Lake Tekapo, New Zealand

I was treated to a weekend away in Lake Tekapo.  Let me tell you, it was awesome!

The Church of the Good Shepard on the left

We stayed at the oh-so-lovely Peppers Bluewater Resort, which had a luxurious bathroom (I love having a cold beer in a warm bubble bath!) and a deeeelicious breakfast buffet.

The weather wasn't too fab, so I don't have any pictures from our walk to the Mt. John Observatory. But, I can assure you that the views from the nearby Astro Cafe are well worth the 1 1/2 hour walk.  (Seriously, click the link to see a video of the 360* view from the cafe!)

We took a morning dip in the Tekapo Springs hot pools - it was soooo relaxing to sit back and enjoy the view of the mountains.  I bet it would be really fantastic to go at nighttime to sit in the hot pools and enjoy the starry sky.  

It wouldn't be a complete weekend without some hiking.  So, we explored the Richmond Trail.  

On the way to the trail head, we bumped into some sheep crossing the road (this sight never gets old):

We drove to the end of Lake Tekapo to have lunch before beginning the hike.  Here's a view from our picnic spot: 

Once we finished, we headed off for a hike.  We had good views of Lake Tekapo and the mountains. 

Lots of tussock... and more mountains...

After 45 minutes the trail headed steeply towards a stream.  So, we took this as a sign to head to the car and make our way back to Dunedin. 

New Zealand Tour Guide: Part IV (Tekapo and Mt. Cook)

We left Christchurch to drive to Queenstown.  On the way, we stopped to admire Lake Tekapo and walk around Mt. Cook National Park.  The water and mountains in both places were glorious.

This stone church overlooks Lake Tekapo and is quite popular in tourist-y calendars...

Typically, I've stopped at a lookout on the left side of Lake Pukaki to take photos of Mt. Cook, but we found a nice spot from the Kettlehole track to be shutterbugs instead.

I lead Jo and her Aunt Mary down the Hooker Valley.  The valley is seriously amaaaazing (I'd love to see it in winter sometime!).  The walk is easy enough for visitors with a little fitness and determination. You can't see the peak of Mt Cook in this picture.  Aoraki is the Maori name for the mountain and the "cloud piercer" was hiding under clouds until we started heading back to the car.

 I had hiked along the Tasman valley before, but this was my first time walking around the "Blue Lakes".  It was nice to get away from the small crowd that gathered at the nearby lookout to view the Tasman Glacier.

Definitely a quiet picnic spot that I'd recommend.

What's a trip to Mt. Cook village without a little elevation gain?  We walked the Red Tarn track for a new perspective of the area.

I scrambled a little higher above the red tarns... what a view!

Our adventures didn't stop here. No, sir.  Up next: Queenstown...