The reason I chose to stay at the Hermitage Hotel was the views the rooms have of Mount Cook. True enough, we woke up to a spectacular view of Mount Cook. My first instinct was to set up my tripod in the room so that it could take nice photos at the balcony of the room!
We ordered breakfast that was delivered to the room. It was not the full breakfast that they had at their buffet. I opted for the simple one. And when I opened the box, I was convinced that it was really simple (a little too simple for 2 person)!
At the Mount Cook Museum, we read about climbers who had successfully ascended the summit, as well as those who perished during the climb. I also flipped through a book with names of all climbers who climbed the mountain (successfully or not).
After having 1 last look at Mount Cook, we decided it was time to head to Lake Tekapo which was just an hour from Mount Cook. On our way out, we stopped by some viewing area of Lake Pukaki and took more photos with Mount Cook as our backdrop. We also managed to come up with our very own car advertisement!
We checked in to the Lake Tekapo Cottages. We had another room upgrade because we were there during non-peak period! It was a quaint looking cottage with our car parked right in front of the door step.
That afternoon, we went for our 1st horse-trekking experience. I had expected it to be a ride on the horse with the instructor or staff holding the horse while walking beside me (think pony ride in the zoo). It was nothing like that! After hubby and I hopped onto our individual horses, the staff hopped onto her horse and told us to follow behind her. I was horrified honestly, so worried that I could not manage the 700kg fella! We trekked through some forested area. There was a part where my horse did not want to move as it stopped to poop! They had to stop and wait for us in front! And there was also another part where the horse looked like it almost tripped! I was so afraid of being trampled over if I fell! Luckily, we ended the trek safe and sound! What do you do when you horse walks too near the trees??? DUCK!!
We took some pretty photos along the lake and dined at a restaurant along the main road before heading back to our cottage for a rest. If you are interested to catch the Southern lights, Lake Tekapo often comes up as 1 of the possible locations. I had initially planned to wake up in the middle of the night to try my luck. However, the cottage was in a rather secluded and dark place. We could hear the leaves and wind outside our cottage which made me feel a little scared to be honest. So, I ditched the idea and went back to sleep! Looking back, I suppose we needed that kind of darkness to see the lights (or stars at least)!
Perrine Travels 