New Zealand 3 - Mount Cook

It was a relatively short drive to Mount Cook (about 1.5 hours). The most remarkable stop during this scenic drive would be Lake Pukaki, renowned for its shimmering blue water. The weather wasn't perfect so the turquoise water turned out to be duller than usual. Nonetheless, the beautiful view of Aoraki/Mount Cook still made it an extremely photogenic spot. And don't forget to get some fresh Alpine salmon from Lake Pukaki Visitor Centre. The salmon sashimi was fresh and yummy. We also bought a big piece for dinner (Dried ice provided) ~

We had two goals in mind - conquering Hooker Valley Walk (highly recommended by most bloggers and is deemed to be manageable even for not-so-fit people) and Tasman Glacier Walk (a relatively short walk with magnificent view of Tasman Glacier).

Starting off with Hooker Valley Walk, the weather was not in our favour as it was raining heavily and the wind was blowing strongly. Sufficient layers of clothes are really important to prevent yourself shivering (yet we were still shivering badly). Coming from a tropical country, these were too much to be handled (snow, rain, wind, cold temperature). We gave up after one hour when we reached the first swing bridge (there is a total of 3 swing bridges, it took us much longer to reach the first one due to bad weather). We were told by the staff at visitor centre later on that the weather is usually better in the early morning and becomes worse towards late afternoon, sigh, wrong plan.

Hooker Valley Walk
Estimated time:

The first swing bridge. 

After the terrific experience at Hooker Valley, we were famished. Time for lunch. Being one of the most affordable dining place in Mount Cook Village does not mean that the Old Mountaineer's Cafe compromises on the quality of food. The portion was generous and we had 4 dishes for sharing (we also ordered a salmon pizza but somehow I didn't manage to capture a photo of it).

Food
The Old Mountaineer's Cafe
Address:  Aoraki Mount Cook Village, New Zealand.
Opening Hours:
Weekdays - 10am to 3.30pm, 5pm to 9pm
Weekends - 10am to 9pm

The Old Mountaineers' Hamburger with Chips ($26)

Mountaineers' Soup of the Day ($15)

Meat Lover's Pizza ($27)

After our lunch, we decided to try our luck at Tasman Glacier Walk. Just follow the sign to Tasman Glacier Viewpoint, don't be fools like us who went all the way to Tasman River and Jetty, but ended up realizing the fact that you can actually view all of these at the designated viewpoint. It took about half an hour round trip, but the climb over flights and flights of stairs was rather tiring. Didn't take a lot of photos because I was freezing (too cold to leave my bare hands out to operate my camera).

Our accommodation of the day was at Twizel Holiday Park, the cheapest stay throughout our NZ trip. Of course, the unit was kinda old but still decent enough for the price we paid.

Accommodation
Twizel Holiday Park (only 100 MB of free WiFi per person)
Address: 122 Mackenzie Dr, Twizel 7901, New Zealand.
Price per person: 31 NZD