My alarm went off at 7 this morning but I was so reluctant to get out of bed; afraid I was gonna freeze into an icicle! But then drat, I had to make us breakfast so I had to be early anyhow.
So I grew some balls and plucked up enough courage to go brush my teeth and wash my face which by the way was bone dry. Sure, the taps have hot water but it came in 2 separate taps; one for freezing cold water and the other was boiling hot! What a challenge trying to mix the two together with your palms to get the right temperature. Hmm, i did not like that at all.
Applying toner on my face was like dabbing thinner on it; it was DAT quick-drying.
The cold was so unbearable even indoors that I was getting agitated, wishing I had a ski mask to put on.
Seeing dear all curled up under the sheets, I went to draw open the curtains to let the sunshine in. That's when I shrieked out in delight...
S-N-O-W !!!!!
(That explains why I was freezing cold in bed last night)I was so so happy to see snow...REAL snow for the first time, I literally dragged dear out from bed to do a little snow dance with him. LOL.
Looking out my room window, it seems like just a thin layer of snow on the ground but still, it was SNOW!!
Standing proud in our AXA shirts, we shall brave the cold and conquer the mountains today!
My face looked distorted...too cold ke?!Hard to believe that 12 hours ago, this place looked like it was still springtime.
Ice cream cone without the cream.
Embrace yourself for the pictures you're about to see now onwards, for beautiful doesn't even begin to describe it.
All white...like I'm in North Pole.
Snow on the ground; and I'm using my normal walking shoes which tend to get wet if i play too long in da snow.
I'm a happy me!
The stunning lake as viewed from the YHA lounge area.
Another view from indoors, as you can see from the water patches on the window.
We took some time off to head back to the church (that we had already visited the evening before)and never regretted it.
The indigenous Maori named New Zealand "The Land of the Long White Cloud". Here's why.
The icy mountains looked so near.
Snowball fight.
*hugs*
" We were here!"
Ain't so fun lying down when the snow's so thin...=_=
Check this out!
We had our share of fun.
This took many many takes before getting a success shot.
The next thing we did was totally unplanned and never in our itinerary.Together with Angela (our new pal from HK), we followed the Chinese family to Mt John, about 5 kms drive from Lake Tekapo.
It was a beautiful drive up to the peak.
The scenery was so surreal, like what you normally see only in postcards. I lost count on the number of times we said 'Sh*t!' (not meaning to swear) because we just could not believe seeing what was in front of us. Seriously, if you think these pictures look mad awesome, seeing the real thing is 100 times better!
Welcome to the wonders of Mt John.
The view from the top...
just got better and better.
An Astro cafe stands majestically on the peak.
"Check it out, yo..yo!"
It is so windy up here, the grass were all facing one direction.
"Chak!"
With Angela.
Earth and Sky is NZ's sanctuary for the stars. It's famous for their stargazing tours at night.
Who would have known that it is equally gorgeous (or better) during the day.I've never seen such cloud formation ever, illuminating the pristine blue skies.
I've also never stopped clicking the cam cam for more than one minute.So freaking cold, you'd want to hug anybody you see just to keep warm. 
After about 30 minutes out in the open, this was where we all wanted to be.
My hot choc (wat else), treat from bubbly Angela.
Driving back down the narrow two-way road can be quite treacherous at some corners.
The Chinese wanted to buy some fresh salmon, so we headed next to a popular salmon farm.
Cheap salmon no? Too bad we couldn't get any; afraid it'll turn bad without refrigerated.
Back on the road again...
Tailing behind the Chinese heading towards yet another beautiful lake. There was a bit of a 'Salem High Country' feel here.
About 35 km away from Mt John, we arrived at Lake Pukaki.
It's the largest of the 3 lakes in South Island. The other two being Tekapo and Ohau.
Dear could be giving the Chinese (MR. Lee) chap some pointers in photo taking.
Dun we just look chummy!
Found some dried up berries by the roadside.
Clouds were starting to pile up as the afternoon approached.
Not much of a concern though, unless it starts turning grey and dark.
I really like this photo coz there's so many tones of blue here.
Alas the weather didn't improve as it started snowing and it got all fogged up. The roads were getting real slippery, it felt like we were driving away from civilisation towards the heavens.
Glad we found our way to Mount Cook village.
Snow began to fall real hard.
Not much to see on both sides of the road, until we saw a building right ahead.
Yey, our destination - YHA Mt Cook.
This is our best looking YHA so far. 
And the staff's real friendly. 5 star hostel for me!
We were starving by the time we got here so I fixed us a quick Malaysian meal of instant noodles that flew all the way from Malaysia to be here. My Mamee lontong never tasted better.
I dig the kitchen too! Pots and pans and the utensils were cleaner than the other YHAs.
Poor Angela was constantly being 'harassed' by the little Chinese kid who was so hyperactive, she kept at all lengths to avoid my cam cam.
Right until we helped her make a mini snowman and took a pic with her.
After a late lunch, we didn't want to just waste the rest of the day away, so we drove to a nearby Information Centre.
It was an awesome looking building.
We were looking for some activities (apart from sleeping) to participate in. As you can see, it was quite depressing to see all activities in orange were 'put on hold'. There was only 1 which was 'operating' - the 3D movie viewing :(
Still, we decided to go for one of their walking trails.
Decided to try the Governor's Bush Track, supposedly an hour's walk through the jungle. 
Yikes, snow was falling heavier.
There was a trail through the forest for us to follow. We just did not realise the falling snow were starting to cover the tracks as well.
With snow as thick as 3 ft, we could very well be stepping into holes in the ground.
How the white narrow paths look like...
I bet the forest looked even more beautiful in winter than other seasons.
Imagine standing under the tress blanketed with thick layers of snow.
Whenever we got thirsty, we just stopped to get a drink.
Something I discovered is it isn't cold when it's snowing. Seriously. I never felt the bitter cold like I did before, in fact the temperature here was perfectly coool.
Dear's jacket really stands out against the white background, doesn't it?
We were at the highest point looking down at the snow-capped tree tops...Looks sooo serene and peaceful here....apart from the fact that we were the only 3 human beings insane enough to be walking through the forest in such weather. hehe.
If you're a specky, you'll be busy wiping your wet glasses for sure.
We were reaching the end of our trail....awww....guess we should be glad we found our way out!
Love how this little stream flows while almost covered with snow.
How our car looked like when we got back to the parking lot (start of the trail)!
After a few scares on the road and almost getting lost, it felt so good to finally be in our warm cosy room. Temperature for tonight was reported to be -4 degrees, but thanks to the super duper heater in the room, I felt soooooo comfortable between the sheets.
drying our clothes and stuff
Last but now least, feast your eyes on the best sceneries ever during my entire trip.
Feel free to make it your wallpaper ^.^
" i'm not so experienced with double decker beds"
After about 30 minutes out in the open, this was where we all wanted to be.
My hot choc (wat else), treat from bubbly Angela.
Driving back down the narrow two-way road can be quite treacherous at some corners.
The Chinese wanted to buy some fresh salmon, so we headed next to a popular salmon farm.
Cheap salmon no? Too bad we couldn't get any; afraid it'll turn bad without refrigerated.
Back on the road again...
Tailing behind the Chinese heading towards yet another beautiful lake. There was a bit of a 'Salem High Country' feel here.
About 35 km away from Mt John, we arrived at Lake Pukaki.It was almost noon at this time.
It's the largest of the 3 lakes in South Island. The other two being Tekapo and Ohau.
Dear could be giving the Chinese (MR. Lee) chap some pointers in photo taking.
Dun we just look chummy!
Found some dried up berries by the roadside.
Clouds were starting to pile up as the afternoon approached.
Not much of a concern though, unless it starts turning grey and dark.
I really like this photo coz there's so many tones of blue here.Alas the weather didn't improve as it started snowing and it got all fogged up. The roads were getting real slippery, it felt like we were driving away from civilisation towards the heavens.
Glad we found our way to Mount Cook village.
Snow began to fall real hard.
Not much to see on both sides of the road, until we saw a building right ahead.
Yey, our destination - YHA Mt Cook.
This is our best looking YHA so far. Nice cabin-like feel to it....I LOVED IT!
And the staff's real friendly. 5 star hostel for me!
We were starving by the time we got here so I fixed us a quick Malaysian meal of instant noodles that flew all the way from Malaysia to be here. My Mamee lontong never tasted better.
I dig the kitchen too! Pots and pans and the utensils were cleaner than the other YHAs.
Poor Angela was constantly being 'harassed' by the little Chinese kid who was so hyperactive, she kept at all lengths to avoid my cam cam.
Right until we helped her make a mini snowman and took a pic with her.
After a late lunch, we didn't want to just waste the rest of the day away, so we drove to a nearby Information Centre.
It was an awesome looking building.
We were looking for some activities (apart from sleeping) to participate in. As you can see, it was quite depressing to see all activities in orange were 'put on hold'. There was only 1 which was 'operating' - the 3D movie viewing :(
Still, we decided to go for one of their walking trails.
Decided to try the Governor's Bush Track, supposedly an hour's walk through the jungle. 
Yikes, snow was falling heavier.
There was a trail through the forest for us to follow. We just did not realise the falling snow were starting to cover the tracks as well.
With snow as thick as 3 ft, we could very well be stepping into holes in the ground.
How the white narrow paths look like...
I bet the forest looked even more beautiful in winter than other seasons.
Imagine standing under the tress blanketed with thick layers of snow.
Whenever we got thirsty, we just stopped to get a drink.
Something I discovered is it isn't cold when it's snowing. Seriously. I never felt the bitter cold like I did before, in fact the temperature here was perfectly coool.
Dear's jacket really stands out against the white background, doesn't it?
We were at the highest point looking down at the snow-capped tree tops...Looks sooo serene and peaceful here....apart from the fact that we were the only 3 human beings insane enough to be walking through the forest in such weather. hehe.
If you're a specky, you'll be busy wiping your wet glasses for sure.
We were reaching the end of our trail....awww....guess we should be glad we found our way out!
Love how this little stream flows while almost covered with snow.
How our car looked like when we got back to the parking lot (start of the trail)!It was a real challenge driving back as the roads had gotten real icy and mad slippery from all the snow fall earlier.
After a few scares on the road and almost getting lost, it felt so good to finally be in our warm cosy room. Temperature for tonight was reported to be -4 degrees, but thanks to the super duper heater in the room, I felt soooooo comfortable between the sheets.
drying our clothes and stuffDinner tonight starring Mr Risotto and Ms Minestrone
Last but now least, feast your eyes on the best sceneries ever during my entire trip.
Feel free to make it your wallpaper ^.^While we only managed to book a bunk bed in YHA, experiencing Mt Cook itself was one of the best things we ever did in NZ. Highly recommended. Nuff said.
" i'm not so experienced with double decker beds"
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