Austrian visitors reveal the secret location where St. Peter has hidden the key's to the pearly gates

Bummer.


Just gone to bed at 3 am or so - and agreed to wake up - urm - whenever late-ish in the morning and guess what - I was wide eyed and bushy-tailed as they say at 7 am, while not a sound was heard from anywhere else - except perhaps some heavy breathing. How did that happen??  What to do now???  In my case I knew that sleep was a forlorn hope - so quietly I got up and dressed I got!  First stop the car mechanic who fixed the broken front light, then a Christchurch daily news paper from the local supermarket and then back to the motel for breakfast.  Still no noises from the sleepy mice - so this bear decided to make the most of the opportunity and took the camera and headed back to the lake for a early morning session.  Again it was sunny and warmer then yesterday - promising a hot day to travel to Mt. Cook village.  In any case with the low morning sun the angles and lighting was so different to yesterday - worthwhile being up so early and I was thinking - wrongly as it turned out to be - that I would be the only one present.  While stomping round - and taking different pictures of the front of the church, as it had lovely reflections on the main window, - one of the other girls present said - "I spotted you through the church."  Haa??
The front door is locked till 9am!!  So I went round - sure enough it is still closed - B U T - ah yes - the challenge.  Boy, I wish I had my tripod and locked the camera in position and then take several shots with different exposure rates and / or ISO etc  Well this is the best I could do - but it could have been so much better.  It reminded me also of the unfinished Wesley hymn and decided this is where St. Peter must be hiding the key's to the fabled Pearly Gates to which we all eventually have to go through!! :D

There was also a nice young and lovely - almost complementary looking  (to the church - such an angelic face!! ) girl from ol' Russia and she was taking pictures as well.  She had one of those super sized ueber-expensive telescopes (you know where you have to be a kilometre away to take a decent close up of a flower!!).  I was envious!!  Naturally this no longer shy bear engaged the lass in a short convo - which was very short due to her lack of English and my non-existent russian - Da comrade! - but I did try and point out the possible picture once the doors are open and yes you do need a good long lens for that particular shot!! A image that is only possible most mornings only, as during the day far to many people usually go either in or out or just stand in the door or - just generally roll around the place.  :)


Having got my fix and looking at the watch - I forgone more photo opportunities and went back to the motel where the mice where just stirring.  Up and breakfast and usual morning routine and then off to Mount Cook village for a decent look at this fabled Mountain and no doubt also for a stroll.  Again - we have done this particular stretch recently so knew when to expect (and soon there where more) uhhh's and ahhh's and yes please stop for photo -opportunity to be heard from the backseat!

Insert data here for those geology buffs --->    (The Southern Alps on the South Island were formed by tectonic uplifting and pressure as the Pacific and Indo-Australian Plates collided along the island's western coast. The uplifting continues, raising Aoraki / Mount Cook an average of 7 millimetres each year. However, erosive forces are also powerful shapers of the mountains. The severe weather is due to the mountain's jutting into powerful westerly winds of the Roaring Forties which run around approximately 45°S latitude, south of both Africa and Australia. The Southern Alps are the first obstacle the winds encounter after South Africa and Australia, having moved east across the Southern Ocean.
The height of Aoraki / Mount Cook was established in 1881 by G. J. Roberts (from the west side) and in 1889 by T. N. Brodrick (from the Canterbury side). Their measurements agreed closely at 3,764 m. The height was reduced by 10 metres when approximately 12-14 million cubic metres of rock and ice fell off the northern peak on 14 December 1991.  The height was further reduced by 30m to 3724m in 2014, following new GPS data from a University of Otago climbing expedition.
Mt Cook lies in the centre of the distinctive alpine fault, a 650 km long active fault in the Southern Alps. It is responsible for the uplift of Mt Cook and is considered to move every 100–300 years . It last moved in 1717.)  -

Bummer  it is over-due in terms of major earthquake - hmmmm lets not dwell on that too long while we are here. 

The next thing that has to be done is - that whenever you see Mount Cook - just seeing it (without any cloud cover) you have to partake in a  little tradition - that in having a celebratory drink. Just a teeny weeny one - I am still driving.  In terms of Maoridom ---->  According to Maori legend, Aoraki and his three brothers were the sons of Rakinui, the Sky Father. They were on a voyage around Papatuanuku, the Earth Mother, when their canoe was stranded after striking a reef in the ocean.
Aoraki and his brothers climbed onto the top their canoe. The cold south wind froze them, and turned them into stone. Their canoe became New Zealand's South Island, which was then called Te Waka o Aoraki.
Aoraki, the tallest of the brothers, became the highest peak. His brothers and crew became the other mountains of the Southern Alps.


It is THE MOST sacred place in NZ for Maori and so deserves a little bit of respect. I know you can argue that having a drink is not respectful - but we are honouring (in a European tradition) the heritage and grandeur of God's creation!  Hmm here endeth today’s history / religion lessons - righto - mooving along . . . .   In any case - we had a drink which of course had to be creatively memorialized.  In a sense the increasing levels represent the increasing difficulty when climbing the mountains. Or represent your stages of life, or - ah get on with it!

Cheers Aoraki - thanks for being such  a good sport and showing yourself in your finest livery to our visitors!! 











There were some sunnies round that had reflections and lately I do have a thing for - capturing reflections . . . .












Cousin Doris being a good sport and held her nerve and pose long enough for us to go snap snap snap. This ended up being a better picture    o.0!

Just in case you missed it - Mount Cook!! hmmm I did not count them but I am sure we have about 130 odd images of this mountain from various angles and so forth. This will have to do! if you have a better image - feel free to post . . . .

The Mount Cook village - a desolate and remote location - remote being the word - it has of course motels and a restaurant and a Backpackers place and - yes it is a National Park so a good info centre run by DOC. (Department Of Conservation)
Not bad a office to sit in and work eh?!?!?!?!

Where shall we go?? Did they REALLY climb that hill? How far is it?? Do I have to go now or can I admire for a bit longer - I want to ETCH this image in my mind!!

More importantly LUNCH!! We had a teeny wee hick-up but got in the end what we all wanted and sat outside and enjoyed the sun and location.  Various comments returned to those poor folks left in Austria who are suffering from a deluge of snow and ice . . . .

See we (as in the Mullers) do own a hut in the National Park!!!

Just discussing the local berries growing there - and NO you definitely do NOT want to eat them - well unless of course you have a exam tomorrow and want to be excused due to sickness . . . .   in which case feel free  ^^

A panoramic shot of the so called Kea Point.   You do see Kea's there - but usually only in winter.  Today - not a single squeak!! The water - is the terminal end of the glacier - just round the corner on the left, and you can see how the glacier has pushed rock and soil along originally.

This of course had to be memorialized. There are and were a large numbers of 'selfies' taken - sometimes with the help and often without the help of other people. Sometimes we get home from an days travel and I find a image from our days trip on Facebook already (along with comments and likes)  by the time I log on.  Gone are the days where you had to take a roll of film to a technician and get them developed and wait a day or so for them to be printed. I almost miss that!!  Almost!!

From time to time Mamabear has this urge to grab hold of a large one and play with it! urm - LENS that is.  She is getting good at handling the equipment! Now if I can teach her how to time the  exposure properly, we be in a happy space!!  hmmm that reads wrong too. Ah well - I have a CLEAN mind. Do you??  :D

Got to meet a couple from the great US of A and talked for a bit and with lots of cameras being flashed round they were in good hands for a combined hubby/wife picture and then the kind couple returned the favour.  This is one of the few images where ALL of us are in it!!

A favourite past time - that is if you got time - is to re-build Mt Cook. See how good your skills are and how they compare with the creator.  I think he wins hands down every time!

Coming back we decided not to cook and treat ourselves for a meal out - only to find just as we got there, that there is a power cut - and it turned out that the whole Village was out! hmm no dinner - so we wanted to eat leftovers - at home - still no power - sooooo - Tadaaa
SCOUT LEADER to the rescue!!

Brush you will be so proud of me - I had taken a a little field gas cooker with us - thinking that maybe someone wants a hot cup of coffee / tea on the road - or even a soup if the weather was foul - but alas - no such request ever came.  However in this case - it was used - reheating yesterdays leftovers and other bits and  pieces!! Yes the scout leader - for once - was prepared for a emergency!
Actually ever since the earthquakes in Christchurch we carry a gas-cooker in the home - just in case we loose power for any length of time - which can easily happen here!!   Pity about the lack of focus . . .

Day is done, gone the sun,
From the lake, from the hills, from the sky;
All is well, safely rest, God is nigh.

Fading light, dims the sight,
And a star gems the sky, gleaming bright.
From afar, drawing nigh, falls the night.

Thanks and praise, for our days,
'Neath the sun, 'neath the stars, neath the sky;
As we go, this we know, God is nigh.

Sun has set, shadows come,
Time has fled, Scouts must go to their beds
Always true to the promise that they made.

While the light fades from sight,
And the stars gleaming rays softly send,
To thy hands we our souls, Lord, commend.

'Taps'   from http://www.scoutsongs.com/lyrics/taps.html

Says it all

Night all