I’ve booked a one way trip to Mt cook the next day via cheekykiwitravel to continue the next part of my journey. Pick-up time was very early at 6.27am. So I deliberately chose a hotel that was very near the pick-up location so I don’t have to lug my luggages around

Waiting for the shuttle to come pick me up at Breakfree on Cashel. Can’t believe the sky was so bright at 6.20am and the wind was very cold but yet the shuttle was still not here even past 6.30am. So I was freezing. lol. There were a few agencies picking up guests at this location so do take note of it

The shuttle finally arrived and we got to be on our way! Cheekykiwitravel focus on being a small group tour which was good! I really prefer small group tours whenever I use day tours but everyone’s definition of ‘small’ can be very subjective. lol. I was so tired I slept on the bus for the first part of the journey and only to wake up in time for a pitstop for breakfast

The shuttle made a stop somewhere for us to grab coffee and bites at our own expenses. They also have a proper breakfast menu here like egg benedicts, in case you have a larger appetite in the morning

Grabbed a muffin and coffee for myself which wasn’t too bad

And here’s the small group tour bus used by Cheekykiwitravel! So yup, it’s really a small group tour. They helped to transport luggages as well so this agency made a good option to use if you need to travel from one point to another with luggages

We sighted so many animals along the trip it felt like we were going on an animal sighting. The driver even chimed the weather was nice that day, means it must be raining on Mt Cook side and we went nooooo

Yup, it’s really gorgeous weather – clear blue skies with wind and sun. So it was cooling but not that cold with the sun

We had a few pitstops to take some photos

One of the passengers asked if we can find somewhere to take photos of the NZ lupins and the driver managed to find some places along the way!

So lucky to be in time for these lupins still

Then we continued our drive towards Mt Cook, but first dropping by Lake Tekapo where we were greeted with the nicest view of the lake, surrounded by lupins

Also not forgetting the Church of Good Shepard, even though everyone just wants a photo of the lake. lol

Me included

Had to make the most out of our time there since we only had a quick pitstop before we moved on

But. It’s really pretty

Tapataia Mahaka Peters lookout

The drive towards Mt Cook was so scenic that anywhere around the lake you could stop and take some nice photos

And sadly as we were approaching Mt Cook, it was really raining. We reached Hermitage hotel at 12 ish and there were some who wanted to go to the glaciers for photos. Given it was raining, I decided to give it a miss. So the rest who didn’t want to join decided to chill at the hotel instead before the change of vehicles at 2pm (for next part of the journey)

So I went to Sir Edmund Hillary Cafe and decided to have my lunch

Lunch was included part of this tour, which was a packed sandwich with snacks, bites and drinks. I have to say the food was actually not bad. Like yummy enough for a sandwich. I was glad there was lunch provided cos when I wanted to get a hot drink..

And the queue was zomg. There was also alot of visiting tourists, making a stop at this hotel before they continued on with their journey

I went back to the lobby at 2pm, picked up my luggages and proceeded for check-in but was told I was too early. So that meant..

loitering around the hotel some more, updating socials and just zoning out

Or staring at the rain

Even had time to go to the activity centre/souvenir store to see what’s in there. Sadly there was nothing much so after a long while, I finally got my keys and headed up to my room!

Before I arrived, any local who learnt I was going to stay at Hermitage hotel seemed so excited for me. They said the rooms were placed strategically so that every room had a good view of the mountain

Unfortunately the mountain was playing hide and seek with me

But it was quite a nice room though, spacious enough

And I spent the next few hours blogging and enjoying the red wine I had bought and brought along from Blenheim cos there was really nothing much to do in that weather

2 hours later when I looked up, I saw a much clearer sky!

They say weather at Mt Cook is quite unpredictable so I’m really praying with all my heart. At the very least, this was quite a positive sign

Then I decide to make a simple dinner using my cooker and the ingredients I had bought from Christchurch. I would say that was the best decision ever. Luncheon meat + Korean porridge, with snacks and wine. And with that, I called it a night

I jumped out of bed the next morning at 6am, rushed to open my curtains and to my delight, the sky was clear! So without any hesitation, I changed and headed out

To start my morning trek at 6.30am

I must be crazy.

lol. Tbh, I’m not a nature/trekking person so to start trekking at 6.30am – wow, this is a first. And the weather forecast said it will start raining at 10am so I had to make it back by then

It was so quiet with nobody around I was legit worried if I was on the right track. And when I saw some parts of the grey clouds, that contributed to my worries

Reached a point where it was supposed to be a wide crossing but the water’s all gone so it’s just pavement with rocks now and I was thinking to myself how do we cross this if there’s water then?

Like it was really quite wide in my opinion

Got some comfort when I saw signages

Even more comfort when I saw humans after a long while. Like finally, I’m not alone!

The said humans turned left for another potential 3 hours or more hike. I was happy to know I only had another 15 mins more before I reached the viewing point. So YAY

Even though the 15 mins did feel a little long. But when I looked back, I was actually quite proud of how far I’ve come

And more so when you saw the viewpoint in sight, the excitement just burst from within you and you could suddenly march with alot more energy. lol

I did it!

I spent quite awhile here cos it was so nice sitting, chilling with the strong wind with nobody around and I managed to do my dance cover here even though the stand kept falling cos the wind was simply too strong

After awhile, I decided to begin my trek down and could enjoy the view properly

In slower pace this time round. This trek wasn’t difficult but definitely not one you should do in rainy weathers. There were also more people trekking up then so the path felt more crowded when I was going down

When I saw this, I thought this was quite funny. Umbrellas are such an Asian thing

I clearly didn’t take note of all the signs when I was going up. I was just focused on trekking up

And cos it was such a rare morning with good weather, there were also alot more people up for treks

And finally back to Hermitage Hotel!

I was starving, but also thirsty and tired. I was glad to be back at the hotel and still in time for breakfast. I went to check out the breakfast line to see what’s available

It was actually quite decent but probably not something you want to eat for many days. lol

Happy to eat, drink my coffee and orange juice. And then I zoned out. After long enough, I decided to head up to my room to rest since they were closing for breakfast

Really so lucky to be able to do my trek cos it has been raining so bad

Managed to upload and edit some photos before I decided to go shower and take a nap cos it was just too much energy spent that morning

And when I woke up… Noooo, it’s raining again!

I had booked a dinner reservation at the Panorama Room that was supposed to have a splendid view of Mt Cook. But since it was raining, I had my doubts

I was down at 5.55pm, first to arrive. They asked me which view I would like to have and I legit don’t know how to respond

Like what difference would it make? They jokingly said I could choose a view with lesser greens

Right.

I guess I shall just start with some wine then

Carrot & Ginger Soup with Coconut Cream, Curry Spices, Preserved Fennel, Toasted Almonds

I went for the 3 course menu and they started with some amuse bouche. This was actually not bad. It tasted like curry, though a light version of it. It was aromatic and hearty

Complimentary Bread

and it came with some bread. The bread was delicious. I finished both of them

Seared Scallops with Prawn Tails, Confit Pork Belly, Pistachio Puree, Chicken Skin Wafers, Cauliflower, Radish, Pickled Mushrooms, Sauce Vierge, Coconut Soy Foam

The scallops were good too. Scallops done well and the flavours came together nicely

The rain never got lighter. Splitter, splatter all evening. I worried about my night activity later on

Pan Roasted Pork Fillet, Slow Cooked Pork Belly, Kumara & Mandarin Puree, Bak Choy, Shitake Mushroom, Braised Shoulder & Lap Cheong Sausage Spring Roll, Radish, Pistachio & Kombu Crumble

`The highlight was the pork and the super crisp pork belly skin which was omg. The pork had quite a strong taste to it, but when you paired it with the mandarin puree, it actually went together nicely and the sauce masked the taste pretty well. This was a very Asian-inspired dish I felt, or rather the entire dish was pretty Asian-inspired. I wondered where did the inspiration come from. lol

Vegan Chocolate Tart, Bitter Chocolate Crumbs, Peach & Wild Berry Compote, Salted Almond Tuile, Mandarin Sorbet

Ending off with desserts which was a pretty standard chocolate dessert

The meal overall was quite decent. I was surprised

And with that I went back to my room, ready to fall asleep. I had a stargazing activity at 10.30pm. Check-in time was only at 10.15pm and they would then let you know if the activity were to proceed. I was so comfortable on my bed I actually didn’t want to leave the room

But I dragged myself out to the activity centre

When the GO AHEAD came on, half of me was really happy, the other half of me was so ready to head to bed. lol

So the group of us boarded the bus that would take us to another place where the stargazing activity will take place

The location was not that far off from the hotel. It had an indoor area which was really warm inside and blankets were provided cos we had to stand out there in the cold for the entire session

We were split into 2 groups and I happened to be in the same group with 4 Singaporeans. So this was like ‘Singapore party’. lol. And the 4 of them were really nice and friendly towards me cos they treated me as their 小妹. It’s nice to meet fellow Singaporeans on the trip sometimes – a touch of familiarity definitely

I was amazed by how many stars there were up there. You probably can’t see everything from the photos but it was like wow. We had a brief lesson on the constellations and different stars as well and how to spot one from the other. So it was pretty interesting I must say

I was glad the sky cleared up and also thankful for the blanket cos the wind was NO JOKE. And with that, we were brought back to the hotel

Last morning at Mt Cook and I was greeted with a rainbow. I thought the beautiful weather meant there would be no more surprises, only to receive an email that says my alpine experience w Mt Cook Ski Planes & Helicopters couldn’t proceed due to unfavourable weather conditions. Oh man. I was looking forward to to the ski plane

So I had the option to opt for the helicopter ride instead which I did, cos I’m already there right. Might as well made the most of it

We were led to check-in while we waited for our turn and hey, I met the same group of Singaporeans again! They asked me to join them on their trek and I’m like no, thank you. Miss here just wanna take it easy. haha

They placed markers for everyone according to your weight and I was trying to guess what this means

And then we were brought out to the open to wait for our helicopter to arrive. It was actually quite breezy and my hair couldn’t stop flying around

Helicopter is here!

I was happy I was seated next to the window cos that means I could take photos/videos of the scenery freely

And that marked the start of our 25- min helicopter ride

The scenery was really one to behold. I would have imagine in winter where the snow-capped mountains would be even more defined with endless snow

We made a landing on the top of Aoraki where we free to roam around and take photos

I had to say it was really quite cold up there, like unexpectedly cold

One for the road

I could understand why it was so easy for helicopters to get into accidents cos you simply cannot control the wind. At some point, it was legit scary

I was kinda glad we landed

But I must say it was quite a fun experience. And to experience it in New Zealand was probably one I wouldn’t regret

And with that, I ask the staffs to send me back to the hotel. I had alot of time before my pickup at 2pm which will take me to Queenstown so I made myself comfortable at the lounge, for a very long time in fact since I was done with all the activities and I just wanted to chill

The pick-up to Queentown finally arrived and I was continuing with next part of the journey

which passed by the famous salmon farm – High Country Salmon. Why is it so famous? I have no idea. But the stench of the fish smell was so strong you would have smelled it once you get off your car

There were well, slices of salmon to buy if you wanted a box or two

The cafe was packed with people and everyone seemed to enjoy a dish or two

Especially when these boxes of sushi roll looked so inviting

Which was definitely a mistake. What was I thinking…

The scenery towards Queenstown was quite different. It looked more brownish with alot of cactus-like plants. So it was really a different kind of view

We dropped by a market which bulk of them got a fresh fruit ice cream

Wow, they must have ran out of names. lol

The final stretch of drive before we reached Queenstown, which we passed by the bungee jump area. Unfortunately nobody was jumping so we couldn’t feel the adrenaline with them

But that marked the end of the final long drive as I settled the next few days at Queenstown

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