Aoraki's Hooker Valley

Sunday dawned sunny and warm, and so we decided to do the Hooker Valley trail, often billed as New Zealand's finest day-hike, and therefore in the running for finest day-hike world-wide. As the fella says. The trail goes 5k up the valley to Hooker Lake, into which spills a glacier falling from Mt. Cook itself. On a good day, it would be hard to beat. The views of Mt. Cook as well as the glaciers hanging off Mt. Sefton are stupendous.

Not far down the trail, hanging glaciers and a tarn

Aoraki--Mt. Cook--at the head of the valley, its summit in the
clouds

Ever-interesting New Zealand clouds--at the intersection of the
maritime and the alpine, in the thick of the Roaring Forties
(latitude)

Imagine my surprise when I put my glasses back on...

At trail's end

Lake and glacier

Thus

A solitary iceberg at the end of the lake

Heading back...hanging glaciers

Vicki on one of the several suspension bridges

Looking back to Mt. Cook

The clouds have parted!

Affording a good view of the summit (right of center)

In the distance, now many miles from the mountain, Lake Pukaki

Back at our campsite, first use of our Nemo
shower...a success that will extend our feedom-
camping ways!