Holy smokes, I Live in New Zealand.

My next stop was Aoraki Mount Cook National Park.  Aoraki/Mount Cook is the tallest point in New Zealand.  It was where Sir Edmund Hillary did his Everest practice.  My goal for the day was to hike about 300 metres uphill to a small, little ledge housing the Sealy Tarns.  Tarns are small, mountain lakes usually fed by glacial or snow melt.  I learned that lesson the hard way.

To exorcise this demon, I changed into my running gear and started hopping over brambles (ignoring the groomed trail 200 metres to my left) and rock falls to make it to the trail.  It was up, up and up.  It took a little over two hours to make it to the tarns, where I spent a half hour giggling like an oxygen deprived schoolgirl.

Full album here.

It was a lovely accomplishment after getting destroyed in the half marathon the day before.  I only rolled my ankle once during the climb (and it was the good ankle not involved in the half marathon debacle).  It was a wonderful day.  I called home after I had finished the climb.

Afterwards, I went to the resort hotel and bought an expensive fruit juice.  It was most satisfying.

Alternate link.