So between the 4wd experience which was awesome and the stargazers hike and the glacial lake adventure I wasn’t feeling I was getting my daily hike in . So today after the 4wd thing I grabbed lunch at Hillary’s cafe ( everything is named after Sir Edmund Hillary as this is where he trained to climb Everest) I headed out for a 4 mike jaunt to Kea Point . This is apparently the nearest walk to the mountain without putting on crampons and scaling up the pass. The views everywhere are spectacular and the trail is well maintained. A gentle uphill climb going out that I have to admit had me huffing and puffing a bit at the very end but that meant a breeze on the return trip. Total of 4 miles but because of the views it seemed short . Bizarrely the trail was deserted which meant I had the views all to myself although on my way up I passed a group of Japanese ladies coming down . They were carrying sun umbrellas and singing . I passed no one else and I could hear their voices singing for some time as I climbed to the point . The Maori call Mt Cook “Cloud Piercer” Aoraki .  You can see why.  We were blessed with amazing weather and crystal blue skies !