Friday, February 10th - Ride to Mt. Cook - Beautiful Becomes Spectacular!

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Miles ridden = 40, elevation = 1945

 

This was a fabulous riding day even with the appearance of morning rain. Forecasts showed clearing skies so several of us opted to skip getting wet right at the beginning of the ride and take a lift from Makaroa to Tinley. This turned out the be a wise decision as the rain had pretty much ended by the the time we got on the road and we were able to start the day dry.

We headed down the road and made our first stop at a lavender farm. Unfortunately the wet summer had not allowed for their best growing season, but we still took time to pose amongst the flowers. And they did smell lovely.

 

 

Top of the hay bales at the lavender farm

 

Back on the road we sped on toward the infamous Mt. Cook stopping several times for photos. But before I continue, I would like to tell you a bit about the New Zealand roads. Primarily they are paved with "chip seal" which creates more resistance and makes for a bit of rough riding. Even with larger tires, which my bike has, it can rattle one's teeth a bit. 

 

Let's continue on. The closer we got to Mt. Cook, the better the weather and each turn brought even more incredible scenery. First we were treated to the blue waters filled with what our guide said is called "Glacier flour" which are bits of the Glacier suspended in the water and turns it this color blue. 

 

 

We even stopped for coffee - this is a "short black" instead of the normal flat white I have been enjoying. Each turn brought even more beauty.

 

 

 

 

We stopped for a delicious picnic lunch in the park. This is an indoor hut set up for the public. It is used by general travers, backpackers, camper and of course cyclists.

 

 

The gentleman do the dishes

 

Just when we thought it couldn't get any better, it did! 

 

 

 

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Now just a bit about Mt. Cook

Aoraki / Mount Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand. Its height since 2014 is listed as 3,724 metres (12,218 feet), down from 3,764 m (12,349 ft) before December 1991, due to a rockslide and subsequent erosion

 It is also a favor rite challenge for mountain climbers and consists of three summits, Its level of difficulty is often underestimated and can change dramatically depending on weather, snow and ice conditions. The climb crosses large crevasses, and involves risks of ice and rock falls, avalanches and rapidly changing weather conditions.

Since the early 20th century, around 80 people have died attempting to climb the mountain , making it New Zealand's deadliest peak. The climbing season traditionally runs from November to February, and hardly a season goes by without at least one fatality.

A History of climbing Mt. Cook as taken from Wikipedia 

1642 - Aoraki possibly sighted by Abel Tasman and crew members[40]

1770 - Captain Cook named the Southern Alps

1851 - Captain Stokes of the survey ship HMS Acheron gave the name Mount Cook to Aoraki

1894 - First ascent of Aoraki / Mount Cook, on Christmas Day, by Jack Clarke, Tom Fyfe and George Graham

1910 - Freda du Faur became the first woman to climb Aoraki / Mount Cook

1913 - First ascents of the footstool and Mt Sefton made by Freda du Faur's climbing party

1914 - First fatal accident, when three men caught in avalanche on Linda Glacier

1982 - Mark Inglis trapped in snow cave

1991 - Avalanche of 10 million cubic metres of snow and rock causes 10 metres to be lost off the top of Aoraki / Mount Cook[20] Two decades of erosion of the ice cap exposed after this collapse reduced the height by another 30 m to 3,724 m, as revealed by new GPS data from a University of Otago climbing expedition in November 2013.

1998 - The Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act officially recognizes the original name, renaming the mountain Aoraki / Mount Cook

History Edit

1642 - Aoraki possibly sighted by Abel Tasman and crew members[40]

1770 - Captain Cook named the Southern Alps

1851 - Captain Stokes of the survey ship HMS Acheron gave the name Mount Cook to Aoraki

1894 - First ascent of Aoraki / Mount Cook, on Christmas Day, by Jack Clarke, Tom Fyfe and George Graham

1910 - Freda du Faur became the first woman to climb Aoraki / Mount Cook

1913 - First ascents of the footstool and Mt Sefton made by Freda du Faur's climbing party

1914 - First fatal accident, when three men caught in avalanche on Linda Glacier

1982 - Mark Inglis trapped in snow cave

1991 - Avalanche of 10 million cubic metres of snow and rock causes 10 metres to be lost off the top of Aoraki / Mount Cook[20] Two decades of erosion of the ice cap exposed after this collapse reduced the height by another 30 m to 3,724 m, as revealed by new GPS data from a University of Otago climbing expedition in November 2013.

1998 - The Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act officially recognizes the original name, renaming the mountain Aoraki / Mount Cook