Submit
Hotspringing Under the Stars and Mount Cook in New Zealand
If summiting the highest mountain in New Zealand surpasses your mountaineering ambitions, you can still get a taste on the Copland Track, a 17-km hike starting just off State Highway 6 that winds its way through the enchanted forests of the mountain's gentle lower slopes. Lush mosses hang suggestively from every surface, accompanying your ascent and cushioning any slippery moments caused by spontaneous waterfalls that cascade sneakily across your path. After a moderately challenging walk, you arrive at Welcome Flat Hut, a charming and well-appointed refuge in the shadows of the peak called Aoraki or "Cloud Piercer" by the Maori. Prepare a hiker's dinner with your fellow explorers, choose a bunk from the 31 available, then shed your clothes and take a dip in the natural hot springs only meters away. With the snow-capped behemoth rising above you and the stars tracing your wishes across the sky, wrap yourself in the deep mineral warmth and soft mud of the pools like a blanket on a pitch-black night.
Add a Comment
