NZ Part 10 : The Highest Peak @ Mount Cook

Mount Cook adalah antara tempat yang kami singgah yang saya amat2 kagumi. It is awesome. Dan best sangat2.

Our journey from Methven (dan hot air balloon ride yang tidak kesampaian) takes us through farms and hills and amazing NZ landscapes.

 We stopped at a local farm we passed by in Geraldine and got local honey and home made jam. And plums and peaches. And apples that had a sign that read picked this morning from our farm. No other apples tasted so good (the kids thought so too).

Sayang it was cloudy with some showers that day. Kalau tak gambar mungkin jadi lebih cantik.

And then we saw the first indication of the mountains, far away.

Sebelum sampai Mount Cook we got to Lake Tekapo. Kata internet, mesti singgah di sini kerana pemandangan gunung dan tasik yang amat cantik. Air yang teramat biru.

We stopped and we concur. Pemandanganan amat cantik. But we missed nak tangkap gambar di tasik dengan reflection gunung di air. Tak teringat. We will do that when we come next time.. InsyaaAllah.

We also passed by and stopped to take photos at Lake Pukaki.

Almost there - a closer view of Mount Cook.

We stopped for some photos.

Dan anak2 tangkap gambar di tengah jalan. I said, do you have to? Walaupun jalan agak lengang kerana jalan ini tidak ke tempat lain kecuali ke Mount Cook Village. Kata Luqman, ma that is his dream in coming to NZ. I know kan.. I do not comprehend either.

We camped at the White Horse Hill camping site. With toilets and dump station (kalau tak ada shower tu maknanya kami tak mandi malam tu .. haha.. siapa ingat orang putih mandi tiap2 hari?) And anyway it was too cold to mandi. You need thick clothes here. This is the closest you can get to Mount Cook via road because the road stops here.

Amat ramai campers lain di sini. Kami pilih parking yang sesuai dengan qiblat sebab bersolat di luar amat sejuk; terutama untuk Subuh.

Mount Cook is located in the New Zealand Dark Sky Reserve which means it has one of the most darkest skies in the world. We waited for night fall for the star gazing experience. I suppose other campers have the same idea too.

Sambil menanti senja saya membaca beberapa ayat al Quran dan kebetulan terjumpa ayat ini,

إِنَّ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْ‌ضِ لَآيَاتٍ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
Sesungguhnya pada langit dan bumi terdapat tanda-tanda (yang membuktikan kekuasaan Allah) bagi orang-orang yang beriman.
(Surah al Jaathiyah; 45:3)

and I prayed may we always be thankful and be amazed with Allah's creations and benevolence. Dan menjadi sebaik2 hambaNya. InsyaaAllah.
  

Anyway.

Kami nak ikut tour pergi stargazing and see the skies through powerful lenses; but that meant more $! Jadi malam tu kami star gaze from our camp site.The night was very cold. Tapi memang the sky was sprinkled with much more stars I have seen anywhere else.

Early morning we went out and look at the sky again. Lebih banyak bintang termasuk milky way pun boleh nampak (and a couple of shooting stars!) We should have gone on the paid star gazing tour. We will do that next time..

Our last view/photos of the mountain. We will return! InsyaaAllah.

I said to hubs, do you think we can move here? No, it is too cold was the answer I got.




~ xoxo