glacier at the far end and there were icebergs in the lake that had come off the glacier. Unsurprisingly, the water was very cold.
After our hike, we went back to our campervan at White Horse Hill DOC Campsite, ate dinner, and watched the sun set over the mountains. The campground was pretty full and people continued to pull in throughout the evening. There was running potable water, flush toilets, and a kitchen with tables and sinks, which felt kind of fancy after our first DOC site with no water at all.
camping with a view at White Horse Hill DOC Campsite
