Sunday, November 4, 2012

New Zealand 2012 - Day #16

Sunday, November 4th

This morning we awoke to a bright, sunny day in Mt. Cook Village.  We got out of the hotel and caught our first glimpses of the mountain range that surrounded the hotel.  Great scenery.  It's amazing how much a person can miss when the sun doesn't shine.

We grabbed a cup of coffee and looked out at the scenery while we waited for the breakfast cafe to open.  After breakfast, we toured around the Edmund Hillary museum and watched a documentary on his life and his summit conquest of Mt. Everest.  Interesting stuff.

We next made our final drive of the trip.  We worked our way south into Queenstown for a late afternoon arrival - stopping periodically for pictures along some of the scenic lakes, etc.  Once into Queenstown, we booked a hotel at a downtown hostel.  This is probably one of the best hostels I've ever stayed.  We have a 4 dorm to ourselves - we're located 50 yards from the waterfront.

We had a great dinner and a couple drinks as a final farewell to New Zealand.  This place is outstanding.  I know sometimes things may seem better than they are when it's fresh in your mind.  That's not the case here -- the country is as good as advertised.  It's a Top 5 country in my books.  If ever you get the chance -- make this place a reality.

Tomorrow is a massive travel day. We get it going at 2pm with a flight back to Auckland. Then, a flight from Auckland to LAX, then LAX to Denver. I'm set to get home about the same time I leave here. I'll do a conclusion blog and hope to do a little video as well ---- it just may not happen right away. Thanks again for joining me.

 
Mt. Cook range

 
View over coffee

 
Lake leading into Mt. Cook Village

 
Scenery on drive to Queenstown

 
Scenery on drive to Queenstown

1 comment:

  1. Pretty awesome, can't wait to hear about it first hand! Travel safe!

    ReplyDelete