Thursday, July 28 Mt. Cook Trip - Day 2

The next morning was cool and bright and we met up with a Department of Conservation Naturalist, Aki, who guided us on an 80-minute hike on the Governors (alpine forest) track at Mt. Cook.  Although Mt. Cook was still not willing to reveal itself, we still had beautiful views of the Southern Alps from our hike. 

We then had some time to explore the beautiful iSite and take a break before facing the elements for an afternoon hike to Kea Point.  As Mark says, “We tried it.  It was pretty hilarious.  The wind had picked up to 75 kph gusts, and we lost the trail in deep snow so we had to head back.”  

So we warmed up at the main hotel and Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Center (nice fire place at the entryway), and spent the afternoon watching a 3-D movie about Mt. Cook (Maori legend of how it was formed as well as stunning views from a plane flying around it) and planetarium shows.

We hope that the fact that Sir Edmund Hillary used Mt. Cook as just a part of his training ground for his assent to Mt. Everest helps inspire our students and deepens even further our appreciation for the enthusiasm for the out-of-doors that most kiwis possess.

That night we once again had a communal dinner and then played cards.