Wednesday began with about a 2 hour drive to a small French colony along the coast known as Akaroa where we planned to take a harbor tour to see the sites and take in New Zealand’s unique Hector dolphins. The weather was less than ideal with a heavy dose of wind accompanied by occasional showers. Add to that a cold morning and we have the perfect makings of a cancelled boat trip. Once determining that we weren’t heading out on the harbor, we grabbed a quick bite at a waterfront café. Then we headed out on our way to Lake Tekapo. The highlight of this drive was Barry’s Bay Cheesery (their term, not mine) for some great locally made port wine cheddar and peppered havarti. We then hit the road for a 3 hour drive down to the lake.
Once arriving at Tekapo, we were instantly taken back by the amazing colors of the water. We’re not sure how to describe it, but it was different than anything that we’ve seen before. It could be described as a milky crystal blue color, but that doesn’t really do it justice. We later found out that this unique color was created by the glaciers as they grind across certain types of rocks and producing a fine powder that mixes with the ice and gives off this color when it melts. The bonus of this location is that the highest peak in NZ, Mt. Cook, is in the distance directly overlooking the lake.
While at the lake, we visited the historic Church of the Good S
hepherd which garnishes a view that would make it extremely difficult to concentrate on even the most enthralling sermons. After snapping a few photos, we headed off to explore around the lake and stumbled on to the Mt. John Observatory. After driving up the steep gravel track, we were treated to a fantastic view of the lake from about 1,000 meters up. We then headed back to town to grab a quick bite which included a tasty burger that had bacon, egg, grilled onions, cheese and a spicy chili mayo. Not exactly what we expected to see here in NZ. We finished the evening with a little star gazing in front of the chalet that we were staying in. We’re not sure how to describe it
, but it was the most amazing night sky that we’ve ever seen. There were so many stars that it was extremely difficult to pick out any constellations, and the stars twinkled like nothing I had ever seen.
Once arriving at Tekapo, we were instantly taken back by the amazing colors of the water. We’re not sure how to describe it, but it was different than anything that we’ve seen before. It could be described as a milky crystal blue color, but that doesn’t really do it justice. We later found out that this unique color was created by the glaciers as they grind across certain types of rocks and producing a fine powder that mixes with the ice and gives off this color when it melts. The bonus of this location is that the highest peak in NZ, Mt. Cook, is in the distance directly overlooking the lake.
While at the lake, we visited the historic Church of the Good S
hepherd which garnishes a view that would make it extremely difficult to concentrate on even the most enthralling sermons. After snapping a few photos, we headed off to explore around the lake and stumbled on to the Mt. John Observatory. After driving up the steep gravel track, we were treated to a fantastic view of the lake from about 1,000 meters up. We then headed back to town to grab a quick bite which included a tasty burger that had bacon, egg, grilled onions, cheese and a spicy chili mayo. Not exactly what we expected to see here in NZ. We finished the evening with a little star gazing in front of the chalet that we were staying in. We’re not sure how to describe it
, but it was the most amazing night sky that we’ve ever seen. There were so many stars that it was extremely difficult to pick out any constellations, and the stars twinkled like nothing I had ever seen.
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