[New Zealand] Chapter LXI: During which we cross the Southern Alps

After more than a week of exploring primarily the coastal regions of the south island, we ventured inland and made our way to the island's most prominent feature, the Southern Alps, a 500-kilometre-long mountain range bisecting the island from northeast to southwest, with numerous peaks above 3000 metres in height.

We came from the southwest, entering the region via Lindis Pass, and emerged from it four days later to the northwest, back to the coast via Arthur's Pass, after hiking a couple of days around the foothills of the range's highest peak (Aoraki Mount Cook) and driving a couple of days in a rather circuitous route, for the only roads going north are quite a way away from the mountains themselves, to the east.

What we saw there is probably best expressed by the photographs below.

Accommodations:
- "Highcountry Getaway" holiday house, Twizel (3 nights; very nice, but for the lack of wifi)
- Bealey Hotel, Bealey (1 night; depressing)

Photo captions: (a-i) seen along the road north; (j-qq) hiking near Aoraki Mount Cook (N.B. it's not the same mountain/lake/river in all the photos, not at all); (rr-ww) hiking to Devil's Punchbowl, a 131-metre-tall waterfall; (xx-zz) bungy jumping, a big industry in New Zealand