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Discover (4) South Island of New Zealand.

- 27 December 2010 to January 17, 2011 -

Part 4 - Towards the mountains and glaciers of the west coast ...

By Barbara

On 7 January, we welcome to Christchurch airport, Emmanuelle and Oliver, our friends from France we find for 8 days in the South Island. What a joy for us to review! If the long voyage makes meetings enjoyable and often very exotic, family and friends will miss during the long months of mop. Also New Zealand, besides being a stopover for the really seductive beauty of the country, the hospitality of its people, and the return on land, will remain the same for me that a reunion with loved ones: my parents came to spend two months there, and our friends in France, Christophe, Emmanuel and Oliver.

Transalpine On the road that can switch from one coast to coast South Island in the space of 240 km, is Kura Tawhiti, an extraordinary geological site. It is a universe of eroded limestone astonishing forms. Emma, our friend sculptor treats the show.

Arthur's Pass National Park is full of hiking, here we are on a suspension bridge that leads to Devil's Punch Bowl Waterfall, a beautiful waterfall 131 meters high. At this altitude, the vegetation is mainly composed of beech and oak austral.

In the background, Mount Cook, the highest peak in New Zealand which culminates at 3754 m. The first ascent of Mount Cook was made Dec. 25, 1894 by a group of climbers from New Zealand. Since then, Mount Cook has become a major training site for mountain climbers from around the world, including (Sir) Edmund Hillary, New Zealand citizen, first to conquer Everest in 1953.

Franz Joseph Glacier.

Except in Argentina, this is the only other place in the world where a glacier descends so low in elevation to a temperate zone, amid a forest of subtropical wet. The glacier descends at an average speed of 70 cm per day to the sea nearby.

This river of ice will remain for me one of the most beautiful visual memories of the South Island.

Hike Copland Track.

This hike crosses the New Zealand Alps via Copland Pass to Mt Cook Village. The hike requires an experience full of high mountains. We will only the first step to Welcome Flat hut, two days round trip.

From hiking, we have the pleasure of meeting Sylvia, charming Quebec, which will work with us to the refuge. She will find her kiwi friend, Roger. The latter was left with a guide, the village of Mount Cook, two days earlier, in reverse.

The first step is a beautiful walk, with a gradual ascent crossing mountain forest, hanging bridges and streams to ford.

After crossed many bridges, we were not really proud ... we got after running 7:00 at the shelter. Nice surprise, we found pools of natural hot springs where we made the hippos, super relaxing after a hike!

Here we are all 4 in the morning before the shelter, after a good nights sleep, ready to attack the descent.

We will record time of 5:00 ... in fact we did not put enough food on race and the prospect of a hearty fish and ships at arrival gave us wings ...

The guardian of the Welcome Flat hut (refuge DOC) we had strongly recommended a new hiking near Wanaka to watch the Rob Roy Glacier.
To reach the starting point, we travel a lovely track.

We never regret the choice of a Land Rover instead of that of a camper as envisaged by our arrival in New Zealand.