After
leaving the Marlborough Sounds, we made our way Southeast. Clouds
appeared as we approached Kaikoura where we needed to stop for the
night. Just as the tent was wedged between two camper vans, the clouds
broke open and it poured. A terrible night was had, mostly because the
campground was far too overcrowded and of course the pouring rain was a
factor as well. We just wanted to turn around and drive a full day back
to the Marlborough Sounds! Bright and early we woke to clear skies and
quickly bolted out of the campground heading inland for the foothills
of the Southern Alps.
Our next stop was the resort town of
Hanmer Springs. First, we went out of our way to find the quietest of
the five campgrounds and the one most likely overlooked by the hoards
of campervans. We found a nice spot and after setting up the tent, had
tea and lunch enjoying the peace while overly curious birds came and
sat right next to our plates hoping for a nibble! The afternoon ended
with a walk to the lookout over town and the surrounding hills. Of
course, a visit to Hanmer Springs would not be complete without a visit
to the springs themselves, so in the evening we went to sit in the hot
pools after the crowds had dwindled. Expecting a chic atmosphere in a
forested setting, as eluded to on the glossy brochures and
advertisements, we were a bit disappointed to find it rather bland,
botched together and dated. Nonetheless, we enjoyed hopping from pool
to pool until we could end the evening in our own private hot pool
courtesy of a free upgrade coupon I plucked from a magazine weeks ago
just in case!
Via the alpine sports town of Methven and the
friendly, farming town of Geraldine (whose claim to fame is the world’s
largest jersey) we ended up at Lake Tekapo. After setting up camp, we
walked up to the top of Mt. John. At the observatory at the top, we
enjoyed a cappuccino and ginger beer at what must be the most brilliant
café location in the whole of New Zealand.
We thought Lake
Tekapo was electric blue until we caught sight of Lake Pukaki the next
day. The brightness was surreal. Because of this striking beauty, we
made very slow progress around the lake as I had to stop the car a LOT
because Niels wanted to take many pictures of course. Late in the
afternoon we stopped at the DOC campground in Mount Cook National Park.
We pitched our tent in a valley flanked by sheer mountain cliff faces
and glaciers – quite a fantastic location, further enhanced by the
hiking trails that radiated out from the camp. The next day we took the
track to the Sealy Tarns. The hike was exhausting but provided
expansive views.
Central Otago, one of our favorite wine
regions, was next up on our route. Breathtakingly beautiful scenery
continued, this time varied by the presence of pastures (paddocks as
they say here in NZ) filled with Merino sheep. At one point on the
drive, our car became completely engulfed in a sea of sheep as a farmer
was moving his sizeable herd. It was one of those moments pictured on a
post card that we didn’t think occurred much anymore – what a nice,
albeit crazy, surprise! The drive ended as we drove through Cromwell
and into tiny Bannockburn. We pulled off the main route and into a
winery that we enjoyed on our last visit to NZ. A tasting later, we sat
with a bottle of rosé in the winery’s quiet garden under a cloudless
sky and hot sun, just as we like it. In the evening, we popped into the
local pub for a simple meal before retiring to our tent at a nearly
empty campground. What a lovely day it had been.
