Continuing our drive to Mt. Cook (Aoraki historical indigenous name), we passed Lake Puluski which had an incredible blue color (from the glacier tailings) and the initial views of Mt. Cook. We had bright blue sky all day and actually concerned about sunburn. Mt. Cook is about 13,000 feet and the relief is over 10,000 from the lake below. We started late in the afternoon and took a three hour hike from the parking lot to Hooker Glacier Lake which was one of the best hikes that I have ever taken….we were hustling back because the temps were dropping quickly once the sun when behind the mountain.
We had a quick bite at the national park village and then headed towards our next town, the area is so remote and uninhabited that it is designated a “Dark Sky” zone by UNESCO and supposedly on a clear night you can see the Milky Way. Driving back by Lake Pulaski, there was nothing around this lake – no town, houses, anything. We were lucky to have a clear night – but had a full moon which generated too much light pollution to see stars or the southern lights.
Had about an hour drive to Lake Tenaka, which wasn’t huge but did have accommodations. We pulled in late and the whole village was designed around dark sky tourism….so it was very dark with no street lights.
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