Ron Laughlin The Ultimate New Zealand Travel Guide
Mackenzie Country
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At 3764 metres, Mt Cook in New Zealand is the highest of the country's 27 mountains over 3000 metres. The surrounding Mt Cook National Park offers spectacular flight-seeing, hiking and skiing.
Visit the Sir Edmund Hillary Museum or get up close to a giant iceberg by boat on the Tasman Glacier terminal lake- http://www.glacierexplorers.co.nz
Visit the Sir Edmund Hillary Museum or get up close to a giant iceberg by boat on the Tasman Glacier terminal lake- http://www.glacierexplorers.co.nz
Mt Cook is a World Heritage area. Mt Cook National Park is 700 square kilometres in size, more than one third of which is perpetually under snow or ice. Turn offs to the Hooker Glacier and the Tasman Glacier are at the far end of the Mt Cook road with a good Dept of Conservation camp to stay for the campers or the Glentanner Holiday Park - http://www.glentanner.co.nz/
For those looking for top accommodation be sure to stay at the world famous Hermitage Lodge - http://www.hermitage.co.nz/ . It is a 45-minute drive from Twizel at the end of SH80.
Mt Cook was first climbed in 1894 by New Zealanders Jack Clarke, Tom Fyfe and George Graham. It has been climbed by New Zealand explorer and mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary who scaled Mt Everest in 1953.
The Mt Cook Village
The National Park Visitor Centre is in Mt Cook Village, close to The Hermitage, which is one of New Zealand’s more famous hotels, with its close-up view of the snow-clad peak.
Also in the village is the Mt Cook YHA Hostel which provides lower-cost accommodation.
Accommodation at Mt Cook should be booked in advance to be sure of a place to stay.
Skiing the glacier slopes
The Tasman Glacier, roughly north-northeast of the Mt Cook Village in the Mt Cook National Park. At 27 kilometres, it is one of the world's longest glaciers outside the polar regions. Take a helicopter to the Tasman Glacier and feel that wind whistle by as you glide down the magical landscape. Skiing won't ever feel quite the same again after skiing at Mt Cook. You can organise your helicopter flight to the Tasman Glacier from Queenstown or Christchurch or stay here and enjoy the area. After skiing at Mt Cook, you can claim having skied New Zealand's highest mountain.
Back out to route 8 and continue through the Mackenzie Country next stop at the Information Centre on Lake Pukaki if to do nothing more than to take a photograph from the parking area.
It is about 30 minutes to Lake Tekapo but first just before the lake take the road to the left to the top of Mt John for the best scenic outlook - http://www.newzealandsky.com/earthandsky/ . This is a top site for astronomy with six telescopes on being New Zealand's largest at 1.8 metres across that can observe 50 million stars on a clear night.
Have a coffee at the Astro Café at the very top and meet Fraser Gunn, who is one of New Zealand’s top photographers who is manager there.
The powers that be are trying to get a starlight reserve at Tekapo protecting the darkness around and the clarity of the night sky here.
Now on to Lake Tekapo next - http://www.laketekapountouched.co.nz/
Lake Tekapo, with its milky blue lake and majestic surrounding peaks, is sure to make you have your camera out and active. Right on the lake is the historic stone Church of the Good Shepherd and the statue to the faithful sheep dog.
Popular in summer for boating, waterskiing, swimming, fishing and walking, Lake Tekapo is also a winter destination with hot pools, ice skating and skiing.
There is a new pool complex you would enjoy on the lake -
Alpine Springs - http://www.alpinesprings.co.nz/ .
For those looking for top accommodation be sure to stay at the world famous Hermitage Lodge - http://www.hermitage.co.nz/ . It is a 45-minute drive from Twizel at the end of SH80.
Mt Cook was first climbed in 1894 by New Zealanders Jack Clarke, Tom Fyfe and George Graham. It has been climbed by New Zealand explorer and mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary who scaled Mt Everest in 1953.
The Mt Cook Village
The National Park Visitor Centre is in Mt Cook Village, close to The Hermitage, which is one of New Zealand’s more famous hotels, with its close-up view of the snow-clad peak.
Also in the village is the Mt Cook YHA Hostel which provides lower-cost accommodation.
Accommodation at Mt Cook should be booked in advance to be sure of a place to stay.
Skiing the glacier slopes
The Tasman Glacier, roughly north-northeast of the Mt Cook Village in the Mt Cook National Park. At 27 kilometres, it is one of the world's longest glaciers outside the polar regions. Take a helicopter to the Tasman Glacier and feel that wind whistle by as you glide down the magical landscape. Skiing won't ever feel quite the same again after skiing at Mt Cook. You can organise your helicopter flight to the Tasman Glacier from Queenstown or Christchurch or stay here and enjoy the area. After skiing at Mt Cook, you can claim having skied New Zealand's highest mountain.
Back out to route 8 and continue through the Mackenzie Country next stop at the Information Centre on Lake Pukaki if to do nothing more than to take a photograph from the parking area.
It is about 30 minutes to Lake Tekapo but first just before the lake take the road to the left to the top of Mt John for the best scenic outlook - http://www.newzealandsky.com/earthandsky/ . This is a top site for astronomy with six telescopes on being New Zealand's largest at 1.8 metres across that can observe 50 million stars on a clear night.
Have a coffee at the Astro Café at the very top and meet Fraser Gunn, who is one of New Zealand’s top photographers who is manager there.
The powers that be are trying to get a starlight reserve at Tekapo protecting the darkness around and the clarity of the night sky here.
Now on to Lake Tekapo next - http://www.laketekapountouched.co.nz/
Lake Tekapo, with its milky blue lake and majestic surrounding peaks, is sure to make you have your camera out and active. Right on the lake is the historic stone Church of the Good Shepherd and the statue to the faithful sheep dog.
Popular in summer for boating, waterskiing, swimming, fishing and walking, Lake Tekapo is also a winter destination with hot pools, ice skating and skiing.
There is a new pool complex you would enjoy on the lake -
Alpine Springs - http://www.alpinesprings.co.nz/ .
The Transit of Venus - June 6, 2012
On the 6th of June the rare transit of Venus will be visible throughout New Zealand. Only seven of these events have happened since the invention of the telescope and none were visible in the 20th century and another will not be sighted for another 105 years.
It occurs when venus moves between the sun and the Earth.
Captain Cook was sent to the south Pacific primarily to observe this occurrence in Tahiti in 1769.
On the 6th of June the rare transit of Venus will be visible throughout New Zealand. Only seven of these events have happened since the invention of the telescope and none were visible in the 20th century and another will not be sighted for another 105 years.
It occurs when venus moves between the sun and the Earth.
Captain Cook was sent to the south Pacific primarily to observe this occurrence in Tahiti in 1769.