Road to nowhere - Mount Cook Village, Lake Pukaki and Alpine Salmon

There is just one road in and out of Mount Cook National Park – State Highway 80 - a slightly uninspiring name for such a memorable drive. The hardest part was trying not to pull over every few minutes as another jaw dropping vista came into view. The road snakes alongside Lake Pukaki, arguably the jewel in the crown of the Mackenzie region. Lake Pukaki is the largest lake and just maybe the most striking, although it has some tough competition. Extremely fine rock particles or glacier flour create a quite brilliant glinting turquoise colour in the lakes water. Lake Pukaki Information Centre is potentially the most perfect spot for a photograph anywhere, with the backdrop of the Southern Alps creating a picture-perfect frame around the edges of the lake. It is also home to the retail outlet for Mount Cook Alpine Salmon which was the ideal excuse needed by me to pull over. I grabbed a sashimi tray and devoured the decedent salmon pieces whilst appreciating the fresh alpine air.

Mt Cook Village and the Hooker Valley Track - mountian and glacier exploring

Positioned in the heart of the glacier valley Mount Cook Village is a functional service town with a vast array of accommodation options. What Mount Cook Village may lack in colourful character though it certainly makes up for in location. The scenery here is colossal in proportion, almost as limitless as the mountains of New Zealand’s Southern Alps that tower above. To my naked eye it made everything man-made in this area look mightily insignificant. Even campervans as they crawled along the valley roads appeared as ants streaming across a floor. This was the kind of absorbing scenery that made me want to get out into the great outdoors and so I embarked on the 10km, three-hour return Hooker Valley Track. The well-formed pathway traversed through tussock grassland and around humps and ridges (known as moraine and created over time by glacial rock and debris). Mountains loomed overhead with glaciers tumbling down their sides. Mount Cook National Park has the highest mountain range in New Zealand with nineteen peaks reaching over 3,000 metres above sea level. I encountered alpine lakes created by the ice melt from the glaciers. And throughout the valley the roar of the mighty Hooker River was never far from earshot. I crossed its gushing flow no fewer than three times as purpose-built swing bridges took me back and forth. This was a particularly exhilarating experience on the way back when the wind picked up and howled its way through the valley which made the bridge crossing more of a white-knuckle ride with a tight grip being the order of the day. The track ended at the Hooker Lake which appeared suddenly in front of me as I rounded a corner. Up above was the commanding peak of Mount Cook otherwise known as Aoraki, the largest mountain in New Zealand and instinctively the most recognizable. Hooker Lake was the perfect spot for a brief respite and the taking of the prerequisite photographs before heading back down the track and to the comparable calm of the Mount Cook Village.

Kayak on an ice lake at Tasman Glacier, middle of the South Island

It was a bit of a surreal experience gliding past giant chunks of ice displaced in the middle of an alpine lake. But I supposed that had been my morning so far beginning from the moment I had peeked out of my lodge room window and seen rabbits bounding down the lane. Now just a few hours later I was sat in a kayak gently paddling out across a proglacial lake. Less than 40 years ago Tasman Terminal Lake as it is now known hadn’t even existed. It was created when the Tasman Glacier slowly retreated leaving behind a few small ponds that by 1990 had become the ever-expanding lake found here today. My guide informed me that the water was as pure as the ice that created it but murky in colour due to fine glacial rock deposits. As I looked to the far side of the lake I could see I solid wall of ice – in fact I soon discovered that this was the largest ice structure to be found in all off New Zealand. The Tasman Glacier is about 23 km in length and 2 km in width – a quite literal frozen monster of ice. It paints a far from glamourous setting in terms of picturesque vistas, as is the usual norm in New Zealand, with the rough dark glacial rock fall creating a rubble strewn back-drop, yet there was a sense still of intrigue here, a place of mystery and fascination. The splash of colour in this visual grey glacial wasteland emerged from the blue-whiteness of the huge chunks of ice. This ice, estimated to be about 400 years old, broke away from the apron of the glacier and gradually floated across the lake. All around my kayak as I propelled myself about drifted much smaller fragmented pieces of ice particle, as clear as glass, that I was able to scoop up from out of the water to touch and taste. As I sat in silence contemplating the sheer majesty all around me the only noticeable sound was the ripple of my paddle across the surface of the water - even on a dreary day the scene was incredibly atmospheric. I have certainly never experienced anything quite like it.

Devonport and it's astonishing history, an Auckland suburb worth exploring

Directly across the harbour from central Auckland is Devonport. Devonport is positioned on the end of a peninsula and is the quintessential colonial suburb - all white washed villas with wrap around verandas. Devonport is framed on either side by two extinct volcanos, Mount Victoria and North Head.  Much of Devonport is built on old lava flows that descend from Mount Victoria, ‘The Hill Standing Above’ as per the meaning of its Maori name, Takarunga. Mount Victoria is the highest natural point to be found in Auckland and is situated, very handily, close to the villages main through fare. A brief ferry journey and short walk took me up to the volcano that was once home to a Maori Pa (a traditional fortified settlement). Some reminders of this time are still visible on the peak today. The memorising views across to the city make the climb worthwhile.

Descending along the Mount Victoria lookout path I ventured through the pretty tree lined streets towards Cheltenham Beach. Hidden away on the far side of Devonport this long sandy stretch of coastline is sheltered and peaceful, a perfect spot for a swim on a summer’s day. My objective though was to stroll its full length to join the stairway up to North Head or Maungauika as it is known in Maori. Devonport’s second volcano is now a significant historical site. It was New Zealand’s most important coastal defence post for some 120 years due to its perfect position overlooking the entrance to the harbour with magnificent perspectives across the whole of the Hauraki Gulf.

A self-guided walk took me underground and through a net-work of interlinking tunnels, old barracks and gun encasements. The construction of this underground city began back in the 1870’s due to the perceived ‘Russian scares’ when people became convinced that New Zealand would suffer some sort of Russian attack. Forty prisoners lived on the summit of North Head in 1885 and built many of the tunnels and gun batteries. In World War Two North Head’s summit again became the focal point for Auckland’s defence against possible submarine attack in the harbour. In fact, the New Zealand navy did not fully vacate the site until 1996. It is now open to the public to explore its historic attractions.

What has endured since the Navy days are North Head’s mysteries. Rumours continue to persist of hidden tunnels and unknown objects. A recurring story is about two fully sized passenger aircraft being hidden in the depths of the volcano. No one quite knows why this story started, an urban legend no doubt, and despite numerous archaeological surveys and studies nothing has ever been discovered – not yet anyhow……

Rangitoto Island, Auckland, North Island

Rangitoto is Auckland’s most recent and arguably most impressive volcano emerging in a cacophony of fire and fury from the ocean floor only around six hundred years ago. Over the course of the next two hundred years an island was created that today sits proudly as an iconic feature in the heart of the Hauraki Gulf - the name given to the stunning marine area surrounding Auckland’s Eastern Coastline. Rangitoto is the perfect symmetrical cone shaped volcano featured on many a photograph or image of the city skyline.

I hopped on one of the early morning ferries across to Rangitoto keen to get out and explore as much of the island as possible. From the recently restored wharf at Rangitoto Island I followed the signs to the ‘Summit Track’ - the most popular and direct route up to the volcano’s peak. It took me just over an hour to climb the 3 km route and despite the island appearing as though it is smothered in bush, I came across vast, dark and desolate lava fields. I had been warned prior to my visit that on hot, sunny days the scoria landscape can become scolding to the feet as the heat reflects off the ground, luckily it was still early so my trainers remained unscathed! At 259 metres above sea level Rangitoto’s summit offered me a glorious 360-degree view of the Auckland Skyline and Hauraki Gulf. After a brief respite to absorb the splendour and discover the sights I continued onwards to follow a path around the outside rim of the volcanos crater. Rangitoto’s crater is a large deep space that I presumed would be full of rubble and volcanic debris, I certainly didn’t expect a forest! I peered down over the viewing platform railings to look out over the largest Pohutukawa Forest in the world. Gnarly trunked Pohutukawa trees bloom with crimson flowers in summer months and are therefore considered New Zealand’s adopted native Christmas tree. I discovered that in addition to impressive Pohutukawa, Rangitoto is home to over two hundred different species of native plants and trees all off which are flourishing in its predator free status. Over the last few years Rangitoto and its neighbour Motutapu (which are linked by a man-made causeway constructed during World War Two) have been categorised as protective islands. Essentially this means that they are predator free. All potential pests such as rats, stoats and possums have been successfully eliminated allowing for the restoration of native bush and bird life.

A short stroll back down from the crater summit I came upon the lava caves. Eager for adventure I flicked on my torch light and carefully made my way into the darkness of the caves exploring their hidden depths and discovering twisting tunnels. They were formed when hot lava drained out from inside a solid outer crust leaving a hollow tube. Rangitoto Island is home to seven such caves and luckily some are safe enough to be investigated by us general public. At one point I switched my torch off allowing my eyes to adjust to the total darkness, it was a surreal experience.

My hike continued taking me down another side of Rangitoto and along what is known as the Coastal Track - traversing mangroves that are home to numerous coastal birds. Apparently, these pathways were constructed during the 1920’s when prisoners were subject to hard labour on the island. In order to pay for these works island baches were built as holiday homes for families to visit. Thirty of these remain and are dotted alongside the coastal pathway. Bach 38 located next to the Wharf has recently been restored as a museum.

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