I’d set the alarm for a bright and early start this morning. I’d planned for us to be at the airport by about 8.10am to give us plenty of time to return the rental car and drop off our bags before the flight. Everything was seamless, and before long we were looking for a coffee and a muffin for our breakfast. Wellington is a nice little airport , plenty of tables and chairs and seats and we had a good view of the (few) planes taking off and landing.
The plane boarded on time and we were amazed that there was NO security checks whatsoever! I can’t remember a time when I went on a plane without having my person and carry on baggage go though a security screening. It felt like travelling back 25 years!
It was a short flight, only an hour and we had glimpses of the alps through the window across the aisle ( I’d picked the wrong side of the plane for our seats!). Before long we could see downtown Christchurch through the window and landed shortly after.
We only had to wait a few minutes in a short queue to collect our car at the Ezi Car Rental counter ( a local NZ company) and then we were off! Heading south-west from Christchurch via the Inland Scenic Route. We were years ago headed to Lake Tekapo, and this route is a little longer than the coastal highway but much more scenic – we had driven this way 24 years ago on our last visit to NZ. Before long we could see the Southern Alps growing larger in the window.
After roughly an hour, we stopped briefly at the very pretty Rakaia Gorge. We stopped at the lookout over the bridge and into the striking gorge. The turbulent waters far below are an improbable shade of milky aquamarine, having come straight from glaciers in the mountains you can see in the distance. There was also a Maori Pou. “Pou Māori” refers to Māori pillars, posts, or figures that hold significant cultural and spiritual meaning within Māori communities. They can be physical structures, like carved wooden posts marking boundaries or places of significance, or metaphorical representations of support, leadership, and ancestral connection.
Another 50 minutes drive brought us to Geraldine, a busy little town. I was starting to nod off at this stage and Neil was yawning so it was time for a pick-me-up. I’d read about a nice option for us to stop for a bit of lunch, the Barkers Food Store and Eatery. In 1969, Anthony and Gillian Barker started the business on their Geraldine farm, initially as a way to supplement their farming income. The business began with fruit wines, using local berries and other fruit in a converted cow shed on the farm. After a fire in 1976 destroyed the wine business, the company was rebuilt and expanded and they now have their flagship store and cafe in geraldina as well as cafes in Auckland and Melbourne. We tucked into sausage rolls ( with a selection of their various sauces and condiments) and coffee.
After Geraldine, the weather started to close in and the rain began to fall. The clouds to the south west looked pretty black so I was pesimistic about what we would see as we approached Lake Tekapo. However, even under grey skies the lake still showed a pretty aqua blue and although we couldn’t see the tops of the peaks we could see the snow covering the lower slopes.
We checked in to our stay for tonight, the Peppers Bluewater resort and were delighted to learn that they had upgraded us to a Lake View Suite. This was very welcome, and even more so when I learned that our room had it’s own laundry facilities – we really needed to do some washing! We loaded up the machine and went for a stroll down to the little shopping center, pleased to see that the sky was getting lighter and brighter. As we had so much space in our suite, with a kitchenette, we decided to buy food for dinner and dine in tonight rather than go out to a restaurant – we’re ready for a lazy evening.
We sat on our little verandah with a great view over the lake and watched the sun go down on the peaks. We’re really hoping that the weather stays bright for tomorrow as we head up the road to Aoraki-Mt Cook.
