We spent four nights in miniature cabins at Lake Ruataniwha Holiday Park & Motels in Twizel, a small town in the Canterbury Region of the South Island of New Zealand which was a great jumping off point for exploring the area. When we arrived, we were quite surprised by the size of the two cabins we had. We knew there were shared bathrooms, but didn’t really realize that they were two 1/2 shipping containers with a bunkbed and single bed and that’s it. Very cozy accommodations! Having shared bathrooms and a communal kitchen is a bit of a pain, but it was nice to be “camping” again because of how much time you spend outdoors. The campground was located right on a lake which was really nice.

Steffen’s birthday was on Thursday, so after school/work, we headed to Lake Tekapo for a soak in the Tekapo Springs, a series of warm/hot water pools with gorgeous views of the lake and mountains. I had been there a few years ago with my friend and really wanted to bring the family there as well. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t great so we didn’t get the views but it was still so relaxing and lovely. On the drive back to Twizel, we did catch some of the beauty New Zealand has to offer. Then we enjoyed some Thai food in town and called it a day.

On Friday, we wanted to visit Aoraki (aka Mt Cook) but first Olivia and Charlotte had to meet up (virtually) with their science teacher. Unfortunately both wifi and cellular service were limited at the campground, so we had to drive into town to do the call. Hannah also did her schoolwork then, and Luisa and I enjoyed a lovely breakfast together.

From there we drove towards Mt Cook and saw a hitchhiker on the side of the road. We picked him up, and he was a very nice Spanish man who has been travelling full-time for over 18 months. It was so fun to compare places we had in common and swap stories. He had just spent an extended period of time in Australia, so has some good tips for us. As we approached the parking lot, we were lucky enough to get some amazing views!

We went on a couple of walks. The first one, Hooker Valley Track, was sadly closed less than halfway in, so we just went as far as we could. Usually you can walk all the way to Hooker Lake which offers a close up look at Mt Cook. It was still a beautiful walk!

We decided to walk to Kea Point for stunning views of Aoraki. It was an easy hike that was well worth it! Not only did we have views of Mt Cook, but also of Mueller Glacier lake and the glaciers that feed it. Incredible!

From there we drove to our final stop, the Tasman Glacier View Track. The Tasman Glacier is the longest glacier in New Zealand and you can see it (underneath all the sand) where it ends in the lake. There are also some sobering signs showing you how it has shrank over the years and the rapidly in which it is currently retreating. I feel very lucky that we have gotten to see this and that the girls have, too. I think it’s so important for them to learn about and experience these environmental degradation in order to take climate crisis seriously.

And a few more shots as we headed home that evening. Another day on this trip where we got so lucky with the weather! The next day was overcast and then a storm blew in Saturday night which kept all six of us awake all night. On Sunday’s drive to Christchurch it rained the whole time. So we were extra thankful that this was the weather we got on our day to visit Aoraki!