New Zealand Southland - Part 2

 Live the van life while you have it – no regrets

The landscape on the South Island is simply stunning

The view from Mount Cook road

This was day 8 of our 2-week trip around New Zealand, and we were about half-way down the South Island and heading into mountain country. The weather was a little wet and windy overnight, and although it was warm in the van, we could hear every raindrop being thrown at the windows and the wind whistling around. We slept ok, and we got up early, but not to any sunnier weather – it was still grey and cloudy, and some more rain was definitely on the cards today. This was a shame, as not only was Mt Cook now hidden by clouds, but walking isn’t much fun in the rain. We drove out from our campsite, heading down along Mount Cook Road through the valley, heading towards the Mt Cook visitor centre. Normally the views would be amazing, and I would be stopping every 2 minutes for more photos, but today it was very overcast, with low hanging clouds. 

Some of the wildlife around Mt Cook

Although still very dramatic, it wasn’t very good for photos or walking. We stopped at the hotel behind the visitor centre, grabbed a couple of coffees and made our own breakfast at a table. We sat and chilled out, getting warmed up, charging phone and camera batteries, and thinking about if we should face the weather or not. Just outside of the building was a statue of the man himself, Sir Edmund Hillary, looking all weather worn in his expression (as hikers should). A little bit of rain wouldn’t have stopped this man, in fact the biggest mountain in the world didn’t stop him, so why would a little rain stop us? There are a couple of accessible walks from here, one being the Hooker Valley Trail, a 5km walk that has ‘sweeping views’ of the area, which I knew we weren’t going to get today. However, we’d come all this way, and who knows if we’d ever come back to New Zealand again, so we decided to do the walk, come rain or more rain. There were plenty of people out and about here, all rugged up in North Face and Kathmandu gear, as well as selfies sticks, all walking the same path as we were. Despite the weather, the views were still impressive, with fog hanging around the peaks, and the water running under the bridges appearing a slate grey-greenish colour. We walked the trail, enjoying the views, and also enjoyed crossing the suspension bridges that went over rushing glacial water. There is a sign on each of these bridges, warning of 20 people maximum, which some people didn’t seem bothered about, but something that I kept in mind. Although I doubt they’d break with a few more bodies on them, as they looked quite sturdy and strong, you never know, and with the way they moved around, the signs are likely there for a reason!

A panoramic from the Hooker Valley Track

Muller Lake and the first of the 3 swing bridges

Love taking pictures of the van

Such wild beauty in The South

There were 3 swing bridges on the Hooker Valley Trail, and each with a stunning backdrop of pure New Zealand mountain views. A lot of the trail was rough gravel paths, but in some places there was a nice, level wooden walkway, covered in chicken wire to help grip, which made my wet boots squeak a little. The landscape was yellow tuffs of grass, swaying in the icy winds, with big, dark mountains reaching up into the mist. Although the weather wasn't great, there was beauty everywhere along the trail, with small birds flitting around, and delicate white flowers littering the shrubbery. We reached the end of the walk, or at least the furthest that we wanted to go today, and had a short break. Overlooking Hooker Lake, our lunch break was as nice a spot as we were going to get today, so we sat down and ate and drank, and enjoyed the view (it had even stopped raining!). I took a few photos from the lookout, not bothered to walk any further today apart from back to the van, with the main attraction being the glacier at the far end of the lake. You could just see the deep blues and lighter shades, but much of the glacier was hidden under a dirty covering of gravel.

We didn't see Mt Cook, but still beautiful!

As we walked back across the bridges and towards the van, the sun came out a little, the clouds parting, just enough for the view to change and brighten a little. Mount Cook was still hiding, but the surrounding mountains were streaked with rays of sun, highlighting the grasses, and bouncing back off the icy rivers. We got back to our van, got out of our wet clothes, and hit the road. Our next stop was Queenstown, the famous adventure capital of New Zealand. It doesn’t matter if it's Winter or Summer, this place has something for the adrenaline junkie in all of us – skydiving, jet skiing, hiking, skiing and everything in between. Before getting to this amazing place, we drove through the Lindis Pass, a stunning area of natural beauty. There wasn’t much to see in some ways, just a snaking road making its way through mountains on either side, and not much else. But, it is this stark contrast that made it beautiful, especially when driving past Omarama, which had strange rock formations jutting up from the green trees and scrubs, pinnacles of light-coloured stones sticking up like cathedral spires. Formed over 20 million years ago, these cliffs are made from layers of silt and gravel, and you can actually walk around and explore closely, and although the park is privately owned, you can pay a $5 entry fee and away you go. At the time I didn’t even realise this was a possibility, but thinking about it now, we didn’t even have the time. The thing is when you’re on holidays somewhere, there is never enough time (or money) to do everything. However, this can be a good thing, as you make a list of things to explore when you go back, and gives you that hunger to save money and travel more. Sometimes going back to the same place again makes you relive those first memories, while also making new ones. This is called being bitten by the ‘travel bug,’ something that happened to me a long time ago.

Gorgeous scenery, even in the rain

Lake Muller Lookout

When the sun came out to play

Hooker Lake glacier

We drove south towards Queenstown, after a few stops for photos along the way (and some photos out the window while driving), and arrived just before 6 in the evening. The views were stunning; Queenstown is built on a huge lake called Lake Wakatipu, and surrounded by peaks David, Tooth, Jane and Centaur. The combination of lakes, mountains and the ski town style buildings in the centre make Queenstown a real highlight and treasure of New Zealand. The road into town slopped down, so you got the full view of the whole area before getting into the urban area. Unfortunately, there was a lot of traffic, backed up at least 5kms outside of town. It took us some time to pull off the main road and find a backpackers to ask about accommodation, as well as ask what was going on – was this normal tourist traffic nowadays, or was something special happening? 

An old farm house on the road to Queenstown

It turned out that the annual Queenstown Marathon was happening the next day, and so everyone was piling into the town, taking up all the roads, and all the accommodation. We had no other choice than to drive back out, and keep heading south, and come back another day - that was a promise! A little saddened, but we grabbed a bottle of wine from a roadside bottle shop on the way out, as who knows where we’d be camping tonight, and we wanted to be prepared. We ended up driving another 40kms, after a long day of about 350kms already, but it was worth it. To our right was the lake, and to our left was the Remarkable Mountain Range, gorgeous snow-capped mountains where the skiers from Queenstown play on. We also found a great campsite for the night in Kingston, a town on the southern shore of the lake. Kingston Top 10 Holiday park was probably one of the best organised campsites we’d been to so far, and that’s saying a lot because New Zealand generally has great campsites (free and paid). For $20 per person, we got a nice grassy spot for the van, a cozy kitchen area with a fireplace, kitchen with real cookers, fridges, big sinks and a prep area, as well as a covered BBQ patio area - all very clean as well. While having dinner and a glass of wine, we tossed up whether or not we were going to drive down to Milford Sound, another 3 hours or so away via small and windy mountain roads. The weather had turned a little grey and overcast, with a few drops of rain. Was it worth driving all that way to possibly see nothing? We decided to do it, as how many times do you get to be in a van cruising around New Zealand? Live the van life while you have it – no regrets.

The strong rock formations at Omarama

Dramatic landscapes of the South Island

Unfortunately, he wasn't allowed in the café :(

Nothing like a road trip!

We got up and had a quick breakfast, but decided to grab a coffee on the way for the long drive to Te Anau, a stopping off point before Milford Sound. The countryside south of Queensland, as you move from Otago to Southland, is absolutely stunning! It reminds me of the highlands of Scotland, but even greener, and probably even more beautiful, as it seems softer and less harsh. We had sweeping views of the mountains, with green paddocks covering any flat ground in the middle, with our road snaking its way through between fields and mountain passes. The clouds were still hanging around, but they were the pretty kind, clinging to mountains and making nice patterns in the sky, rather than a blanket of gloom. The sun even came out and showed us some blue sky! We stopped off at a crossroads café called the Five Rivers Café, which was where you could turn right for Te Anau and Milford, or keep heading South for the Fiordlands and Invercargill. The café was fairly quiet, a few customers, and a sheep or two wandering the fields outside. After getting the coffee, we jumped back in the van ready for the long drive. It wasn’t only the landscape that reminded me of Scotland, but the names were all from the Old Country as well – Invercargill, Oban, Fortrose, with a mix of local names like Waianiwa, Mokotua and Kapuka. 

Our cool van with beautiful landscapes

The local names come from the Māori language, which is a Polynesian language, so very similar to many pacific islands, including Hawaii. In saying that, it almost looks like Japanese written in English characters, a combination of consonants and vowels sounds together with added single vowels (mo-ko-tu a). We arrived in Te Anau, a small town on a lake (like a lot of places in NZ and Scotland), with some adventure tours on offer like a plane ride over Milford Sound, but one we saw and liked was the glow worm tunnels. We asked about this, and it looked really cool – you get a boat into the caves, paddling along an underground body of water, with the bugs glowing above you on the cave ceiling. Unfortunately, there were no seat available for the next 3 days, due to the high number of tourists at the time, as well as a shortage of staff. This lack of workers was a story that I heard all over New Zealand – the post-pandemic workforce wanted to be casual only, to have more flexibility and work less, but there was also a severe lack of migration workers due to the complete closure of the country. Everyone said it would takes years to get back to normal. This was the point where we would decide if we were to go all the way to Milford Sound or continue back towards Queenstown and Wanaka. I figured that even if we didn’t get a boat ride for the day (as it was already midday), the view of Milford and the drive there would be worth it. We continued through Te Anau, which is a pretty place in its own right, and continued on to Milford Sound. Driving back up into the hills gave us a good view of Lake Te Anau, a long lake with an impressive backdrop of misty mountains, which gives you a little teaser of what it will be like at the Sound.

Still waters of Te Anau

Lakes and mountains, almost like the Scottish Highlands

The drive to Milford Sound

Christie Falls on the way to Milford Sound

Along the way, there were plenty of places to stop and admire the view. We stopped at one particular place, Pop's View Lookout, just managing to get a spot to leave the car off the road as it was very busy, and get look at the mountains we were driving through. Extremely green forests, almost jungle-like, which grew all throughout the valleys and nearly all the way up the sides of the jutting mountains; it was a very dramatic landscape, valleys with glacial rivers, with mountains either side that looked like they’d been pinched up sharply. Words are hard to find to describe this kind of beauty, and photos also just don’t do it justice. Anywhere along this part of the road, you need to be cautious of Kias. No, not the Korean car, but clever green parrots that are incredibly smart, large, and destructive (all in equal parts) and just want food. They will grab things out of your hands, attempt to get into windows of cars, or rip at the door seals with their huge curved beak if you try and close the windows on them. These birds, which remind me a little of Australia Sulphur Crested Cockatoos, are native but have turned into a complete tourist menace, only because tourists have fed them in the past and now the birds know where they can get their next ‘meal on wheels.’ 

The view before Milford tunnel

Keeping an eye on these green shimmering-feathered troublemakers, we took some photos and enjoyed the view, also making sure the van was securely closed at all times. It was quite interesting watching the interactions between bird and human, and I think it was also a very delicate dance of who was the boss – the birds would stand there getting photos taken of them, but at anytime they could turn from passive parrot to aggressive alpha bird, and humans beware! I did see the birds chasing people, plucking at their hands for food, as well as ripping at windows. The road to Milford was spectacular, with waterfalls and jungle-like forests, but always mountains. We stopped at a set of lights along the road, which was strange as there were no other lights here, no intersections, only a 2 way windy highway, but then realised it was for a tunnel. I’m glad we stopped though, as the view from the window was amazing – a soaring cliff face with cascading water running down to meet the rivers, and snow sitting on the peaks of the mountains. From jungle and forest to snow, sometimes there were just moments between the changes – the weather had also got quite chilly, and it felt that we were in winter rather than spring. We got our turn through the tunnel, which was very narrow and quite roughly hewn on the sides, and after about 1.5kms made it through to the Milford Sound side of the mountain. Just after coming out was the Hundred Falls, which is sheer rock with waterfalls streaming off the surface everywhere you look. The view was a whole different world from the other side of the tunnel, with the transition being instant because of the dark tunnel in the middle. It reminded me of a tunnel in northern Spain, driving towards the ski town of Baqueira, where before going in you were in the mountains and it was green, clear and sunny, then coming out of the 5km tunnel, it would be a wintery wonderland with white snow covering everything. It was always a surprise and a delight when driving that road.

Pop's View Lookout

Photo op at Christie Falls

The cheeky (and very clever) Kia bird

We arrived at Milford Sound at 3pm, and the clouds had moved in, but it was still something to see. We enquired at the visitor centre for boat trips, but was told that everything was booked, and that there was also no accommodation available. The decision had been made for us, so we decided to walk around and enjoy the area before heading back. We found some free parking, not easy here, and went for a walk. The weather was cloudy, but when the clouds moved, the sun beat down with a lot of force. We stuck to the waterway path, looking at the Sound in amazement, watching the boats go out for the last cruise trips of the day. Milford Sound (Piopiotahi) Marine Reserve is part of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site, and was the world's top travel destination in an international survey in 2008. It remains NZ’s most famous tourist attraction, maybe even more than Lord of the Rings movie locations I guess.

Hundred Falls at Milford Sound

A sound is a body of water that is connected to the sea or ocean, but its inlet is usually hidden. This was the case when European explorers sailed right past this place without seeing, including Captain Cook. The Sound is home to soaring waterfalls, one being just over 150m tall, as well as Mitre Peak, which sits right in the middle of the water when looking out from the port. Bottlenose dolphins are known to swim here, but the area is also home to humpbacks and even penguins. A small side note, the second season of SBS’s TV show Alone was also filmed here, and as dramatic as the views were (including some snow!), I would not want to do that. We took some pictures, braved the strong winds, but were happy that we came here and had seen it. Now for the long drive back! We drove all the way back, past Te Anau, past the café where we’d stopped in the morning, and back to Lake Wakatipu. We were going to hit Queenstown the next day, hopefully the crowds had all moved out by then, but needed somewhere to sleep for the night. We checked out a free camp site just outside of Kingston that we’d driven past before, and decided that this was the place to stay. Free, nice grassy areas with shelter under trees, and toilets (drop, unfortunately, but netter than nothing), it had pretty much all you need for a night’s stop. The sun set over the lake, providing some truly magnificent views, which were only topped by the sunrise, which I managed to wake up and see. A lot of driving – 500kms in a day - but worth it!

Sunset at our campsite outside Queenstown

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MyUncleTravellingMatt. November 2022.

New Zealand Southland - Part 1

 A nice easy cruise on a glorious, sunny day in New Zealand. Long live holidays!

Sit back, relax, and enjoy the voyage!

Leaving port

I have always loved ferry trips, which may sound a bit weird considering that seasickness is a real and very life-threatening condition. Well, real at least, but to anyone that has experienced it in full swing (so to speak), will no doubt agree with me that you feel like you will die. There are many different types of ferries though, from a Sydney Rivercat up the Parramatta River that cruises along smoothly like a hot knife through butter, to the rollercoaster classic trip of Circular Quay to Manly during rough weather, waves and wind lashing at anyone brave enough to be outside.  These are tame compared to what you get on the open seas. I once caught the ferry from Barcelona to Ibiza, which was lovely, and I even slept (as it was overnight). The way back, however, was a maritime disaster of epic proportions, with the puke-O-meter on full projectile. It was a car ferry, but nothing huge, and being a catamaran, you’d think it would be smooth sailing. However, when people got on and did their usual thing of eat and drink immediately (like a 1-hour flight, people just need to stuff themselves), I was worried – I never eat on a ferry until I know she isn’t gonna hit waves. 

Seasickness is not fun!

The person I was travelling with wanted something to eat, but I warned them to wait. We did. Then it happened. One person ducked unsteadily to the bathroom. Followed by another, then another, then the first person again. There was vomit washing back and forth along the floor, people going on the carpet because they got caught short. Even the crew go into the act – by the end, about 90% of everyone on board had lost their breakfast, lunch, dinner, and any food from every time they’d ever eaten. Not me; I fell asleep in my chair. A family had also fallen asleep, laying down on the floor with their feet point towards the front of the ferry. They explained to me afterwards that seasickness is not about eating, or even your stomach, but rather your balance and inner ear, so laying flat helps this balance. I have been very sick on a smaller boat just outside the Sydney Heads, while scuba diving with sharks, so I wasn’t immune. So, stepping onto this ferry, I sized it up, checked out the bathrooms and closest door to the fresh air, and decided it was safe and not rockable. I did not head straight for the restaurant though. We left port a little later than expected, setting sail out of beautiful Wellington at 2:30 instead of 1pm, and the journey between the North and South Island was going to about 4 hours, a nice easy cruise on a glorious, sunny day in New Zealand. Long live holidays!

Green hills on the South Island

Some tucked away houses

Pulling into port at Picton

Vineyards just outside of Kaikaoura

The ferry was very smooth, the sun was shining, so it was a very pleasant trip across the Cook Strait. There are two kinds of people on boat trips – those that chill in their seats, reading books, looking at phones, chatting; then there is the other type, getting up to see the boat leave, the water slapping the sides, the wake left by the ship, then rushing up to the front to get the best view. Maybe the second type is just kids… and me. It wasn’t long before we’d passed the southern tip of the North Island, and by this time the South Island was already visible. I was outside most of the time, enjoying the weather and the views, watching the land slip by. Along the wild coast of the top of the South Island there were small houses built right up on the shore, little farmsteads and wooden cottages on stilts, all with property and views included, and some even with private piers. The landscape was rugged, hilly, but very beautiful, and not even the wind turbines on top of the ridge line could take that that away. 

Our amazing (and free!) campsite near Kaikoura

While standing outside on the railings, I got talking to an older bloke who was coming down for his daughter’s wedding. He was quiet, polite, but full of info about the local area, as he’d been here a few times. He was lovely and even took a photo of us - a rare thing as I hardly ever hand my camera over. The ship pulled up in Picton after 4 hours of smooth sailing, and we drove right off, through the town, and onto our stopping point for the night. It was nearly dusk already, as it was about 6:30pm, so we needed to find a place to stay, and make dinner while we could. I did have a place in mind, and it was a new campsite on the beach with facilities and even a shop and restaurant. It was called Kekerengu, and we got there at about 7:45pm. However, there was nobody there at the shop, a few people at the campsite, and I wasn’t sure what to do. Although we hadn’t booked, I was expecting to pay, but figured there was nothing I could do till morning. We parked up, made dinner, and enjoyed a sunset while watching the waves crash against the coast. It was so picturesque here, and was the best camping spot we’d stopped at so far. There were even facilities on-site, including flushing toilets (a real luxury while camping!) and hot showers. Yes, hot showers! It was coin operated, which out in the middle of nowhere for a couple of cashless travellers (who uses cash after the pandemic?), would have made us showerless travellers as well. Luckily for us, we’d met Bruce a few days back in that funny little campsite before Wellington, and had taken some cash out. Bruce you are a legend! Hot showers were taken quickly in fear of the timer running out, but it just kept going, so after business was attended to, we could enjoy the steady flow of hot water. We decided to end the shower before the water stopped, as I wasn’t sure it would, and wanted to leave water for other people in case it was tank water. Warm, fed, and parked up in a beautiful spot, we crashed early, listening to the waves as we fell asleep.

Beautiful Kaikoura!

Hello Mr (or Ms) Seal!

Seals love sunbaking

Watching dolphins in Kaikoura

We woke up early, packed up and headed off. We stopped off by the café to see if there was anyone to pay, but it seemed like they were sleeping in. We tried. Our next stop would be Kaikoura, a gorgeous little coastal town famous for its beaches and seal colony. An hour of driving and we reached Kaikoura, which is nestled between the mountains, green forests, and the ocean. I visited this place for the first time way back in 2007 and I remembered the great fish and chips, so I knew exactly what we’d be having for lunch today. The other thing was the seals, which live just outside of town in a colony beneath tall, chalky cliffs. We cruised through town, passing little arts and crafts stores, and the place had a lot more tourists than I remember from 2007. Everywhere gets popular eventually, and this place is a true hidden gem of New Zealand. We spotted the fish and chips place, which was already busy, but wanted to see the seals before lunch, so continued on. We parked at the seal colony, and a dense mist had moved in from the sea and come right up to the land. It was hard to see much, but the sky was still blue, and I’m sure the seals were out there somewhere. We walked right out onto the rocks, not following a trail or anything, searching for the cute little New Zealand Fur Seals that we came for. It wasn’t long that we began to see little brown blobs through the mist, becoming clearer as we can closer. There was some seals that were sleeping, some were sitting up and looking at us, while there was also one noisy one who was barking and showing his teeth. There is nothing to worry about, seals aren’t normally aggressive, as long as you don’t get too close. 

Our van in Kaikoura

Another thing you need to be mindful of is their escape route – these little guys will always try and run away first, so don’t get between them and the sea, or you might get between their teeth. We also walked along the clifftop, to get more of a bird’s eye view of the area. The fog moved in and out, sometimes obscuring everything but the path 2 metres ahead, then it would open up and you could see the green paddocks, the blue sky, the sea out to the horizon. From this vantage point, you also go to smell the gull colony, which stank almost like rotten fish, possibly made worse by all the seals lying out in the sun (and using dry land to poo). We walked back to the car, very happy with what we’d seen, along with some great photos. Just before we got in the car, there was a little commotion in the water - we went over to the edge of the water, climbing the rocks to get where other people were watching something, and then we saw them - a large pod of dolphins jumping and splashing around. They must have been fishing as a family, and it was amazing to watch - sadly too far away and too quick for any decent photos, but still an experience. There is so much wildlife in a small stretch of land (or sea). It was lunch time, so we headed back to town to tuck into the ‘World Famous Fish and Chips’ of Cooper's Catch that I’d been craving all day. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint – cheap, plenty of food, friendly service, and outdoor seating with free parking for customers. The seagulls did not get a feed.

Don't get between seals and their escape route (the water)

The wild and beautiful cost around Kaikoura

The beach just outside of Christchurch

As advertised - world famous!

The day was half over, but all that was planned for the afternoon was to drive south to Christchurch and get some accommodation. As we drove, we passed some absolutely stunning scenery – the area around Kaikoura is full of beaches, mountains, and green rolling hills in between, with enough sheep, cows and farmhouses to make a landscape renaissance painter wet their pants. There were even a few vineyards, all planted in neat rows, and full of green leaves, but no grapes as yet. We arrived at Christchurch at about 4:30pm and found a nice little campsite within a few blocks of the beach. This campsite was a paid one, a small family-owned and run business in South Brighton, which sat on a peninsula of land between the ocean and Christchurch. We would be exploring the city tomorrow, but decided today would be a relaxing afternoon, a walk on the beach and a bit of grocery shopping for dinner and lunch the next day. We set up camp (parked the van), then went for a walk along the beach on our way to the supermarket. The weather wasn’t warm enough for a swim, but it was a good stretch of beach for walking and playing with dogs. There were a few keen mutts running into the waves chasing down sticks thrown by their owners, but nobody swimming at all. It was still a nice walk, but then we go to South Brighton, and what we saw there was a little depressing. 

Caution! Seals!

The town had clearly seen better days, and half of the stores were boarded up and closed. There was graffiti on plenty of walls, but not the cool street art type graffiti, but more tagging and sloppy spraying that anything else. I’m not sure if it was because of Covid, and the place had never really sprung back to life, or maybe the earthquakes that hit Christchurch, but there was a real air of disappointment and almost despair, as if a wonderful seaside town that was once bustling, colourful and full of live had died gradually and painfully. There were quite a few bored teenagers hanging around, without the energy to even cause trouble, as well as a few drunks and homeless people. Everyone else was either at home, in a pub, or in a hurry to get to either of these places. I’m sorry South Brighton, I hope a new mayor comes in, or something else that brings changes to breathe life back into you soon – I could see there was something there once and it would be a shame to lose that forever. I have to move on from this depressing subject, so I will talk about the supermarket. There are two main chains of supermarkets in New Zealand, New World and Countdown. The first company is a locally owned one, and we were frequent visitors, as they had NZ brands, decent coffee, and also free Wi-Fi for 30 mins, which we used to catch up on the world. Countdown, on the other hand, is Australian owned, and called Woolworths back home (and they haven’t changed the logo either). Its pretty much like the Big Two in Australia, where the prices and look of the shops are ‘same same but different.’ We got out shopping from Countdown today, and walked back for dinner.

Green hills and tall mountains - pure New Zealand!

The colours of Kaikoura

Christchurch tram and the cathedral

Trams about town

We got into Christchurch the next morning, and were looking forward to walking around the city, but the clouds had moved in, with rain looking likely. We needed to do some shopping for souvenirs as well as get some cooking gas, as our bottle run dry after (just) making dinner. Unfortunately, New Zealand towns all look the same from the main roads; strip malls, car dealerships, fast food chains, and nothing to see. Christchurch, however, was different as soon as you passed the ring road (or bypass road) and go to the centre. Unique to this city are its grey stone buildings, which include the cathedral, as well as some public buildings and many of the educational institutions. I’m not sure why this stone, but I’m guessing these buildings were all constructed around the same time, much like Sydney’s sandstone buildings that were built between 1850 and 1900 (Sydney Uni – 1850; Sydney Town Hall – 1869; The QVB – 1893). We stopped for coffee just outside the cathedral, after having found a safe and free parking spot. The coffee shop was a little food truck-style outlet, and served coffee in five sizes: eeny, meeny, miney, moe, and teeny weeny. I felt silly asking for it, but ordered two flat white mineys (or should that be two miney flat whites?).

Dance like nobody is watching

Sadly, the cathedral had taken some damage in the 2011 quake, which also killed 185, but restoration was well under way, so it wouldn’t belong before she was back in once piece. I couldn’t remember how bad the quake had been, so looked it up, and it was a serious one – 6.3 and causing extensive damage in the city. We saw some of the damage that hadn’t been fixed, and it did look like the city was still recovering from this natural disaster. I have to note that the city had plenty of rubble and empty spaces where buildings used to be, but they had some great graffiti to cover up the sore spots. One art installation that I have to mention was the Dance-O-Mat – a small square surrounded by damaged buildings covered in graffiti, but with a coin-operated, bluetooth speaker-jukebox. All you need to do is slot in $2 into the old washing machine and off you go with your own music for 30 mins of boogie time! We had a quick dance like nobody was watching, pulling out all the dance moves (including an attempted moon walk), before the coffee wore off and we needed to slow it down a bit. The centre of Christchurch has some nice cafes and restaurants, but it mainly a smaller version of any city, with glass frontage for brand name stores that you get anywhere. To see the important stuff in the city, you can grab an old tram that runs in a loop around the centre. We got what we needed to do, which was some food shopping and some gifts for back home, then decided to walk back to the car before the rain made it miserable to walk. We got back to the van just in time, as the rain had really settled in. We were stocked up and ready to roll out, with the next stop being Mt Cook and the lakes along the way. I enjoyed Christchurch, but I’m always more exited by seeing some mountains and wilderness.

The vista from Lake Tekapo

Amazing, even on an overcast day

The colourful and Insta-popular Lupin flower

Welcome to Lake Tekapo

We stopped off in Geraldine for petrol and a late lunch, before continuing on the Lake Tekapo. This road west was very beautiful, golden fields with green hills that were changing into mountains, with plenty of open spaces and not many people. There were a few little towns along this road, including Burke’s Pass, which apart from the stunning scenery typical of a mountain pass, had some great stores, including a ye olde petrol station full of fuel and road signs. Unfortunately, we only drove past, not wanting to stop as the weather was closing in a little and we wanted to see the main attractions for today – Lake Tekapo and Mt Cook. We came down from the pass and hit the lake – and my heart rate jumped! It had been a long time since I’d been here, but even so, my memory of this place was such a good one that it made me almost twice as excited. 

The church of The Good Shepheard

The waters of the lake are a glacial blue colour, with darker or lighter patches with the sunlight, but very hard to tell how deep at any point. Ringed by mountains, slopping down with pine trees all the way to the lakes edge, Lake Tekapo is a postcard scene, and one that you just have to stop for numerous times to appreciate. We pulled over in a small carpark, jumped out, and started taking photos. Everyone did this, and I think if they built a pedestrian crossing at this point, the traffic would bank up for miles! From here we could see the snow-capped mountain range, including Mt Cook (just!), but the clouds were making the view both better (dramatic effect) and worse (too much drama) at the same time; I wasn’t sure how long it would be before it rained and ruined everything. We got back in the van and headed just down the road to the Church of the Good Shepherd, which is the main stopping point for the lake, and where we’d find the most tourists. The area is very nice though, and worth the stop, as apart from the great views of the lake, you also get to see a picturesque stone church that sits on a slight rise and looks out over the lake. The whole grassy area around the carpark and church is full of brightly coloured flowers, called Lupin flowers, which make an amazing splash of blue, purple and pink in front of the blue lake and mountains. I remember seeing these flowers, or ones very similar at least, in southern Chile in the Torres del Paine area, so they must grow in colder highlands. Unfortunately, most patches of these flower were covered in tourists, trying to get that amazing shot for Instagram. People were pulling all sorts of poses, much like people at the Leaning Tower in Pisa. One girl had even fallen right in the middle of them to get a shot.

With the clouds really moving in now, and even a few drops of rain starting to fall, it was time to find out spot for the night. It wasn’t a long drive before we found our destination, Mackenzie Waitaki campsite, which is on a slight rise above Lake Pukaki (the next lake across). This was another free camping site, and had toilet facilities, which is a bonus, but sadly no shower like Kaikoura. So, we parked the van, made some hot soup for dinner, then nestled down for the night as the rain settled in. There were a few people here, in rental vans from a variety of companies, and some I was sure that we'd seen on our trip, like we were all going the same way. Travellers Autobahn, Juicy, and even Escape vans like ours were parked up front-row for the view of the lake and mountains. A few people also had their foldable camping chairs out and were enjoying a cuppa, watching the best show on tv - nature. Although we weren’t hopeful the weather would be great the next day, we couldn’t change our plan – we were heading north up the west side of the lake and onto Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park to hopefully see the mountain and do some walking.

Looking our over the lake towards Mount Cook National Park

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MyUncleTravellingMatt. November 2022.