Took a spectacular scenic flight:
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| Getting ready to take off |
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| the view as we ascend over the town and turn towards the lake |
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| The different shades of Lake Tekapo |
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| Looking northwest towards the southern alps |
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| Flying around Mt. Cook, the highest peak in Australasia |
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| Looking south over lake Tasman towards lake Pukaki |
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| Great aerial views of the west coast glaciers- I think this is Fox (if not then Franz Josef) |
Then headed up Mt. John to the observatory for a snack and another view
and returned later that night for some stargazing
Between our visits to Mt. John we spent the afternoon relaxing at the local hot pools (as we are wont to do).
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| Blatant web downloaded promotional photo from Lake Tekapo Hot Springs... for obvious reasons we left our cameras in the lockers |
Next stop was Mt. Cook National Park
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| Great day hike on the hooker valley track- recommended for hookers (and maybe even a prop or two) |
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| The track followed a stream bed towards the Mount Cook basin |
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| Hooker showcasing the view west towards Mt. Sefton |
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| Hooker with partner selfie |
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| A nice boardwalk stroll as Mt. Cook looms in the distance |
After the boardwalk and multiple suspension bridges the trail climbs over a ridge and descends to end at Hooker Lake... teaming with ice bergs calved from Mt. Cooks hooker glacier.
We drove from Mt. Cook back to Christchurch where we took very few pictures... the city is still mostly empty blocks, shipping containers, and cordoned off buildings (a hint of which can be seen in the photo below) after the devastating earthquakes of 2010 and 11. They've largely finished with demolition and are just starting to rebuild, we look forward to visiting again in another year to see how it's changed. One of our main goals was to catch a glimpse of the famed Christchurch wizard (Wizard of New Zealand - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). We not only saw him... we saw his disciples as well!!
Last stop: The Banks peninsula and Akaroa
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| Spectacular scenery with lush rolling hills and bay after picturesque bay greeted us on an otherwise harrowing drive around and through the peninsula |
We spent the night at a lovely farmstay outside Akaroa complete with sheep, cows, and vinyards.
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| Our walk from the farm into town took us through meadows with fantastical trees, forests straight from middle earth, and (accidentally) onto a property that had it's own miniature railway running from a barn to a waterfall and pond (unfortunately we were quickly escorted off by the resident hermit, so didn't get a chance to photo document) |
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| Another great trip in this stunning country, looking forward to sharing the adventures with any and all who visit! |
