canyonwalker (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
canyonwalker) wrote2024-04-13 02:16 pm
canyonwalker) wrote2024-04-13 02:16 pm
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Long Drive & Late Night at Mt. Cook
New Zealand Travelog #17
Mt. Cook National Park, NZ - Fri, 12 Apr 2024, 10pm
We arrived late to our hotel at Mt. Cook National Park this evening. It wasn't late-late— not like arriving at midnight plus-or-minus 30 minutes like we often do in the US— but it was New Zealand late. It was almost 9pm when we arrived. 😅 As buttoned down for the night as things were at the hotel, you'd think it was midnight. At least this hotel still had people at the front desk at 8:45pm unlike the previous hotel.
It took a lot of driving to get here. We started in Te Anau this morning, left reasonably early— though this time after enjoying sunrise as much as we could— and drove out to Milford Sound and back with amazing views along the way.
Just that could've been a day trip. If we'd had a full day for it we could have made more stops in the park— or paid for a cruise of Milford Sound. We decided not to prioritize that since we booked a cruise of Doubtful Sound yesterday..But once back in Te Anau we kept on driving, all the way back through Queenstown, where we'd started this week's trip (or at least the land based portion of it), and then up to Mt. Cook National Park.
In all I drove 658km today. That's just over 400 miles. For most of it being on winding country roads, in addition to the sightseeing we did, that's a lot! And I am tired. Thankfully it's a) the toughest travel day in our plans so I don't have to manage an endurance test like it again this trip, and b) we're at the hotel now, so I can wind down for the night. As for the hotel....
Well, this is our room for the next two nights. It's the most expensive of all the rooms we booked for the entire trip. And so far it's the least impressive.
Why so expensive? One, we're in the park. We could have stayed an hour's drive away and spent less. That will pay off tomorrow and Sunday when we don't have to drive as much to see things and go hiking. After all the driving we did today I'm sure I'll appreciate that.
Two, this is a "Mt. Cook View" room. For now, though, we have to take it on faith that we have a view of anything. We definitely have a balcony... but right now all we can see from it is pitch blackness.
Mt. Cook National Park, NZ - Fri, 12 Apr 2024, 10pm
We arrived late to our hotel at Mt. Cook National Park this evening. It wasn't late-late— not like arriving at midnight plus-or-minus 30 minutes like we often do in the US— but it was New Zealand late. It was almost 9pm when we arrived. 😅 As buttoned down for the night as things were at the hotel, you'd think it was midnight. At least this hotel still had people at the front desk at 8:45pm unlike the previous hotel.
It took a lot of driving to get here. We started in Te Anau this morning, left reasonably early— though this time after enjoying sunrise as much as we could— and drove out to Milford Sound and back with amazing views along the way.
Just that could've been a day trip. If we'd had a full day for it we could have made more stops in the park— or paid for a cruise of Milford Sound. We decided not to prioritize that since we booked a cruise of Doubtful Sound yesterday..But once back in Te Anau we kept on driving, all the way back through Queenstown, where we'd started this week's trip (or at least the land based portion of it), and then up to Mt. Cook National Park.
In all I drove 658km today. That's just over 400 miles. For most of it being on winding country roads, in addition to the sightseeing we did, that's a lot! And I am tired. Thankfully it's a) the toughest travel day in our plans so I don't have to manage an endurance test like it again this trip, and b) we're at the hotel now, so I can wind down for the night. As for the hotel....
Well, this is our room for the next two nights. It's the most expensive of all the rooms we booked for the entire trip. And so far it's the least impressive.
Why so expensive? One, we're in the park. We could have stayed an hour's drive away and spent less. That will pay off tomorrow and Sunday when we don't have to drive as much to see things and go hiking. After all the driving we did today I'm sure I'll appreciate that.
Two, this is a "Mt. Cook View" room. For now, though, we have to take it on faith that we have a view of anything. We definitely have a balcony... but right now all we can see from it is pitch blackness.