Day 28 February 29th Lake Tekapo

the walk setting

Lake Tekapo on our right

Darker blue of Lake McGregor (l)

Motuariki

The forecast was not so good for today with showers predicted in the morning but clearing later.  We had planned to go on a boat trip on the lake but unfortunately the boatman has serious illness and is currently understandably not operating.  When we emerged there was only blue sky and the sun shining but quite a keen, warm wind.  We have been provided with local info and decided on a lake shore walk for 2 hours.  We got our picnic together and drove to the start point a few minutes along the lake.  We were happy in shorts and T shirts and made good progress seeing the lake from different viewpoints. At one stage we saw a smaller lake, McGregor, whose water was deeper blue (non-glacial) which contrasted with Tekapo.  There was also an island in Tekapo called Motuariki and so we had great views of all this and the surrounding mountains.  The walk was undulating with a couple of steepish climbs which probably did us good.  We had one or two drink stops and met several others enjoying it all.  The wind had increased by the time we made it to the car and we were glad to be out of it.

low cloud in this valley



sun reflecting

 We then drove and stopped by the lake for our picnic.  In the afternoon we did some shopping for dinner and some souvenirs.  We then returned to our flat for a time of relaxation before getting ourselves prepared for our move to Queenstown tomorrow.  Lake Tekapo is a destination not to be missed on any itinery of New Zealand.



Day 27 February 28th Lake Pukaki and Mount Cook

Us, Lake Pukaki & Mount Cook

Today again dawned sunny and bright and we had decided to try and see Mount Cook if the weather was fine.  On our visit to New Zealand 3 years ago the mountain top was always covered by cloud and the only time we saw the peak was above the clouds as we flew from Dunedin to Aukland.  We were hoping for better visibility today and it was looking good.  We had to travel about 30mins to Lake Pukaki from Tekapo and then take a side road to the Mount Cook visitor centre.   As the views were clear I am afraid you are going to see lots of pictures of snow capped mountains and a blue lake.


Mount Cook

 The road along the lake was much better than expected and after several viewing and snapping stops we made it to the visitor centre.  We had fulfilled our
 ambition as the views of Mount Cook and Mount Tasman (behind it) were stunning.  We had a snack lunch and coffee at the splendid visitor centre and made our way back.



 


 

We stopped several times again on the return journey.  We arrived back at out accommodation freshened up and went to the service being held on Lake Tekapo's edge in the iconic Church of the Good Shepherd. A wonderful place to worship at the end of a beautiful day.

view through the church window

We also saw the monument to collie dogs which has been 

the church

erected as a tribute to the part these dogs played in the sheep farming here.

 

Day 26 February 27th Christchurch to Lake Tekapo

 

view from Christchurch B&B

Another fine morning and we were soon packed and ready to leave our nice B&B to make the trip inland to Lake Tekapo at the foot of the mountains.  The first part of our journey was round Christchurch which was not too interesting and eventually we came to countryside (the Canterbury plains) which was flat and obviously productive agriculturally.  There were dairy farms and vineyards which seemed to carry on for miles.  
The roads were much emptier by this time and the driving was easy.



empty roads

We made our first stop at a place called Rakaia. 

Christine tried an iced coffee (for the last time she says) and I had a banana milkshake.  We were making good time and feeling OK and so progressed to the town of Geraldine for a light snack and another walk round.  We were not too impressed with the town but did not really get to know it.

 

 

 

 



mountains with snow



We were soon underway again and the road began to rise as we went through Burkes Pass and had a closer look at the distant mountains - some of which still had snow on them even though we were baking at lower levels.

 

Our first view of Lake Tekapo soon followed - it certainly had a wow factor.



We found the flat we are renting for the next 3 nights and got settled in.  We went for a meal later on and were amazed at the scenery and the blue of the lake water.  There is much more to see and do and so we are looking forward to the next two days.

 



 

we stayed in part of this

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

Day 25 February 26th Christchurch

South Island Robin

North Island Tom Tit

Before we start today's activities, we would like to update the types of birds spotted on our walk of Alborns Track near Reefton.  Whilst I was writing the blog last evening, Christine did some internet research and found that one bird photographed was a South Island Robin and another was a North Island Tom Tit which does live in some forests on the west side of South Island.  

Cathedral

 
We visited Christchurch during our last visit to New Zealand in 2013 and the city was beginning to recover from the huge 2011 earthquake.  In recent weeks there have been further tremors and we wanted to see how the city was coping.
 
We could get far closer to the remains of the Cathedral now and it is still in a very sorry state.  There is now a limited tram system running but this was interrupted again by the recent quake.  The container city is still in existence but not so large and with a few embellishments.  A lot more buildings have been demolished and new ones are appearing.  Water is hosed onto the demolition work to avoid dust clouds.  Work continues around the war memorial arch.  A "cardboard" cathedral has been built as a temporary home to the church whilst decisions are made on the future of the original.  There is also a poignant

"cardboard" cathedral

memorial of 185 chairs of all different types and sizes to remember the 185 different individuals who lost their lives in the 2011 quake. 

"cardboard" Cathedral



185 chairs

 We then had aa quick walk to the botanical gardens before retiring to the cool of the air-conditioned car (the temperature was 30 degrees).  We had spent over 2 hours retracing some of the steps we had taken before but the city still has huge problems and a number of people have moved away because of fears of future tremors.

Pines Beach

We then decided to visit a beach near where we are staying and get some fresh sea air.  We went to the Pines Beach, had a picnic and relaxed for a little time but it was still very warm.  We  went for paddle in the Pacific, enjoyed quite a time on the only East Coast beach we will visit this time. Having been there for 90 minutes, we decided to head back to our B&B.  We sorted ourselves out, had a shower and went for a Chinese meal which is a rare treat for us. 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

Day 24 February 25th Reefton to Christchurch

sunset at Reefton

First of all a sunset picture of our last evening staying at Reefton.  It was quite a view looking out over the hills/forest and we enjoyed the stay there - it was an unpretentious kind of place and all the people were kind and friendly.

Maruia Springs

Today we journeyed to Christchurch and left Reefton at 0930 to head over the Lewis Pass in the mountains towards Hanmer Springs which was a definite stopping place.  It was grey and drizzling on this part of the journey and as we climbed into the hills it seemed to get worse.  After an hour we stopped at a place called Maruia Springs for a welcome coffee break.  We were soon on our way and climbing to the Pass - which was 900m above sea level.  Once we started to descend the weather this side of the mountains improved, as did the visibility. 



weather beginning to improve

climbing

no problems now

blus sky appears

 We drove through some pretty impressive countryside with different rock formations and still some fairly high hills.  After about 90mins we came to Hanmer Springs where there are geothermal hot water pools you can swim and bathe in.  We had a picnic here before exploring the town.  We then enjoyed a good stay in the pools with temperatures from 28 to 36 centigrade.  If only we could import some of this to Middle Town beach! 



excellent views

good driving conditions

 We were on our way again, enjoying good driving conditions and excellent views, and we soon ate up the distance to our tea break stop at Waikari.  After suitable refuelling we were on the road again.  It was noticeable that this side of the mountains there was more irrigation going on.   We passed a rock formation called "Frog Rock" which made us smile.  After a few more miles we were in the outskirts of Christchurch and arrived at our destination in Rangiora by about 1630.

near Hanmer Springs

sprinklers required

frog rock