Lake Tekapo

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It was a few weeks ago when I confirmed a job in Lake Tekapo. I was to start on the 19th of June but then plans changed and I was asked to come a few days earlier. It was a big thing for me to agree to over 3 months of employment in some place that I had never been. As I am the backpacker who rarely plans any more then 12 hours ahead, 3 and a half months is an eternity. I had asked around about Lake Tekapo to other backpackers. Everyone had said the same two things. The first, Lake Tekapo is beautiful and secondly, that Lake Tekapo is small. And this was all the insight that I got about the place.

Upon arrival I was shocked at the accuracy of my mini survey results. I pretty much got off the bus and said "Wow this place is gorgeous" then I walked 30 seconds down the street then said "Man, this place is small". I got moved into a little flat share. Its clean, its quiet and the people are friendly. It was a strange feeling to take everything out of my backpack and place it in drawers or on hangers. This is when you realize how little you actually have. And to think I am likely to get rid of some of the things that I do have before I continue. Maybe my backpack will be much lighter for when the weather warms up.

I started work at a little pizza, pasta restaurant/bar kinda of place. It is a relaxed job in a relaxed town (just what I was looking for). For excitement there are ski hills nearby (not open yet) also a outdoor hot pools and an outdoor hockey rink. There are a few nice hikes and also an Observatory to go stargazing. Lake Tekapo happens to be a great place to star gaze. The Milky Way lights up the evening sky along with thousands of stars. It is a beautiful sight to see a sky so full of stars. There are evening tours available in which you go to the top of Mt John and look through all the fancy telescopes in the observatory.

I have a little rule for New Zealand travel. It is along the lines of no matter what town you go to, it is very likely you will cross paths with somebody you have previously met. This may be due to the fact that most people have similar itineraries and the country is not that big. This rule proves true more then it proves itself wrong in my experience. This time in the one little street (downtown) I bumped into a friend that I had hiked with in Te Anau and travelled to Queenstown with. She was going to be in town for a few days so we made plans for a Monday morning hike (I have a job now so I had to plan ahead). Sure enough Monday came and the sun was shining in a cloudless sky. A perfect day to hike up Mt John (it has a cafe) then down the lakeside trail into town. The hike was great, the views over the little village and the huge turquoise lake was a pleasant and relaxing sight. We enjoyed some coffees at the cafe and enjoyed the entertainment of the little birds that liked to jump around on the table. It was a nice hike, one that I will likely do again when I have days off.

So the word with the locals and other backpackers is that the town is going to change from a sleepy little village to a much busier place once the ski hills open. That all the news from Lake Tekapo.

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