I didn’t realise how much of a nightmare the weather is to
the New Zealand tourist industry, but when we woke we still couldn’t see Mount
Cook. I’ve never had to drive to get breakfast, so this morning was a first.
The Hermitage really caters for it’s Asian guests with tofu and rice or
breakfast. If I didn’t know I was in New Zealand, I’d guess Asia, every guest
is Asian.
We called the ski plane but sadly because of winds, we had
to call back at 11am. Instead, we were to go on the glacial explorer trip,
postponed from yesterday. We boarded the bus, had a great trip out to the
Tasman glacier car park, only to be told that due to winds, they had to cancel.
So back on the bus to the hermitage. We did get to pass a gorgeous waterfall
though. It’s so strange to see a waterfall that doesn’t have a river beneath
it, it goes straight into the moraine.
Back at the hermitage, we picked up the car and drove back
to the Tasman glacier car park and did the blue water (more like green pond)
and glacier walks. The glacier viewpoint walk was trickier than anticpated as
we were clambering over rocks to get to the top. The viewpoint overlooks the
lake with it’s distinctive blue glow, and the dirty glacier in the distance,
covered in rocks.
Back to the Hermitage for lunch, then on the road to Twizel.
The road from Mount Cook really is quite stunning, especially the view over
Lake Pukkaki. At Twizel we visited the black stilt aviary. Until a few years
ago when the Department of Conservation took over to stop the extinction of the
black stilt, there were only a few left. We were able to go into the pen with
the captive birds, we looked through binoculars at the black stilts due to be
reintroduced into the wild and saw an excellent DVD on the life of a black
stilt and why they were almost extinct.
Onto Kurow and the most eccentric B&B I’ve ever stayed
in. We are in the old milking shed which has been decorated with reto
furniture, a compost toilet, old doors on the walls. It’s like sleeping in an
art gallery, it’s amazing, although a little scary at first. The B&B is
situated in a winery, the products we enjoyed over our new years dinner in the
house of smoked salmon, steak and gooseberry fool, all grown on the land.
So, what an end to an amazing year. Last year we welcomed
the New Year with a trip punting in Cambridge, in February we were trundling
around country parks with sailor in the deep snow, in March we visited Paris
with Brigitte, in April we swam the swimathon, in May I was invited to the
Queen’s garden party and we took Sailor on his first B&B holiday while we
walked the Brighton Equality walk, in June Ali cycled the Essex Countryside
bike ride and we celebrated the Queen’s jubilee, in July we saw the Olympic
torch in Bedford and attended London Pride, in August I joined windband camping
and we saw lots of Olympic events, in September we saw Paralympic events and
the closing ceremony, also in September, Ali ran the great north run, in October
Ali ran the Peterborough half marathon and we went on holiday with Sailor to
Norfolk, in November we had our hens do, and I had my stag do. Then in
December, I married the love of my life, and now my wife. What a year.
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