Twizel, Mt. Cook

Abigail

This was the leg we might all rather not remember - emesis, emesis and more emesis.  Yes, emesis means vomit.  Abigail did not do well on this part of the trip - the road was tortuous with lots of twists and turns and ups and downs.  It rained and rained. I could not find the dramamine. The upside was the sight of the spectacular glacier lakes.  The water was the color of the Caribbean.  Gorgeous!  We were able to see some of it up close and personal as we pulled over a lot!  What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.  We mastered the process of opening windows, emptying bags, and moving on...

Twizel was built as a town for construction workers on the local hydroelectric project.  From the Twizel website - Twizel is an alpine village situated in the Mackenzie District in the South Island of New Zealand. Twizel is the closest town to Aoraki/ Mount Cook and theTasman Glacier and the Lake Ohau Ski Field. Twizel is a fly fishing paradise with its countless streams, rivers and canals brimming with world record rainbow trout and salmon. Lake Pukaki, Lake Ohau, Lake Benmore the Ahuriri River and the Tekapo River are all nearby. 

Lake Pukaki in the mist

We went for a hike around the foothills near Mt. Cook.  The peak of the mountain was shrouded by clouds so we were hoping to awaken to a nice view. We did not see it until later in the trip on the leg from Queenstown to Franz Josef.  The photos speak for themselves so without further adieu...

Grace

Hooker Valley

Ahuriri River (I think)

So I found more dramamine that my friend Jan and my dear mother sent, and off we went to Queenstown.  We looked forward to being there for five days of pure tourist fun - Zip lining, luge riding and much more.  We met a new friend and find a special treat or two...