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Published: August 26th 2008
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Lake Ellesmere
Snowed capped Southern Alps in the background With a beautiful sunrise over the delightful Akaroa, it was disappointing to move on from this piece of paradise. The only way out of Akaroa was to return the same route almost back to Christchurch, with the morning sun glistering on Lake Elesmere with the snow covered Southern Alps as a backdrop it was absolutely stunning.Reaching the outskirts of Christchurch, we turned off to Lincoln and then Rolleston where we turned on to Highway 1 to begin our journey down the east coast to the coastal city, Timaru.
We drove only about 35kms before we arrived at the small town, Rakaia, situated near the mouth of the Rakaia River, one of the largest braided rivers in New Zealand. The two bridges crossing the Rakaia River, at the township of Rakaia, are New Zealand's longest road and rail bridges respectively. The Rakaia River is a celebrated Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) fishery, a magnificent sculpture of a chinook salmon dominates the entrance to the town (see photo).
We continued our journey to Ashburton the the third-largest centre in Canterbury, after Christchurch and Timaru, here we pulled in for our first fuel stop. With the tank full of diesel we hit the road for
Lincoln
Open farmland looking to the Southern Alps the 1.5hr drive to Timaru for lunch.
Timaru is a major port city in the southern Canterbury region of New Zealand, located 160 kilometres south of Christchurch and about 200 kilometres north of Dunedin on the eastern Pacific coast of the South Island. Timaru has been constructed on rolling hills created from the lava flows of the extinct Mt Horrible volcano, which last erupted many thousands of years ago. The result is that most of the main streets are undulating, a clear contrast with the flat landscape of the Canterbury Plains to the north that we just drove across. After a tour of the port area and beaches, we found a park, and had a walk up and down the busy main street before having lunch at a delightful bar/bistro.
Leaving the coast and Timaru, we head inland on Highway 8 heading towards the Southern Alps. The drive takes across the flat, lush farm land of the Canturbury Plains always closing in on the snow capped mountains in the foreground. After travelling for about an hour we arrived at Fairlie, a small rural town.
From 1884 to 1968, the town was served by the Fairlie Branch railway, though until 1934,
Rakaia Salmon
Rakaia greets visitors with this impressive statue of a chinook salmon this branch line actually terminated a kilometre beyond Fairlie in Eversley. The railway station is now the local tourist information centre which is well preserved with lovely maintained gardens. While shopping at the local supermarket we returned to find the local "copper" hiding behind our motorhome catching and booking surprised speeding motorists.
Hit the road again around 3.30pm for the hour drive to our overnight stop, Lake Tekapo. Lake Tekapo is largest of three roughly parallel lakes running north-south along the northern edge of the Mackenzie Basin in the South Island of New Zealand (the others are Lake Pukaki and Lake Ohau). It covers an area of 83 kmĀ², and is at an altitude of 700 metres above sea level. We drove into township of Lake Tepako in complete wonderment of the stunning scenery of snow covered mountains surrounding the most glass like, deep blue lake. It was like a picture post card more associated with Switzerland, what an absolute wonderland we had found. Parked the motorhome, then wandered around in patchy snow throughout the village situated on the edge of the lake. The village is totally geared to tourism, with chalets, fine restaurants and of course souvenir shops. Lots
Near Ashburton
Stunning scenery all the way down Highway 1 of tour operators offering flights, cruises and eco-tours in the area. The village is also the base camp for local ski resorts.
Situated on the shores of Lake Tekapo is the Church of the Good Shepherd, which, in 1935, was the first church built in the Mackenzie Basin. The church at Lake Tekapo was designed by Christchurch architect R.S.D. Harman, based on sketches by a local artist, Esther Hope. The church is arguably one of the most photographed in New Zealand, and features an altar window that frames stunning views of the lake and mountains (see photo)
We camped the night at the Lake Tekapo Holiday Park right on the lakes edge with some of the most spectacular views imaginable. Luckily we had a cloudless golden sunset giving some of the most stunning scenery that any of us had ever witnessed (see photos). The park also had thermal spa pools and a lovely ice skating rink for the guests to enjoy.
Lake Tepako is absolutely stunning, a great place to stay, but be warned to expect very cold nights, especially in August.
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