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You are here: Home / Archives for Mount Cook

Mount Cook

Hooker Valley Track

February 14, 2021 by NZ Filbruns 1 Comment

On New Year’s Eve, after we walked up the Tasman Glacier Walk, we drove around to the other side of the mountain to the carpark nearest to Mount Cook. We have walked the Hooker Valley Track two other times, and loved it each time. This time, I decided to stay in the van and let Miss Joy have a nap on the bed. Mr. Imagination and Little Miss didn’t want to walk, so they stayed, too. I let them stay—on condition that they play quietly, outside the van so they wouldn’t bother their baby sister. She fell asleep quickly, and I enjoyed getting to read and do some writing in the breeze that blew through the open windows of the van. The other two played with four toy animals that Simon had bought for the four youngest children at our friends’ shop that morning. I’m not sure what all they did with them, but they kept busy for an hour! Then, Mr. Imagination saw an avalanche on the mountain facing us, and was so excited that he forgot about being quiet. That was the end of Miss Joy’s nap! I was thankful that she’d had a good solid hour, though.

This is the mountain we were facing. See the nearly horizontal wall of snow stretching across the left side, near the top? There were several avalanches from it during the afternoon, and when we left there was a huge notch that wasn’t there when we first arrived. I think it was made by the avalanche that ended up causing Miss Joy to wake up.

103-IMG_7228

After Miss Joy woke up, the three children played together on the bed for awhile with their animals, and then we decided to start walking on the trail to meet the rest of the family.104-IMG_7230

Most of the rest of the pictures are from other people’s cameras, since I didn’t go far on the trail.

105a-IMG_4759105b-IMG_20201231_150140

This is the first (of two) swing bridges. The little ones and I went just to the other side of this one, sat on some rocks there for awhile, then came back, and about that time the first members of our family joined us.105c-IMG_0997105-IMG_7231106-IMG_7232107a-IMG_4760107b-IMG_4761107c-IMG_4762107-IMG_7233108a-IMG_4763108b-IMG_4764108c-IMG_4766

The second swing bridge.108d1-IMG_1008108d-IMG_4767108e1-IMG_1033108e-IMG_4768108f1-IMG_1011

Do you see the shape of the lower slopes? They were gouged out by glaciers.108f1-IMG_1035108f-IMG_4770108g-IMG_4771

Mount Cook!108h1-IMG_1036108h-IMG_4774108i-IMG_4775

There were a lot of very interesting flowers.108-IMG_1021108-IMG_1025108-IMG_1028108-IMG_1032108-IMG_7235108-IMG_20201231_141557

I’m not sure which glacier this is, although my best guess would be the one at the base of the mountain in the first picture in this post. Maybe Esther will comment below; she went on the walk and knows more about the scenery than I do!108j-IMG_4778108k-IMG_4780108l-IMG_4783108m-IMG_4788108n-IMG_1022108o-IMG_1024109a-IMG_1046109b-IMG_1047

Back at the vans! There was another avalanche, which the boys were looking at. See Miss Joy on the bed?109-IMG_7236

Our last glimpse of Mount Cook for this trip.110-IMG_7239

Back at our friends’ house, Mr. Imagination found these two pine cones. He was intrigued by the size difference. The little one is about an inch and a half long.111-IMG_0094

Filed Under: Away From Home Tagged With: Holiday Trip, Mount Cook

Tasman Glacier Walk

February 10, 2021 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

Day four of our trip dawned bright and sunny! We got around rather slowly that morning; it was nearly noon before we left our friends’ house in Twizel. We stopped at their shop in town and bought a number of things, including straw hats for a couple of us who didn’t want to add to the brilliant sunburns we were already sporting from our day at Cave Stream and Castle Hill! Then, we headed up along Lake Pukaki toward Mount Cook. We were delighted that the high cloud allowed us to see the beautiful mountain in the distance.

58-078a-IMG_4719I always enjoy the mountains along the way, too. They line both sides of the valley.

078g-IMG_0949

59-078b-IMG_4722

The lavender farm was in full bloom. This photo doesn’t anywhere near do justice to the vivid color.60-078c-IMG_4723

Mr. Imagination loved riding with Miss Joy. One of their favorite games was to play with wet wipes. They would scrub their faces and necks for a long time—cheap entertainment!078h-IMG_0090

We pulled off to get some pictures of Mount Cook on our way up Lake Pukaki. Esther and I, in the lead van, decided not to stop, but the other van wanted to. They pulled off at the official viewing place, which was crowded with tourists. We told them we would look for a place to turn around, but couldn’t find anywhere for a couple of kilometers. Then, we found an old pull-off, with no one there and a great view! We called the other van on the radio and told them to join us. Then, while we were waiting, Esther and I got the idea that this would be a good place to take a family photo. We wanted to do that sometime on our trip. We checked out the lighting in several places, and found a spot that worked, so she got out her tripod. 61-078d-IMG_4725

62-078e-IMG_4726

This was the view from the official pulloff. Gayle snapped it with his phone.

078f-IMG_20201231_120142

I got individual pictures of the children, too, and grabbed this shot in the process. This is Mr. Sweetie, Miss Joy, Simon, and Elijah.

080-IMG_7201

Esther took this one while we were figuring out lighting and backgrounds.

086a-IMG_4728

Everyone wandered around under the big tree for awhile as we got things figured out.

086b-IMG_4734

Lots of helpful advice about the perfect location for a photo!

086c-IMG_4736

One of the final results! I don’t think this is the one we ended up printing, though.

086d-IMG_4742

As we kept driving, the mountain showed up more and more clearly.

087-IMG_7209088-IMG_7210

078-IMG_7197089a-IMG_4745089b-IMG_4746089c-IMG_4747090-IMG_7214

The other mountains are gorgeous, too!092-IMG_7216093-IMG_7217094-IMG_7218095a-IMG_0954095b-IMG_0955

When we reached the carpark for the Tasman Glacier walk, we decided to eat lunch first. We found a little meadow where we could spread out our picnic.095c-IMG_0972095d-IMG_0974095e-IMG_0975

The walk to the viewing spot for the glacier is up a steep hill—a moraine. You find out just how physically fit you are—or not!095f-IMG_0978

See the glacier at the head of the lake? It has a thick layer of dirt and rocks on top. Mount Cook is in the distance to the left.095g-IMG_0984

While we were standing there, I heard a man, who looked like he was about 40 years old, tell his child that when he was born, the glacier was just below where we were standing—you could step onto it from the top of the hill. That’s hard to believe!095-IMG_7220

A close-up of the glacier.096b-IMG_4750096c-IMG_4751096dIMG_4752096e-IMG_4753

See the Paradise Duck at the edge of the lake?098-IMG_7223

Looking down the valley. You can see a sliver of Lake Pukaki in the distance.099-IMG_7224100a-IMG_4755100-IMG_7225

One of the Blue Lakes—which are actually green!101-IMG_7226

Another view down the valley.102a-IMG_4756

Filed Under: Away From Home Tagged With: Holiday Trip, Mount Cook, Tasman Glacier

Tasman Glacier Walk

February 10, 2021 by NZ Filbruns 1 Comment

Day four of our trip dawned bright and sunny! We got around rather slowly that morning; it was nearly noon before we left our friends’ house in Twizel. We stopped at their shop in town and bought a number of things, including straw hats for a couple of us who didn’t want to add to the brilliant sunburns we were already sporting from our day at Cave Stream and Castle Hill! Then, we headed up along Lake Pukaki toward Mount Cook. We were delighted that the high cloud allowed us to see the beautiful mountain in the distance.

58-078a-IMG_4719I always enjoy the mountains along the way, too. They line both sides of the valley.

078g-IMG_0949

59-078b-IMG_4722

The lavender farm was in full bloom. This photo doesn’t anywhere near do justice to the vivid color.60-078c-IMG_4723

Mr. Imagination loved riding with Miss Joy. One of their favorite games was to play with wet wipes. They would scrub their faces and necks for a long time—cheap entertainment!078h-IMG_0090

We pulled off to get some pictures of Mount Cook on our way up Lake Pukaki. Esther and I, in the lead van, decided not to stop, but the other van wanted to. They pulled off at the official viewing place, which was crowded with tourists. We told them we would look for a place to turn around, but couldn’t find anywhere for a couple of kilometers. Then, we found an old pull-off, with no one there and a great view! We called the other van on the radio and told them to join us. Then, while we were waiting, Esther and I got the idea that this would be a good place to take a family photo. We wanted to do that sometime on our trip. We checked out the lighting in several places, and found a spot that worked, so she got out her tripod. 61-078d-IMG_4725

62-078e-IMG_4726

This was the view from the official pulloff. Gayle snapped it with his phone.

078f-IMG_20201231_120142

I got individual pictures of the children, too, and grabbed this shot in the process. This is Mr. Sweetie, Miss Joy, Simon, and Elijah.

080-IMG_7201

Esther took this one while we were figuring out lighting and backgrounds.

086a-IMG_4728

Everyone wandered around under the big tree for awhile as we got things figured out.

086b-IMG_4734

Lots of helpful advice about the perfect location for a photo!

086c-IMG_4736

One of the final results! I don’t think this is the one we ended up printing, though.

086d-IMG_4742

As we kept driving, the mountain showed up more and more clearly.

087-IMG_7209088-IMG_7210

078-IMG_7197089a-IMG_4745089b-IMG_4746089c-IMG_4747090-IMG_7214

The other mountains are gorgeous, too!092-IMG_7216093-IMG_7217094-IMG_7218095a-IMG_0954095b-IMG_0955

When we reached the carpark for the Tasman Glacier walk, we decided to eat lunch first. We found a little meadow where we could spread out our picnic.095c-IMG_0972095d-IMG_0974095e-IMG_0975

The walk to the viewing spot for the glacier is up a steep hill—a moraine. You find out just how physically fit you are—or not!095f-IMG_0978

See the glacier at the head of the lake? It has a thick layer of dirt and rocks on top. Mount Cook is in the distance to the left.095g-IMG_0984

While we were standing there, I heard a man, who looked like he was about 40 years old, tell his child that when he was born, the glacier was just below where we were standing—you could step onto it from the top of the hill. That’s hard to believe!095-IMG_7220

A close-up of the glacier.096b-IMG_4750096c-IMG_4751096dIMG_4752096e-IMG_4753

See the Paradise Duck at the edge of the lake?098-IMG_7223

Looking down the valley. You can see a sliver of Lake Pukaki in the distance.099-IMG_7224100a-IMG_4755100-IMG_7225

One of the Blue Lakes—which are actually green!101-IMG_7226

Another view down the valley.102a-IMG_4756

Filed Under: Away From Home Tagged With: Holiday Trip, Mount Cook, Tasman Glacier

This Month

March 20, 2013 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

I am not getting anything put on here, so I’ll share what Esther wrote about the past three weeks.  She has lots of pictures to share, and this will bring you up-to-date!  Maybe in a month or two I’ll have more time to write!

—————–

Dear Friends,

We’ve been very busy lately, but I thought you all would probably appreciate a quick update! ☺ So here goes…

Grandpa’s (Dad’s parents) arrived on Saturday, the 23rd of February. They brought along with them my cousin, David (David’s father is Dad’s brother). I had found out ahead of time (like at least three weeks before) that he was coming, and in the last week Seth and Simon (the next two children after me) had found out he was coming, but all the younger ones were totally in the dark—they had NO idea that David was coming! So it was a really nice surprise for all of them.

On Sunday, we all went to church together, then in the afternoon went up to a church friend’s farm. He owns about a thousand acres of very hilly land (they’re the foothills to the K——- mountains; the farm is so rugged that he hasn’t even set foot on some of the land!), where he raises sheep and cattle. He gave us a demonstration of sheep dogs working sheep, and also sheared a sheep so we could see how that process works. It was all very interesting! I’ve seen sheep dogs working sheep before, but only two (out of our 12-person group!) of us had ever seen a sheep sheared before. So that was a very special afternoon…

To read the rest, go here and enjoy her pictures!

Filed Under: Away From Home Tagged With: Canterbury, Fishing, gore bay, Hooker Valley, Kaikoura, Mount Cook, Tasman Glacier, Visitors

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The Family:


Dad and Mom (Gayle and Emma)

Girl #1, Esther, my right hand

Boy #1, Seth (Mr. Handyman)

Boy #2, Simon (Mr. Inventor)

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Boy #4, Mr. Diligence

Boy #5, Mr. Sweetie

Boy #6, Mr. Imagination

Girl #2, Little Miss

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