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| Lake Tekapo. Pop. 315 |
Up north again passing through Upper Otago, or it might have been Lower Canterbury. A decent driver/guide gave us a restrained and informative commentary. Through hilly countryside, past Mts Cook and Tasman visible in the distance and vast plains containing big sheep and cattle ( well, normal sized animals you understand ) farms. This area is naturally very dry, especially in the winter.
The farmers have resorted to using irrigation machines ( bad pic left out of fast moving bus ). They are enormous. The largest is 1.3 kms long, made up of these sections. Each section costs about $25,000. They revolve around a fixed point at one end and have the ability to travel over specially designed 'squashable' fences.
There is lots of good trout and salmon fishing in the rivers around these parts ( at the right time of year ). We stopped for coffee at a village called, maybe, Umiguli or something similar. In the caff this Quinnat salmon was on display. It was caught in Feb 1978 on the nearby river Waitaki. It weighed in at 47lbs.
Staying again at a YHA place. This was the view out of the front door over the lake. The area is considered a magnet for the hiking and trekking fraternity. I don't know the difference, but the Kiwis call it tramping. I call it bloody hard work.
... and this was from inside the pub next door where I did my tramping.
On the outskirts of the village there is an observatory on Mt. John. This place is considered to have world renowned clear skies; it is high up with no light polution. The site has five large reflector telescopes operated by astronomers/scientists/students researching whatever in space. Possibly looking for other life forms out there somewhere. On the other hand maybe they were just looking through people's windows.
There are guided tours, at night, to allow us travellers to do a bit of star gazing plus some excellent instruction on what is up there. I went. It was indeed remarkably clear. I recognised the moon almost straight away. We were not allowed to use flash photography because it would upset the serious astronomers.The photo (left) is of my fellow star gazers. We also looked through a powerful telescope and saw an impressive image of Saturn and it's rings. Or maybe they had just painted it on the lens. It was freezing cold. We were supplied with hot chocolate and cake which was necessary to preserve life forms down here
Just along the lake there was a small complex containing another outdoor hot pool. I believe this was not geo-thermally heated but somehow used hot water from a nearby power-generating water turbine. Who cares, it was hot.
...plus ice-skating rink. The last time I tried ice-skating I fell over and knocked myself out. I've since retired. Stupid sport. My apologies to Torvill and Dean.
... and a poor man's Cresta using some inflatable rings.
The lake itself, if stirred up a bit by the wind, can appear a beautiful milky turquoise colour. This is caused by microscopic particles and sediment produced by the glaciers grinding their way down the mountains. It looks lovely but if you go out in your expensive motor-boat it buggers up the engine in under an hour.
Only a short stay at Lake Tekapo and then on to stay with friends in Ashburton, about 50 miles south of Christchurch. The bus ride there took about 2.5 hours. Sad to relate, the driver was, as he took great pride and a long time in telling us, an ex-Chief bus driver, an ex-medic, an ex-law enforcement officer, an expert on biology, agriculture, horticulture, botany, mining, geology, NZ history, electro-engineering and possibly astrology, ancient Greek mythology and nuclear physics as well. He also said he knew a few good jokes to keep us amused when all else failed. Oh My God! It was a long 2.5 hours. I will spare you the gruesome details. Fortunately I was sitting next to a charming and amusing lady from Taiwan who was a pleasant distraction.
A comfortable night was spent at Ashburton, although the weather had turned a bit grey and drizzly. There were forecasts of severe cold weather to come. Of course, if NZ forecasters are anything like the Brit ones, that will mean there will be a heat-wave.
Left: Thanks Alison, and Chris. I much enjoyed your conducted tour of Doug's lake, supper and the use of your computer. Most generous. That large furry thing that she is holding is, believe it or not, a cat.
The only place that I would have liked to get to, and missed, on my south island tour was Milford Sound ( SW of Queenstown ). It is dramatic Fjord type country and a world heritage sight. Actually, you can see all the photos of it on the internet anyway. The reason I didn't have time to get there is because I want to be in Christchurch, or what's left of it, tomorrow Sat 13th. It is the New Zealand Grand National at Riccarton Park. I wonder if McCririck will be there.
Report to follow.
Report to follow.
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