Friday, December 23, 2022.

We followed Katie’s camper van to Mount Cook. We arrived in the late morning and had lunch at the cafe in the Hermitage Hotel, the only place that was open. The gang went on a hike up the Hooker valley, while I explored the little museum at the Hermitage and then checked into our 2 apartments at the Aoraki Court Motel. We each had a parking space that could accommodate our camper vans, plus we each had beautiful views of the surrounding mountains and glaciers.

I had made a reservation for dinner at the Hermitage Hotel. The kids had never been to a big buffet before, and they had a great time discussing what they liked best, and what they were going for next.

At 8pm we went to a lecture/demonstration in the domed planetarium theatre. It was the best explanation I have ever had on the movement of the constellations, how stars are formed, and what we could see outside the hotel that night.