A night with Bob Marley

 

 

 

Tonight is our second (and last) night camping. Our tent is Bob Marley. Our bush camp is basic – no facilities apart from long drop toilets. We’re camping by Lake Pukaki, with a great view of Mt Cook.

We arrived at camp very early. This gave us time to pitch the tent in very hard terrain. Andy had to use a big rock to get the tent pegs in. We’re expecting high wind during the night, so the pegs had to be secured properly. We managed to get hold of two mattresses each, and a spare sleeping bag, so we were hopeful of a decent night’s sleep.

We had loads of time to take in the view – a panoramic view of the lake – before dinner. I even managed a swim in the lake.

Dinner was quickly consumed and we rushed back to the lake for the sunset. We were treated to a spectacular sunset – a light show of colours and reflections. Everybody had that feeling that you get when you witness something incredible – wow, aren’t we lucky to be here for this; what a show… just for us. Absolutely amazing, and I’m not even a sunset person.

We’d left Rangitata at midday. We’d spent the night on a sheep-shearing farm, and our room was one of the rooms that the sheep shearers use during sheep shearing season.

We were woken up when the white water rafters left for their excursion. Andy got dressed quickly and walked down to the river to capture the mist. The light was soft.

After breakfast, we went to explore the sheep-shearing building. There was wool left behind, and tools. It looked at if it had only recently been used, and at the same time, it had that abandoned feel to it.

From there, we wandered down to the Holy Innocents Church. It is currently being repaired following the earthquake. Many of the stained-glass windows had pastoral scenes with sheep, unsurprisingly.

The churchyard was fascinating. Many immigrants taking their chances in the new world. A great variety of people. So many stories there.

On the road. Not much driving today.

We passed through the pretty town of Geraldine – lots of enticing cafes, restaurants, bars and shops.

Our first stop was the small town of Fairlie… where everything is Fairlie something or other. This was a convenience stop, but we had time to pop into the Fairlie Bakery for our daily flat whites and baked goods.

Through Burkes Pass. The views and colours, as we drove through Mackenzie Basin, reminded us of some of the landscapes we saw in the Christchurch Art Gallery the previous day.

I’d been looking forward to our next stop – the Church of the Good Shepherd. It sits right next to Lake Tekapo but what online photos had failed to prepare me for is the hordes of tourists and the fact that it is by the main road. Having said this, it is a lovely church, and I still managed to get a few peaceful moments to reflect. Behind the altar, there is a panoramic window, which perfectly frames the wonderful view of the lake and the mountains. This is very much an active church and no photos were allowed inside. The lake was pretty special too and Andy enjoyed the huge vistas.

See. New Zealand can be a great place to be when it wants to!