A small bus drove us to Mt. Cook where we hiked the Hooker Valley Walk to see many glaciers. Mt Cook is highlighted on the $5 note.
Sheep from a distance look like grey boulders. They are Merino sheep and their dense fur collects a lot of glacial dirt.
There are 2,900 glaciers in New Zealand. In 1970, there were 3,100.
COVID saw lots of construction mostly Airbnbs. During this time, many North Islanders came to the South Island for the first time. I guess when one’s country is closed, it’s time to explore your own backyard.
When I opened the lid, a bunch of flies came out. I had to fan them away while I pottied. Yikes!!!In Asia, they throw their toilet paper in the trash so they need a reminder in New Zealand.
Tekapo water is ground water. Here the water is even more awesome as it is mountain glacier water.
🎶 Down in the valley, valley so low 🎶 with Mount Cook in the background.Lake Pukaki. Can the sky AND the water get any more blue?
The water is blue because there is “glacier flour” in the water that feeds the lakes and reflects the sun. It gets more blue as the sun gets brighter. So in reality, one could say that the beautiful blue water is actually beautiful pollution.
I am mesmerized by the clothing that the Chinese wear. I used to feel sad for the Arabic women wearing hijabs and even moreso the burka. However, Asians have their own need to cover themselves. I saw mothers admonishing their teenagers for a breech in clothing coverage I imagine that sun screen does not sell well there. What’s the point? Perhaps, they should sleep during the day and go out after the sun goes down. Men don’t seem to have this same feeling although hats and sunglasses are a must for everyone … no matter where you are from.
A young boy proudly poses for pictures. It makes me wonder about the pictures in the albums?Face masks, visor hats, and umbrellas are a frequent sight.Full white opera gloves are sported in this sunny fashion statement.These girls were in a constant photo shoot either sporting a Chinese flag or giving a peace sign while briefly showing some skin.Barefoot, sandals, and jumping photos were not unusual sightings.Family taking the children up a gravel walkway and over the swinging bridge … to Grandmother’s house we go.Don’t look down!Here is the endpoint of our trail, the Hooker Glacier. I was expecting it to be white. However, one can see the dark-covered glacier as it meets the water.
The dirt that is on the top makes it melt even faster since dark absorbs more heat. They had a big icebreak last week. The biggest within recent memory.
I turned the corner of my long hike. It looked like a war scene and made me gasp in disbelief.I thought that we would see one or two but these many icebergs are massive. For perspective, try to find Rob.Hooker River is formed from the melting of the Hooker glacier. You can start to see the blue from the glacier flour.An Alpine Memorial was started back in 1914 when the first recorded death occurred. I am sure it was not the first.Plaques have been added since that time as people are not prepared for the grueling hike or weather related accidents.And it won’t be the last either!!! I have to navigate all of these rocks going down.
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