Mueller Hut

Sealy Tarns (halfway up)

Top of Mount Oliver (near Mueller hut) (1933m)

Mueller Hut

Mueller Hut is at 1800m, half the height of New Zealand's highest peak- Mount Cook. On clear days at Mueller hut, you get a panaramoic view of all the highest peaks, including Mount Cook. Unfortunately it was foggy up at the top- but we did get to see and hear loads of avalanches on the other side of the valley coming off the glaciers. We were perfectly safe from them at the hut though- there is no snow there at this time of the year.

Port Levy Saddle

What a hot weekend- it got up to 34 C! It stayed fairly breezy though which was actually good. The trip I was originally supposed to go on got cancelled due to 115 km/hr winds in the mountains. But this was a nice 3 hour walk just 45 minute drive from Christchurch. Notice all the dead fall- they cut down all the trees for livestock. It is amazing to see what the forest was like before it was cleared. The last 20 minutes of the walk was in the old growth part of the forest. In the first photo, that tree is supposedly 2000 years old! (I don't know if it's true or not!)

Queenstown, Milford and Otago Peninsula

Playing soccer on the beach on Christmas day in Christchurch

Underwater photo taken while swimming with the Hector's Dolphins in Akaroa

Moeraki Boulders

Yellow Eyed Penguin Reserve

New Zealand Sea Lion

Beach near Catlins Park

Top of Mount Luxmore on Keplar Track

Kayaking Milford Sound (Mitre Peak in the background)

Jack's Point Golf Course in Queenstown (which Brad said was the nicest & most difficult course he's ever played)

Chris riverboarding near Queenstown

Riverboarding

After a relaxing and warm Christmas in Christchurch, we headed to Queenstown for a few days. We went riverboarding and golfing, visited the hot pools, and went shopping- it's a beautiful place with so much to do! After that we headed to Te Anau to see Milford Sound, where we went kayaking in the Sound. We also did a day hike up the Keplar track (one of the great walks in the area) to Mount Luxmore, and an evening trip to the Glow worm caves. Then we took the scenic drive via the southern part of the south island to Dunedin and the Otago Peninsula. The highlight of the Otago Peninsula was the Yellow Eyed Penguin reserve, where strategic hides (trenches in the ground) let you see the penguins up close without them knowing you are there. When we got back to Christchurch, a few of us went to the quaint town of Akaroa just an hour from Christchurch to swim with Hector's Dolphins. They travel in much smaller pods than the Dusky Dolphins in Kaikoura, but Hector's dolphins are a special species because they are endemic to New Zealand.
Chris, Igor and our mom are going back to Canada tomorrow, and it's been a great time. We covered pretty much all of the south island!