ニュージーランドを初訪問、南北両島を車で無理やり巡る弾丸ツアー③「奇跡は起こった、マウントクックの背景に広がる青空！」/The first visit to New Zealand, Bullet tour to drive both of North and South Islands③“Miracle came true, blue sky behind Mount Cook！”
（黄色部分が今回の旅程）
The very first sunny day in 4th day after entry to NZ!
Despite the inevitability of the season, the South Island has been under persistent overcast skies with occasional rain since our arrival on September 22. This, despite the fact that we came to the South Island for the primary purpose of trekking at Mount Cook. Hoping for a clear day, even if just on the last day, as a final opportunity, it seems our wish has finally come true!
(English text continues to the latter half of the page)
NZ入国から4日目にして初めての快晴！
季節がら仕方がないとは言え、9/22に入国してからずっと雨交じりの曇天が続いていた南島。当初からの目的だったマウントクックでのトレッキングのために南島に渡ってきたのに。せめて最終日だけは最後のチャンスとして晴れてくれないか、と願っていたら遂に奇跡が起きた‼
これまで山の麓まで雲に覆われていたのが、南島最終日になって一面の青空が広がるという天候の激変。さすがに日頃の行いが良かったためかと調子に乗っていたために、この時には翌日Aucklandで出くわすとんでもないトラブルなど予測もついていない・・・
現地マオリ語でAoraki（アオラキ）とも呼ばれるマウントクックは、標高3,274ｍのニュージーランド最高峰。まだガイドブックなどでは「マウントクック（クックは同地を探検した英国海軍士官）」の呼称が目立つが、アラスカの「マッキンリー山（マッキンリーはアメリカ大統領の名）」が今では「マウントデナリ（ネーティブアメリカンの呼称）」が正式名称となったように、いずれは「アオラキ」と呼ばれるようになるのかも。
宿泊地のTwizelからマウントクックまではPukaki湖に沿って65㎞程度、1時間もかからない。湖沿いに走っている間にどんどん晴れてきて、最初に山脈が見えてきた時には興奮が抑えきれなかった。特に数日前に降った季節外れの大雪のせいで山脈全体が雪をまとい、9月下旬（季節的には日本の3月下旬に相当）としては最高の景観を見せてくれた。
麓の駐車場に車を停める。月曜の10:00頃だったが広大な駐車場はすでにほぼ満車。マウントクックへのアプローチとして「フッカーバレートラック（Hooker Valley Track）」を選ぶ。マウントクック直下のフッカー湖までの5.5㎞、往復3時間の一番人気のトレッキングコース。積もった雪が溶けて泥道になっているところは多いが、比較的高低差が少なく歩きやすいコース。かなりの数の観光客が一緒に歩いており、特に中国人の団体がやたらに多く、人目をはばからず大騒ぎしておりやたらに目立っていた。
マウントクックを一望できるフッカー湖までの間につり橋は3つ、それぞれ橋の上の定員を20名にしている。高所恐怖症の方にはかなりきつい体験になるのではないか。
ルート上でいきなり轟音がとどろく。1㎞ほど先の懸垂氷河（写真中央からやや左上）で小さな雪崩が起きていた。ちょうど雪が緩んでいたところだったらしく、その後も数回雪崩が起こったが、カメラに捉えることはできなかった。
そしてこれがフッカー湖手前から見上げたマウントクックの山肌。ここに来るまでに空は雲一つないほどに晴れ上がった。中央に見えるのがマウントクックだが、実は後から聞いた話では、この手前に見える峰は実は3番目に高い山頂で実際の最高峰はこの後ろに隠れているらしい。まあ、いいか、別に登頂が目的じゃない。最高の気候条件の中でここまで歩いてこの光景を共有できただけで本日は最高の成果だ。
同じ道を通って駐車場まで戻り、帰り際にTasman（タスマン）湖へ。トレッキングコースは雪のために閉鎖されていたが、周囲の山並みは十分に楽しめた。
念願の星空は、月が明るすぎて・・・
南島に来たもう一つの目的は世界随一とも言われる星空をじっくりと観賞することだった。Twizelの郊外は「星空保護地域」として地上の照明は極度に管制されている。雲一つなく晴れ渡った天候を見て郊外に車で出てみたものの、ちょうど月齢がほぼ半月で天が明るすぎた。うまく新月の頃を狙っていけば（ネットの拾い物ですが）、下の写真のような星空が見えたはず。
ところが南側の地上近くに得体のしれないものが！オカルトファンなら安易にUFOと叫び出すところ。ドローンでも飛ばしていたのか、それにしても動きが変だ。でも世界中で喧伝されるUFO画像はこんな風に捉えられていたのか、と感じた。
https://youtube.com/shorts/WhUlXI70LIM?feature=share
Aucklannd空港でもとんでもないトラブルが！
翌9/26は朝からChristchurch空港に戻り、午後の便で北島のAuckland空港へ。ここでもExpediaで予約したレンタカー事務所へ向かうが、またしてもとんでもないトラブルが！ここでもすでに料金は満額払い込んであるにも関わらず、予約が入っていないという。よくよく予約票を読み込んでいくと、なんとオークランドはオークランドでも、アメリカのミシガン州オークランドで予約がされている。ちょっと待て！ニュージーランドのオークランドは「Auckland」、ミシガン州のオークランドは「Oakland」で全然スペルも違うぞ、なんでニュージーランドの旅程をExpediaでまとめて検索してアメリカのオークランドがヒットするんだ！どうにも信じられないトラブルだが、スクールホリデーで車が1台も空いてない以上どうしようもない。トラブルには後で対処することにして、すぐそばにあったEZレンタルのカウンターに飛び込むと、たまたまキャンセルがあり三菱エクリプス・クロスが空いていたのですぐに飛びつく。ちょっと高くついたが、Christchurch空港に続いて今回もEZレンタルに助けてもらった。結論としては、Expediaのレンタカー予約は二度と使わないということ。読者の方にも今一層の注意を喚起しておきます。
かろうじて押さえることができた三菱エクリプス・クロス、走行距離は400㎞程度でほぼ新車状態。
今夜はAuckland中心部のAuckland Crowne Plazaに宿泊。今回もとんでもないトラブルに見舞われたが、とりあえず明日は北島のエッセンスが詰まったRotoruaに向かう。
(Yellow shadow is the itinerary of the article)
The very first sunny day in 4th day after entry to NZ!
Despite the inevitability of the season, the South Island has been under persistent overcast skies with occasional rain since our arrival on September 22. This, despite the fact that we came to the South Island for the primary purpose of trekking at Mount Cook. Hoping for a clear day, even if just on the last day, as a final opportunity, it seems our wish has finally come true!
Up until now, the mountain base had been shrouded in clouds. However, on the final day of our South Island journey, there was a drastic change in weather with clear blue skies spreading as far as the eye could see. Perhaps it was a reward for our good deeds or just a stroke of luck. Little did we anticipate the incredible trouble awaiting us the next day in Auckland.
Known as Aoraki in the local Maori language, Mount Cook is New Zealand’s highest peak at an elevation of 3,274 meters. While guidebooks often refer to it as ‘Mount Cook’ (named after the British naval officer who explored the region), there’s a possibility, akin to Alaska’s ‘Mount McKinley’ being officially renamed ‘Mount Denali’ in line with Native American nomenclature, that it might eventually be commonly known as ‘Aoraki.’
The journey from our lodging in Twizel to Mount Cook, along Lake Pukaki, is about 65 km and takes less than an hour. As we drove along the lake, the weather kept clearing, and the excitement was palpable when we first saw the mountain range. Thanks to the unseasonal heavy snowfall a few days earlier, the entire range was draped in snow, presenting the best possible scenery for late September, equivalent to late March in Japan seasonally.
We parked the car in the base parking lot. Despite it being a Monday around 10:00, the vast parking area was already nearly full. Opting for the ‘Hooker Valley Track’ as the approach to Mount Cook, it’s a 5.5 km round trip to the Hooker Lake directly below Mount Cook, taking about three hours and being the most popular trekking route. While there were muddy sections due to melting snow, the trail had relatively little elevation change, making it an easy walk. There were quite a number of tourists walking along, with Chinese tour groups being particularly noticeable, being both numerous and somewhat loud, attracting attention without any reservations.
Between Hooker Lake, where you can have a panoramic view of Mount Cook, there are three suspension bridges, each with a capacity of 20 people on the bridge at a time. It could be quite a challenging experience for those with a fear of heights.
As we walked along the route, suddenly a roaring sound echoed. A small avalanche had occurred on the hanging glacier about a kilometer ahead (slightly left of center in the photo). It seemed to be at a point where the snow had just loosened, and there were a few more avalanches afterward, although I couldn’t capture them on camera.
And here is the mountainside of Mount Cook as seen from just before Hooker Lake. By the time we reached here, the sky had cleared completely, not a single cloud in sight. The peak in the center is Mount Cook, but in reality, the summit visible in the foreground is the third highest, and the actual highest peak is apparently hidden behind it. Well, it doesn’t matter; summiting wasn’t the goal. Just being able to walk this far in the best weather conditions and share this view made today the most successful day.
We retraced our steps through the same path back to the parking lot and made a quick visit to Lake Tasman on our way back. The trekking trail was closed due to snow, but we could still enjoy the surrounding mountain scenery.
The long-awaited starry sky was hindered by the bright moon…
One of the main goals of coming to the South Island was to thoroughly enjoy the world-renowned starry sky. The outskirts of Twizel are designated as a ‘Dark Sky Reserve,’ tightly controlling ground lighting. Despite the perfectly clear weather with not a cloud in sight, when we ventured outside the town to observe the stars, the moon was at nearly half its phase, and the sky was too bright. If we had timed our visit around the new moon, , we might have been treated to a starry sky like the one in the photo below, picked up from Internet.
However, there was something unidentified near the southern horizon! Occult enthusiasts might easily cry out ‘UFO.’ Perhaps it was a drone, but the movement seemed peculiar. It made me think about how UFO images, widely circulated around the world, might have been captured in this manner.
https://youtube.com/shorts/WhUlXI70LIM?feature=share
I encountered an unbelievable issue at Auckland Airport!
On the morning of 26. September, I returned to Christchurch Airport and flew to Auckland Airport in the afternoon. Here, too, I encountered another unbelievable issue at the rental car office I booked through Expedia! Despite having already paid the full amount, they claimed there was no reservation. Upon closer inspection of the reservation confirmation, I discovered that the reservation was made for Oakland in Michigan, USA, not Auckland in New Zealand. The spellings are completely different—Auckland in New Zealand and Oakland in Michigan. I couldn’t believe that searching for New Zealand’s Auckland on Expedia would yield results for Oakland in the United States! Although this was an unimaginable trouble, with no available cars during the school holidays, I had no choice. I decided to deal with the issue later and quickly went to the nearby EZ Rental counter. Fortunately, there was a cancellation, and I was able to rent a Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross immediately. It cost a bit more, but once again, EZ Rental came to the rescue, just like at Christchurch Airport. In conclusion, I will never use Expedia for car rentals again. I want to emphasize this caution to readers as well.
I managed to secure a Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, which had a mileage of around 400 km and was almost in new condition.
Tonight, we stayed at the Auckland Crowne Plaza in the heart of Auckland. Despite encountering another unbelievable issue this time, I will, for the time being, head to Rotorua, which is packed with the essence of the North Island, tomorrow.