We’re approaching the home stretch here. One more week until I leave for Australia. People ask me if I am tired of traveling after about a month and change but I’m not at this point. Of course, I conquered the Kepler and that took a whole lot of energy. But being in Te Anau itself for 5 days in total helped balance things out. It’s necessary to stay in a quieter area with no plan so you can regroup and prepare yourself for the next adventure.
I am in Twizel now, a small town about a one-hour bus ride from my next stop, Mount Cook. I left Te Anau yesterday and spent the night in Queenstown just to split things up a bit. One of the receptionists at the hostel in Te Anau was heading to Queenstown and she gave me a lift up there.
We talked the whole way and I learned a lot from her. She has an amazing story. She is from Italy but has lived and worked in so many different countries. We connected because we share a similar perspective concerning work, travel, and just life in general. She was also similar in age to me so we had more in common with each other. A majority of the people that I have been meeting are in their early twenties, which is fine, but we are just in different stages of our lives.
Mount Cook looks like it’s going to be a really awesome time. There is a very famous hut there called the Mueller Hut that is supposed to have an amazing view of the mountain and the surrounding area. Similar to the Milford Track it books out months in advance so I won’t be able to stay there. But you can camp for free around the hut if you’d like.
I was considering camping but I don’t think that is the best option for me. I would have to rent a tent to do it. And since I am not coming back to Twizel, logistically I don’t think I can make it work. That won’t stop me from hiking up there during the day and making the return journey back to town. My understanding is that the trip is five hours total (there and back) which is very doable.
I just need the weather to cooperate. It looks like it will rain tomorrow but it will be clear on Sunday. Today was the first day it has rained since I’ve been in New Zealand which is extremely fortunate. Hopefully, I can take the good weather with me to the mountain. We will see. Either way, I will make the best of it. If I have to hike through the rain, so be it.
Good luck!
Hisako