Camping with Kea
Mt Cook › Canterbury - Mackenzie
43.7343° S, 170.0962° E
Piercing birdcalls break the silence in our tent, deep in the night under the Milky Way. Sleepily I recognise the kea’s call as I roll over on our tussock bed. The sounds of nature are harmonious when compared to the noisy campers who arrive at 2.30am, opening and shutting their van doors as they set up their tent.
Our tent palace sits among a series of smaller domes scattered in a grassy meadow beneath Mt Sefton at White Horse Campground at Aoraki/Mt Cook. The DOC (Department of Conservation) campground is bursting with cars, vans and campers while a constant stream of people hike up the Hooker Valley Track from the trailhead nearby. My partner Rick is unimpressed with all the cars parked for a kilometre or so down the road.
“It’s great to see so many people out walking and enjoying the dramatic scenery,” I say. Rick mutters about staying in a quiet spot away from
