So we left Christchurch and headed in the direction of Wanaka. Stopping off at the Cookie Time factory to buy two packets of their discounted broken cookies (delicious) and also some fruit products from the Barkers factory shop in Geraldine. The plan was to get to Mt. Cook by the evening, but like all good plans this one was subject to change! We got to Tekapo…
… there’s an observatory there and we decided on spec to go on the tour. Unfortunately the weather clouded in who while we waited until after midnight to go on the tour it didn’t happen. We did get an impromptu lecture from the lady there which was great. She had the most ridiculously powerful laser pointer I have ever seen. I swear if you shone it in someone’s eye you’d burn it out in no time. How much fun would one of those have been in school? ;)
Next it was on to Mt. Cook itself via stopping it at Glentanner to see Orla – a friend of my friend Carole’s from Ireland. WE arranged to go on a tramp on Stewart Island together.
This happened to be the weekend that NZ was mourning the passing of Sir Edmund Hillary. It’s hard to appreciate just how much he means to NZ. I guess he really put the place on the map. Everywhere we went the flags were at half mast. The exhibition in Mt. Cook (well worth going to) was free for the weekend – and the 3D film (not so good) was half price.
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We went for a short walk to Kea point too – just a nice hour long walk with great views off the glacial lake and up to Mt Cook (which was stubbornly still hiding himself in cloud).
It was a *very* windy night parked behind some matagauri bushes. Our camper van is one of those flip top things where the roof pops up to make a sleeping space. It’s *definitely* designed for a family with parents and a kid or two… as there was very little space (or height) for my toes! But anyway.. I had visions of the top of the van being clean ripped off by the wind.
It wasn’t though… you can all relax ;)
The next day it was on to Lake Hawea North of Wanaka for a night. On the way we stopped at the Clay Cliffs…
… before heading on to Lake Hawea.. This was also the wonderful introduction to sandflies for my parents. Honestly, before then they were going to sell up in Ireland and move out to the Promised Land. Repeated exhortations (yes I’m trying to improve my vocabulary) not to scratch the bites wasn’t always heeded. Oh well.
There’s a nice legend which goes something like this : The Gods created Fiordland and it was so beautiful that they knew humans would never want to leave – so they created sandflies. How kind.
The next day we did another short walk and had a lovely sunny (at last) drive down to Wanaka.
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