Tasman Lake

Had a plan to get some drone shots over the turquoise waters of the canal this morning. Up at 5.30 then down to my chosen location just a few kms away.  Sadly, the beautiful turquoise water was a rather dull shade of grey thanks to the thick cloud covering.............which also made the actual sunrise a bit of a fizzer too.  Ah well - coffees then back to check on Mr & Mrs Grebe.  Whilst I watched Mr & Mrs G I made two discoveries:  firstly, that they do in fact share the nesting duties (I witnessed them swapping roles) and secondly, that they're time thieves!  They stole another few hours from em again today and I was shocked to see it was approaching 1.00pm when I looked at the time!  Time thieves - yes, but cracking eggs or cute chicks not yet.  To be fair, I can't blame the entire theft on Mr & Mrs G as I found myself drifting from birds to bugs.  There sure was a lot going on in the long grass that surrounded me.  

By the time I'd reappeared in the regular world then sun was beginning to shine through and the peak of Mt Cook - just visible from where I've been staying - was clearing nicely.  Quick decision - head up there (it's only about 45 minutes away but I knew there would be stops along the way) and if it wasn't looking good I'd do a short walk or two then head back here.

As you can see from the pics, by the time I got up there the clouds had gone, the sun was out and beautiful blue skies were everywhere.  Decided that the Tasman Glacier lookout would be my exercise for the day.  It's actually a simple, short walk it's just that going uphill these days is a bit of a challenge for me :(   At least they've put some steps and a well-defined walking track in now (I think it was much more basic when dad and I did it thirty-plus years ago) - by the time I reached the top (of what is actually Tasman Glacier's terminal moraine) I knew I'd worked!  I counted 322 steps on the way back down and boy, did my knees feel them!  Note:  The greyness of the lake is largely from the chalky particulate matter from the glacier (visible at the head of the lake) that is suspended in the water.  The lake is a 'relatively' recent development thanks probably to global warming.  You can read a bit more about it's history and development here.  Not satisfied with that though I then decided I'd follow the track down to the lake itself.  Again, it's a well formed track though the closer to the lake it got the more rocky, less even and more tricky it became.  I dipped my hands into the lake and held them there for a few seconds to cool down......oh yes.....that's right.....this is a glacial lake.  It was bloody freezing!  Still, I was so hot that a splash of the freezing cold, chalky water onto my face was actually very refreshing.

Camping tonight at the nearby White Horse Hill DoC campground and it's CHOKKA with people, vans, cars and tents.  I'm squished in between a lovely German family and a less chatty other neighbour.   Still, after the early rise and the exertion today I think I'll sleep well tonight no matter what's going on around me!

Today's shot is in two parts, both panoramic shots from the viewpoint I walked to.  One is the north view, one the south.  If you look carefully you'll see Mt Cook in both shots (I swear I could have reached out and touched it, I felt so close)  as these 2 images actually combine to make a not-quite 360 degrees panorama.