Friday, December 30, 2016

Lake Tekapo (with Lake Pukaki)

27 August 2016

Angel and I stayed with our cousin and his family who were living in Christchurch. After contemplating between Hanmer Springs, Fox Glacier and Lake Tekapo, we decided to do a road trip to Lake Tekapo.

Lake Tekapo was only 3 hours away from Christchurch. We passed through vineyards and pastures and as we came closer to our destination, we could see the southern alps in the background. The area was sparsely populated. In fact, there was barely anything but sheep for thousands of hectares.

It was midday when we went to Mount John Observatory, which was overlooking the beautiful lake surrounded by snow-capped mountains. From the observatory, we could see the surrounding area which was a vast land of nothingness. Just dirt, shrubs and sheep. Lake Tekapo, being in the middle of nowhere and having a small population, enjoys minimal artificial light pollution and making it part of the UNESCO Dark Sky Reserve.

View from Mount John Observatory

It wasn’t snowing in Lake Tekapo during that winter but they made an artificial skating rink and tubing beside the lake. It had been about 10 years since I’ve skated and it was my first time tubing. With our 4-year old nephew, off we went burning calories and having fun.

On our way back to the Peppers Bluewater Hotel, we stopped the car by the lake as we noticed the sun setting down and the colors on the alps turning from white to golden orange and beautifully reflecting onto the lake. It was stunning. The scenery was the most breathtaking view in this New Zealand trip.

Beautiful view of Lake Tekapo

After having steak at Mackenzie’s for dinner, we went out and found ourselves looking up to the starriest night sky I’ve seen my entire life. My cousin brought us to Church of the Good Shepherd and although we couldn’t see much of the church in the darkness, we joined several groups of tourists in stargazing. I tried taking a photograph but the lights from the influx of cars and my tiny wobbly tripod made it quite a challenge (plus, my fingers felt really cold). Nonetheless, the night sky was absolutely amazing that you can see the milky way with your naked eye. I wanted to take more photos after we returned to our hotel but I was snoring as soon as I hit the bed.

I'm still practicing my night photography but could you just imagine how beautiful the starry night sky was?

28 August 2016

In the morning, we visited the Church of the Good Shepherd again. A small chapel with the lake behind it, it quite picturesque.

Church of the Good Shepherd

We then headed south for another scenic drive to Lake Pukaki. The lake was larger and the snow-capped mountains felt much closer. We didn’t have any plans so we simply drove around until we found an idyllic site to park the cars and enjoy the view. It was just as breathtaking as Lake Tekapo.

Lake Pukaki

After a while, we headed back to Tekapo, bought fish and chips for takeaway and found our way to Pines Beach (on one of the edges of Lake Tekapo) and searched for a spot to have our lunch. It was quite cold for a picnic outside but it was fun.

Finally, we made our way back to Christchurch and arrived before dinner. It was quite a memorable weekend—scenic drives and loads of fun. Special thanks to Oj and Katrina for hosting us that weekend. 😊

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Wellington to Christchurch

26 August 2016

Today is road-trip day. That means, we’ll be travelling all day. We booked the Wellington to Christchurch route from Intercity about a week before (during our layover in Malaysia on our way to New Zealand). The route was a combination of a ferry from Wellington to Picton (120 NZD) and bus ride from Picton to Christchurch (84 NZD). The cost would’ve been cheaper if booked in advance (it was cheaper when we checked weeks before).

A faint rainbow across the Marlborough Sounds

The ferry left Wellington at 9AM. Breakfast and lunch were available at the ferry. Sometime around 11AM, we passed by Marlborough Sounds and the view was breathtaking. It was cold, windy and wet at the outside viewing deck but it was worth the pain.

Picton
  
After waiting for a while at the Picton port, our Intercity bus arrived and off we were on our way to Christchurch. We passed by vineyards with mountains as its backdrop. It was a refreshing scenery compared to pastures and farmlands of the North.

Kaikoura

Our bus stopped by Kaikoura, a quaint little town which was known for its beach and dolphins. It wasn’t the powdery white sand kind of beach (but rather smooth stones on the beach). It was winter during that time and the waves rhythmic crashing of the waves was soothing—the whole vibe of Kaikoura was simply relaxing. Our stop was quite short but I could imagine spending hours just walking around or sipping coffee in this little town. If I had another day to spend in Kaikoura, I would’ve spent it here. Unfortunately, a month after we left New Zealand, a big quake hit the country and Kaikoura was one of the badly hit areas.

No Pokemons!

After Kaikoura, there were more of the same mountain scenery. Soon, it was getting dark until there was not much to see through the windows. Fortunately, there was wifi onboard the bus though we didn’t have much luck catching Pokemons. After around 12 hours of travelling, we finally arrived in Christchurch.