Lake Tekapo, Tikapo (Kiwi accent) or Tekaaaaarrrrpo (Kayleigh's middle class drawl)

---

In somewhat of a sulk (due to our cancelled Milford Sound trip) we boarded the 8am bus bound for Lake Tekapo: a supposedly beautiful lake surrounded by mountains. Entombed by the snowy caps of Queenstown we were informed by the driver that the terrible cold front was very restricted to the Qtown area only and that the rest of the country was experiencing rather more spring-like weather. He could not have been more accurate. Smothered in fleeces, hoodies, vests and t-shirts, Kayleigh and I soon found ourselves stripping off layers about 15 minutes out of Queenstown. The sun was booming, and our spirits were lifting.



After a scenic 4 hour bus we arrived at Tekapo to see unquestionably the 'blue-est' lake with beautiful snow capped mountains all around. We were told by the driver that the many glaciers that feed Lake Tekapo grind the rock from the mountains on their way down, filling the lake with rock dust, creating a brilliant blue colour when the sun hits it.



This place is possibly my favourite place we have visited so far for natural beauty alone but also, as we are in the 'off-season' it is deserted. We hired bikes from our lakeside hostel 'The Lakeside Backpackers' and set off on a warm spring day cycling around the lake. Situated on the lakeside is the Church of the Good Shepherd. I am not one for religion, but I have to say they nailed it (excuse the pun...) with the location of this one. The view out of the window (see pic) is postcard perfect and must provide an inspiring place to pray. We also did the Cowan Hill track on the bikes which ended with an amazing hilltop view of the lakeside and village of Tekapo (population 300).



We spent the last hour of sunlight reading our kindles on the peaceful lakeside before heading into 'town' for a very authentic Thai meal...they couldn't speak English and gave us a totally refrigerated bottle of Merlot! But we warmed it with our hands and good vibes so all was well. We tipsily wandered back to the hostel whilst star gazing, as there is very little artificial light, it was the most intense starry night I have ever seen. A wonderfully peaceful, picture-perfect place.



As our bus to Christchurch the next day was not until noon, we rose early and decided to scale Mt John...a breathtaking 1000m above sea level. Admittedly, Lake itself is 700m above sea, so our climb was only 300m. Still, it was a great way to get some exercise and shave some weight off for the skydive in a weeks time. The views at the top were simply amazing and well worth the effort of the climb. I am starting to enjoy the active lifestyle of our trip and the crisp air up high makes it certainly get the blood pumping.



After a great time at Tekapo we boarded the 4 hour bus back to Christchurch to go home....WAIT!!! We still have 6.5 weeks left!!! Hurrah!



Dan

Xx

---

Comments

[Dean]

Loving Dan's pose! ;) Such a cracking view from your room too!! Also just wondering if there is a 'Church of the bad shepherd'?