New Zealand - Part 4 - Mount Cook and Christchurch

Ahuriri River Valley

Halfway between Wanaka and Twizel is another breathtaking valley.  The Ahuriri River is a famous trout fishing river (I've come to learn that means rivers where I don't catch any fish).

A side waterway of the Ahuriri reflecting the Huxley Range

This counts as a serious picture for Katie

The Badlands down under

Katie the criminal strikes again

Mackenzie Region

Early Autumn begins in March

The brilliant blue water of Lake Ruataniwha

Sunrise over Lake Pukaki

I couldn't decide which sunrise picture to keep, and after getting up early for the shot, I kept both

Mount Cook

At 12,220 feet, Mount Cook wouldn't be high in other ranges, but it is formidable, rising over 10,000 feet from the valley below.

It's easy to see why Hillary used Mount Cook to train for the first ascent of Everest

The Mueller Glacier from the Hooker Valley

Five sides, six faces, seven main ridges, and no easy way up

Katie wishing she was skiing instead of hiking

Last day in the mountains of New Zealand

Clouds falling over the backside of the Southern Alps, like the foehn (or föhn) in the European Alps

Icebergs on Hooker Lake

It's hard to see scale..these seracs are actually the size of buildings

This New Zealand fantail was more curious about us than we were about him

Climbing Sebastapol Bluffs with Guide Katie

Katie was my guide for the day.  She led both pitches of the Red Arete on Sebastapol Bluffs.  She belayed me up each pitch, set up each rappel, and rapped first to deal with ropes and find the next rap station (four rappels on a single rope).

Guide Katie at work

Rock & Ice cover shot

In Kiwi lingo, guiding is "easy as"

Akaroa

Our last stop before leaving New Zealand was to swim with Hector's dolphins in Akaroa.

World's smallest species of penguin, the little blue penguin

The world's smallest species of dolphin, Hector's dolphin

There was quite a swell once we left the protection of the Akaroa crater bay

Keri pointed out that it felt less like swimming and more like bobbing around like bait

And we're off to Oz...

It's bittersweet to leave New Zealand, especially at the start of the Autumn magic season.  We'll be back!