When we arrived at Lake Tekapo, it was exceptionally windy. And rather cold. However, the sun still shone, and for that we were grateful! We stayed at the NZMCA Lake Tekapo Park, which was right on the eastern shores of the lake. There were lots of trees around that helped provide a bit of shelter from the wind, but also shaded us from the sun for a small part of the day which was not so great. We're dependent on every drop of that sunshine for our solar power!
These photos of Lake Tekapo were taken from the NZMCA Park grounds on the evening we arrived.
As can be seen by the trees out there, the lake water level is up quite a bit.
On a day trip up the western side of the lake, we had these views of Lake Tekapo.
Lake Tekapo gets its turquoise shading from "rock flour", also known as glacial flour—glacier-formed rock dust. This rock flour is suspended in the water and causes the beautiful turquoise blue. It is brightest when the sun shines on it. Today was a cloudy day, hence the darker patches of blue, especially in the photo above.
Looking across the lake towards Lake Tekapo township.
When we arrived at the township, we drove back along the western shoreline a bit and could see the Church of the Good Shepherd across the lake.
Back in town.
The Church of the Good Shepherd.
It's interesting to note that the Mackenzie Basin (here where we are) is named after a sheep thief—a Scottish shepherd called James Mackenzie. In 1855, he and his dog, Friday, drove sheep inland to avoid capture and discovered this area.
This bronze statue, situated not far from the church, is a monument erected to honour border collies and the role they played in the Mackenzie Country.
This is a new footbridge that's been erected since our last visit here. It was opened on 22 November 2015, but it wasn't until early 2017 that all the finishing details were completed. The reason it's so high is to cope with the levels of the river when it floods.
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It's a beautiful place.
ReplyDeleteIt certainly is, Rae. The scenery down in this part of our beautiful country is spectacular. But you would know! ;)
DeleteLooks lovely. Hope your solar has topped up now. Keep enjoying and safe travels.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Elizabeth. We're having a few challenges with our power - needing to use the generator more than we'd like. Might need another solar panel. Planning to get everything assessed (solar, batteries) when we get to Auckland - we have been recommended someone who will look at our whole system as living off grid is our preference. :)
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