The Beauty of Mount Cook

The trip to Lake Tekapo areas gave us the sceneries of snowy Southern Alps from different angle / distance. At Lake Tekapo Town, the alps being viewed from a distance as it located at another side of Lake Tekapo. When we climbed up to Mount John, we could have the sceneries from top. The next day after Mount John trip, we headed to Mount Cook. The famous spot of Mount Cook is Aoraki Mount Cook Alpine Village. It located base of Mount Cook and surrounded by Southern Alps. This is a spectacular view as the snowy mountain just in front of us.

 

From Lake Tekapo, it took us an hour 15 minutes to reach Aoraki Mount Cook Alpine Village. It has a long distance that the road at the coast of Lake Pukaki. Thus we had a pleasant drive. Blue water, clear sky, the image of snowy alps were clearly reflected on lake.

We skipped the breakfast at Lake Tekapo and drove to The Hermitage Hotel, a highly rated hotel in the village. We had brunch there accompanied with that spectacular views. Really an enjoyable life!

As the village is pretty small, not much of choice, this cafe is one of the places that offer affordable cuisine.

The Sir Edmund Hillary Cafe & Bar @ The Hermitage Hotel

Address:

Private Bag, Aoraki Mount Cook Alpine Village, New Zealand

Open 9.30 am to 5 pm

This hotel also house a purpose-built entertainment and education centre with a planetarium, museum, stargazing deck and Hillary Gallery. This Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre is a tribute to Sir Edmund Hillary, one of the first climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the earth's highest mountain (8848 meters). Mount Cook at 3754 meters, the highest in New Zealand, it became training ground for his Everest expedition. 

Sir Edmund Hillary earlier day photo is appeared on current New Zealand $5 note.

Sir Edmund Hillary

Our ride in Southern Island.