Glaciers & parrots, of course

Last week we did the avalanche peak hike at Arthur's Pass, in the Southern Alps on the south island. The "town" of Arthur's pass (40 permanent residents) is about a 90 minute drive from Christchurch, and it's definitely worth it if you get some nice weather. We got quite lucky and got a beautiful day for the hike, made all the more important by the dire warnings against attempting the hike in poor weather. The ridge lines certainly could be dangerous in poor visibility or high winds.

After you climb the 3600 vertical feet up avalanche peak, you're greeted by two spectacles: Crow Glacier



and perhaps 30 highly-entertaining kea. The kea is an intelligent and curious mountain parrot, and they've definitely figured out that it's in their interest to visit the top of the mountain at lunch time, when all the hikers stop to eat. They will definitely take any food (or perhaps rubber) that you leave unattended, using a very loose definition of "unattended". As long as they only try to nibble your boots, though, they're very entertaining.