We'll be coming down the mountain ..

Waking up on our transit day from Mount Cook to Oamaru, we didn't realise you had to pay a supplement for the view ........... as ours had been removed!!! With the car packed, we drove back up to the Hermitage Hotel for breakfast and hopefully let the weather improve. Which it did, and we were soon heading back down the mountain along Lake Pukaki towards Twizel and the nearest petrol station. (thankfully as it was downhill, if we ran out of fuel, I could free wheel there!!). On our way to Oamaru, we drove past numerous hydroelectricity dams, and what reminded me of old western towns I saw in cowboy films, with everything on one street as you pass through We stopped at one such town: Kurow, and it really was like stepping back into the old days. Another stop before arriving in Oamaru was at the impressive Elephant Rocks on the Island Cliff-Duntroon Road. About 23-25 million years in the making the large hummocky rock formations that look a lot like Elephants were created after fossil-rich limestone deposited millions of years ago eroded, leaving behind an incredible boulder-field which towers above your head. We finally arrived at our hotel at the Mews Motel at about 3:00 some 3 & 1/2 hours and 240 kilometres later.Read more