More Lord of the Rings and the Southern Alps - Aoraki/Mt Cook

The principle of leaving the best till last certainly rings true here for my last week in NZ. There is something quite awe inspiring and indescribable about viewing a mountain that just rises straight in front of you from a flat valley, especially when it's peak is about 12,000 feet. The immensity of this glacial terrain and its rivers is hard for my small mind to grasp. It's Mother Earth showing off and she has every right to do so. It annoys me when I hear the phrase 'taming the wild'. We have no right to think we should and quite arrogant to think we can.

Like the Canadian Rockies, the Southern Alps are also a view to behold, rain or shine. Fortunately, you don't have to trek for kms to at least get close to the foot of Aoraki/Mt Cook. The road is flat'ish and bitumen all the way into this part of the Southern Alps National Park which is great for cyclists and you can either base yourself at the Dept of Conservation (DOC) campsite or do the credit card tour and stay at one of the lodges in the village. I've been using DOC sites a lot so it was a no brainer for me. It's also where most of the walks begin.

I also decided to walk up the small Mt Sunday located in the Hakatere National Park south west of Christchurch.

Mt Sunday - The small peak in the foreground

Mt Sunday was the location for Edoras, the Rohan Kingdom in the second and third parts of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. You can travel there via the township of Mt Somers which is where I based myself at the local camping ground. I headed off for the first bridge crossing on the Potts River only to discover the crossing washed away. During my time here since early Dec, the Southern Island, especially the west coast and the Alps have suffered constant deluges of rain due to the numerous south westerly cold fronts pushed along by the Roaring Forties. It has put a strain on many river structures and crossings, Milford Sound, West Coast Hwy and so on.

View from Mt Sunday summit

So I took off the socks and shoes to cross the river which was flowing strongly with the cold water numbing my toes instantly. i then trekked the 5kms to the next parking area and continued up to the summit of Mt Sunday to be met by the the strongest gale force winds I have ever encounteso. So strong that I had to hold on to the trig point structure to stay upright but what a view!
Tonight's music - Vagner's Ring Cycle - at least part of it as the full performance can go for three days!

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