At over 12,000 feet in elevation, Mt. Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand. We spy its neighboring peaks well in the distance as our bus approaches the area and I snap a few shots out the window.

 

Our Stray bus driver pulls over so we can admire the view.

We stay at a beautiful mountain lodge right at the base of Mt. Cook. It’s the nicest dorm ensuite of the entire trip and only costs us $31 NZD each.

And you can’t beat the view:

That afternoon we have the option of doing a 3-hour hike, but the forecast is poor so I stay inside and enjoy the room while catching up on blogging.

We wake up the next morning to a fresh dusting of snow.

Our time here is brief. While the area is beautiful, it’s also quite remote (there’s not a store in sight) so if you visit, make sure to pack enough supplies or have extra cash to afford pricey food at the on-site restaurant. Unfortunately the Stray bus is over-booked moving onward to our next destination and it comes down to two people, one of whom must volunteer to wait a few more days for the next bus. Our driver asks the person with the most food (!) to stay behind. One of the guys graciously volunteers to hitch a ride into Christchurch, our next stop, where more people are getting off the bus and he can have his seat back. The issue of over-booking is unfortunately common with Stray — even in the off-season there are often wait lists because they downsize to smaller vehicles. It causes some headaches amongst our group. But if by chance you get stuck in Mt. Cook for a few extra days, it’s not a bad place to pass the time.