Weather and Wine

To Cromwell, New Zealand

The rain that started last night did not let up this morning. We joked that New Zealand summers look an awful lot like California winters, rainy and 40F. The campground for last night, considering the $52 cost, was pretty basic -- a gravel parking lot to camp in and a bathroom and eating area, but without lights or hot water.

Since hiking in the cold drizzle didn’t seem like much fun, we drove to the nearby Sir Edmund Hillary Information Center. On a clear day, I'm sure the views from the large windows at the end of the top floor would have been spectacular. The museum photos of the knife edge ridge on top of Mt Cook explained why it had been such a difficult mountain to summit. Indeed, we had walked to the Alpine Memorial just near the campground the evening before, which contained commemorative plaques for those who had died on the mountain.

Sir Edmund Hillary, a native New Zealander, successfully made it to the top of Mt. Cook in 1948, six years before reaching the peak of Everest. The unpredictable weather, plus large quantities of ice and snow, make it particularly difficult to climb despite its relatively low elevation of only 3724m (12,215ft).

One of the near fatal climbing expeditions exhibited in the museum illustrated the effect of the fierce Southern Alps storms. Two experienced climbers, on the way down from a successful summiting, got caught in a sudden storm and had to take shelter in a crevasse. Two days later, a helicopter attempted a rescue, but flipped over during the landing attempt. More than a week later, when the storm finally let up, they were at last rescued by a second helicopter. Both climbers survived, but lost their lower legs due to frostbite. Incredibly, they both reached the summit again with the aid of prosthetic limbs!

With the cold and rain still around, we indulged in a warm meal at the Hermitage Hotel before embarking on a beautiful drive back along the lakes, Pukaki and Tekapo, and into the heart of the central Otago wine growing region.

Pinot Noir, my personal favorite, is a specialty in the area. The adults managed a quick tasting in town just beating the 5:00 closing time. Unfortunately, we were not particularly impressed, which of course means we will be forced to sample many more until we find one we like!