Dunedin to Lake Tekapo - 4th Dec

Today we had a 300km, or should I say 3 ¾ hour, drive from Dunedin to Lake Tekapo. It would in fact take longer than that as as normal we had plans to stop at places on the way.

Dunedin had grown on us and by the time we left we had started to wish we had a couple more days based there. The weather makes a difference to an opinion of a place and the fact that it was sunny and hot as we left (and yesterday also) did help.



Blue skies...


Our first stop was about an hour into the drive, a place called Moeraki where on the beach lay a natural phenomenon called the Moeraki Boulders. These boulders have not fallen out the sky but have been exposed from the land in which they lay as the sea has eroded the cliffs. Apparently they were formed around a central core of lime crystals which attracted other minerals in the land. Life is to short to go in to any more explanation.

Needless to say they were very impressive. Only large ones are left because any small enough to have been taken as a garden ornament have been.

After viewing the boulders, taking the obligatory 'comedic' photos (they did not make the blog) and going for a quick walk along the beach we got back in the car and headed to Oamaru where we planned to have lunch.

We arrived just to see the tail end of a Christmas carnival procession through the city. Even taking this into consideration we found it hard to concur with the guide book's description of Oamaru being one of 'NZ's more alluring provincial cities' - even if it does have the presence of Yellow and Blue penguin colonies. We had a very nice lunch and moved on.

After travelling through Timaru and turning inland (whilst listening to Radio 5 Richard Bacon podcasts) we started to see the Southern Alps looming large on the horizon.

Arriving in Lake Tekapo at around 4.30pm we were met by this brilliant, massive, bright, opaque blue lake. The photos do not do it justice in any way. If you have not been you really should.

The church was built as a memorial to the pioneers of the Mackensie Country in 1935 and has a massive panoramic window behind the alter with premium views of the lake.

We checked into our hostel, which while having dual aspect windows in the room was best described as comfortable but basic, and then headed out for fish and chips, and a couple of beers, on the grass by the lake. For the second time in the trip, this was the second time in two days that we had had fish and chips for dinner.

We ended the day by waiting for and then admiring the stars for a good couple of hours. Apparently, due to the air being so clear and pure, Lake Tekapo is one of the best places in the Southern Hemisphere to view the night sky and we can definitely believe it.