There's cloud on them there hills!

Whilst the weather wasn't getting any better we set off with hopes for a break in the cloud and the rain as we headed inland to Lake Tekapo on the way through to Mount Cook - New Zealands tallest mountain at 3754 metres.

The photos we'd seen of Lake Tekapo with the moutain ranges reflected in the still water were stunning and we hoped to bag a couple of our own...curse the grey skies and the thickening cloud cover, as alas it was just not meant to be.

After a brief lunch stop at the waters edge we headed on up the only road into the Mout Cook National Park. With 22 peaks over 3000m I was looking forward to my first visit to a real mountain range and was praying the weather would clear, even just slightly, so we could see some of this magnificant looking landscapes...again, no. Now with the cloud coming in even thicker and a persistent downpour we $were left wet, disappointed and unable to embark on even a cursory trek around the foot of some of the mountains. A couple of panoramic postcard will have to suffice for this leg of the journey.

After spending the night in a DOC (Deparment of Conservation) campsite, nestled within a beautiful valley surrounded by mountains (or so we were led to beleive by the pictures in the book), the weather cleared ever so slightly to allow us to take a short trek through to the Tasman Glacier. Expecting to be greeted at the end of our trek by some clear blue icy vistas, I was a little dissapointed by the abandoned gravel pit view - apparently at this glacier it's all underground. Oh well onwards and upwards - the weather can only get better!

Typically the weather did clear a little on our way back down from Mount Cook.