Snow on a Distant Mountain

Since arriving, we'd experienced only darkness and clear skies, or
daylight and low cloud with rain. By morning, from the camp site, we
could see mountains in the West - all covered with tantalising snow.
Ashburton NZ. So close to the snow, that you can see it. But not in
the darkness of our arrival. Among the trees and some drizzle, we
didn't really see just how big the mountains are. The only clue the
previous night were a few 'ski hire' signs I noticed - in passing -
through a damp side window. We were meant to just drive south towards
Dunedin, but those mountains were calling us west. I tried to
disregard them as they beckoned from the right hand side - admiring
instead their grandeur from a distance. After a while, we turned
inland, and climbed up gradually, first towards Lake Tekapo, and then
to Mount Cook. The Mount Cook road was cold and wet but there was
only a little leftover ice on the last kilometre. It's a one-way
return drive to Mount Cook, so we could easily get back onto the
clockwise circuit itinerary - except we didn't. At the Hermitage -
the hotel with the best Mount Cook view - we warmed up with a hot
chocolate in the cafe. We asked some people there which way we should
peer through the clouds to have a chance to see Mount Cook. They
turned out to be staff or owners, and offered us some spare cakes that
were bigger than Angus could handle. I declined in favour of my
figure. A young woman sat alone writing, and took a photo of herself.
We looked around reception and made use of the 'facilities'. Seeing
others with toboggans, Lynne asked about toboggan hire, and the
receptionist explained that they were free to borrow. We took two and
went off to find suitable slopes. The children really had no idea what
to do. Choosing impractically short runs or insisting on trying either
ludicrously shallow slopes or suicidally steep ones. The snow-covered
steps got a good going over, and a few tip-overs later we moved to a
longer slope. As the light faded, I knew it was time to move to lower
altitudes before the road froze over. Lynne took my picture beside
Hillary's bronze statue. Reluctantly, we returned to the van, and
chugged off back down to Glen Tanner, from where we had been told we
might see Mount Cook if the morning was clear. The camp site was
snow-covered, but well equipped with a warm kitchen area and big wood
heater. Before retiring for the evening, Angus completely soaked his
boots by carving his name into the snow. Not a smart move in winter
conditions. He received a severe tongue-lashing for his lack of
prudence.