we started heading back toward the camp ground. here's a shot of the Hooker River looking down the valley:

debbie carried finn on the way back. they're peering over the side of one of the swinging bridges:



climbing the side of a cliff face (glad for the railing again):


i stayed on the bridge while they climbed so i could get a good shot:



okay, i might have tilted the camera a bit to give a more dramatic angle to the cliff:


finn was getting cranky and tired of being in the backpack. whenever i stopped to take a few pictures, debbie would keep going. then i'd have to hustle to catch up. that gave me the chance to get a shot with them and the whole valley. you can see the blue water of Lake Pukaki in the far background. you can also see part of the Mt Cook town at the foot of the mountain in the upper right of the photo:

at last we made it back to the camper, and finn was reunited with michy. this little grassy spot was directly behind our camper:


later on, when the sun was going down, we took a walk through the camp. here's a family portrait of us on a foot bridge. i think i was trying to get Mt Cook in the back ground, but that got kind of washed out.
here's a shot of Mt Cook with the fading sunlight: