Road Trip Day 24 - Fairly Holiday Park, Mackenzie Country

We made a decision not to visit the Milford Sound, and instead travelled towards Mount Cook instead. We had been to Milford Sound during the previous road trip, and we felt that it would only do Milford Sound justice if we could do a overnight cruise in Doubtful Sound as well. However, due to a tight schedule and difficulty in logistics with dogs not allowed in Milford Sound, we decided that this trip would have to be postponed until the next time we visit NZ!

Mount Cook did not disappoint at all! It was absolutely magnificent! We tried our best to capture the beauty of the location in a photo, but you need to be there in order to appreciate the majestic nature of Mount Cook!

We were the first people to reach Peter's lookout in the morning, and took the dogs down to the lake to play. Dogs are not allowed in the National Park, so we want to make use of the opportunity to tire out the dogs before we drive into Mount Cook National Park. Before long, when we looked up the hill, there were lots of Chinese tourists - everyone of them had their super-expensive camera, with super long lens taking pictures of the view! We quietly put the dogs in the van, and headed into the National Park, hoping to be in the park before all the tourist "invaded" the place!

After making a short tour around the visitor's centre, reading about the history of the expedition in the mountain, we headed to Tasman glacier. Asa result of climate change, the glacier had retreated, and it was no longer as grand as it used to be. Furthermore, the blue lake, which was named because of the color of water due to it being fed by the melting glacier water, is now a disgusting-green color lake being fed by rainwater instead of the glacier. Both the Tasman glacier and blue lake was a disappointment but it reflected the true, devastating nature of climate change! :(

As we started driving out of the National Park, Hannah and I keep having thoughts about how good it will be to soak our tired bodies in a hot tub. I guess we were not only tired and dirty (had not shower for days!), but also probably because of the cold weather!

Some of the things we learned from travelling on this road trip - good tips for backpacking tourist
- Always look into salmon farms! There might be salmon on discount! It will help to supplement your diet and it definitely taste great!
- Learn to appreciate hot continuous shower in the holiday park because it is definitely a LUXURY!