George and Louisa (the WWOOFers from Alaska we met at our previous WWOOF) had recently stayed about 3 weeks in Christchurch, and had a few suggestions of things to do as we passed through on our way to the Central Otago region. We headed straight for “Adrenaline Forest,” a crazy adventure park with 6 levels of ropes courses built high in the trees. There were ziplines, obstacles, giant spider nets, tight rope walks, and all sorts of fun activities. Sufficiently exhausted (fun can be hard work), we went into town for a recommended meal at Bodhi Tree, a Cambodian Restaurant, for a date. We stayed a night in Christchurch and toured the city the next morning, stopping in at the expansive and wonderfully diverse botanic gardens, the main town square for some market stall shopping, and then drove out to the Lyttleton Harbor for a great view during lunch.
The rose garden at the Christchurch botanical gardens. We have seen so many amazing, wonderfully arranged gardens in cities all across NZ.
A view of Lyttleton Harbor where we stopped for lunch, just south of Christchurch.
Keris crawling through the tubes 40 ft above the ground at Adrenaline Forest.
A few more obstacles can be seen.
And even a few ziplines!We had planned to head to our next WWOOF early the next morning, but since the day was getting late, that meant we might have to skip our short stopover at Mt. Cook. We called the WWOOF hosts and they said it’d be OK if we came a little later the next day, so luckily we were able to make the scenic drive out past Lake Pukaki for sunset. We had another simple (cold) dinner of sandwiches along the shores of the lake, with the reflection of the sunlit, towering peak of Mt. Cook in the distance. Since we still had a 45 minute drive to our campsite at the base of the mountain, it was a tough call to wait at the lake for great shots at sunset. We stayed. And then we raced to our campsite, arriving just at the light faded away, making it difficult to setup the tent in the rocky field. Pegs wouldn’t go in, and the wind was blowing. Luckily there were enough loose rocks to tie the tent wires to and sleep well through the night.
PB&J lakeside dining at its finest.
We just couldn't leave before the sunset was over.We awoke to an amazingly clear day, with the sun beaming into the valley and shining brightly off the snow capped mountains. We were just about the first ones onto the hiking trail up to Hooker Glacier. It was a 3 hour return trip, but starting out when the valley air was crisp from the night’s frost was magical. The sun’s rays on the snow high above us caused much thermal stress and the cracking ice sent thundering echoes down the valley, and we’d occasionally see the rising snow dust of a avalanche. The hike was amazing, but we had no idea what awaited at the top. What a reward! A glacial lake with hundreds of icebergs sitting at the base of Mt. Cook, Hooker Glacier just reaching the far edge of the lake. We were awe-struck. We’d never witnessed something so untouched and picturesque. The crystal clear ice frozen in the icebergs just glowed bright bluish-white in the sun. It was hard to leave, but we were so happy we made the side trip up here before heading to our next WWOOF.
Hooker Valley Glacier at the end of our hike. The glacial lake was filled with icebergs. It was an incredible and unexpected scene.
Not only was it early in the morning on the shores of a literally ice-cold river, but it was hot outside! It couldn't have been more picture perfect weather.
A few of the icebergs in the lake.
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