Aoraki Mount Cook National Park (New Zealand)

One of the things I dread the most when visiting national parks or outdoor places is bad weather. 

Bad weather makes people miserable- the scrambling around when the rain pours without warning. Bad weather makes photos look miserable. 

Before we left for Mount Cook, we checked the weather forecast and were dismayed to learn that there will be rain. But if we have to go, we have to go. 

We decided to go with the Hooker Valley Track which is supposed to be a 3 hour return hike. We took slightly longer than that, mostly because we were dealing with the rain and slippery ground. 

The landscape kept changing and it was a relatively easy trail for most part, except when we were going to reach the end of the trail when it started to get a little steeper and a bit narrower. 

There were 3 suspension bridges on this trail and everytime I got onto one and looked down, I'm thinking, "Oh gosh, I need some help to cross this bridge."

Good things come to those who wait. I am not saying that the scenery at the beginning was not beautiful. But if you gave up after half an hour, this scene of expansive mountain ranges and clear water will not greet you. 

At some point, I got really trigger happy despite the rain.

It was one of the rare occasions that I didn't feel like it was a wasted trip because of bad weather- the scenery is more than enough to compensate for the bad weather!