We left Christchurch and headed south to Mount Cook, the first glacier we would visit in New Zealand. As we drove through New Zealand, we passed such beautiful scenery with snow topped mountains and aqua lakes. I've never seen water that brilliant aqua color before. They say it's caused by reflective minerals from the glaciers. We drove through the countryside toward Mount Cook, one of the two glaciers in New Zealand. When we arrived at Mount Cook and settled into The Hermitage Hotel, we quickly changed into hiking clothes and took one of their many hikes to view the glacier there while there was still light. It was phenomenal just due to its size and power. Then we went back to our hotel, The Hermitage, and ate a sumptuous Valentine's Day meal with plenty of fine wine and gourmet food in their dining room. We had the most dramatic dinner view I've ever experienced. After dinner, we joined our other travelers for a late night view of the stars and a presentation by their resident astronomer. It was strange and beautiful to see the stars out of place according to my Northern Hemisphere viewpoint.
The next morning, we joined a tour to a glacial lake where several pieces of the surrounding glaciers have fallen into that lake as the glacier moves south. Two weeks before, a major piece of the glacier had fallen into the lake causing 10 foot high waves. Our tour was less eventful, but we went into small rubber rafts and drifted on the lake among the pieces that had broken off the glacier. We studied the geography that creates this phenomenon and saw all of the beautiful variations of glaciers. Lee even got to taste a piece of the glaciers and found it full of dirt and gravel particles. Still, it was an amazing experience.
