Lake Tekapo

Warm milk for my muesli and a mug of hot coffee was just the ticket for sunrise over Lake Pukaki this morning.

Just one more picture of Mt Cook... that's what I kept saying to myself! I couldn't tear myself away. All morning that peak compelled me with its beauty. I drove the other side of Lake Pukaki and found alpine salmon smoked with blackcurrent and something or other but even as I was purchasing what was surely going to be a highlight of my lunch and trip, I had one eye on that mountain. 

All good things must come to an end though and Lake Tekapo was always meant to be my last hurrah out here. I only had one more night of sleeping in the van. Boo!

Lake Tekapo is the town and the lake. It's known for the striking turquoise of the water during the day and phenomenal stargazing by night. I wandered the town a little, got myself organized and found a lakeside spot to picnic without the throes of other tourists. A British couple joined me and that's where I found out about St Johns Observatory - Part of Canterbury University. They planned to hike up in the midday heat but I went with the drive up. 

Here's something to consider if this is on your list too: 

The parking lot is fairly small and the drive up is a skinny little winding road and steep grade for 5km. At the bottom a lady takes your $14 and opens the barrier to enter only when another car is leaving. One in. One out. It's slow to be sure. But quite the cool drive and definitely worth it for the view from the top.

The surprise this afternoon was how much I enjoyed a little jaunt down the back roads of Lake Tekapo before stumbling upon a wildlife sanctuary on the shores of Lake Alexandrina, also in the Mackenzie Basin.

Look! Southern Grebes! Found only in 100 lakes and lagoons in the South Island, this is a true water bird. With legs located too far back to be useful for walking on land, they also build floating nests. Fascinating! I dangled my legs over the edge of a low walking bridge and pointed my long lens at these beauties. They went about their business calmly ... apparently my 3-days-camping natural-smelling self, is not any threat to nesting grebes.

I got as far as Geraldine before petering out tonight. The plan tomorrow? A visit with Kealy at 10am to gift her back all the things I think might be useful for her and Chris to camp with, as I start to clear out and clean up VanGogh. Then I'd be intercepting the parents and the sister and mostly free to spend the next 2 days with them in Christchurch before departure.

It was a wet and wild weekend in Christchurch... mildly better than most of the rest of the country that took the brunt and found itself under a state of emergency. I found myself on the only flight to Auckland that was not weather impacted and 26 turbulent hours later, was home safely in Boulder. Shaken and stirred but happy.

Dunedin to Oamaru

 Around here (Otago) somewhere, there are Yellow-eyed penguins. Harder to find these days. I was now now headed north toward Oamaru... another penguin hotspot. Before that though, a quick stop to see the famous, but a bit more damaged these days, Moeraki boulders.

Ridiculously big spherical geodes, found on the beach at Moeraki - which is the middle of nowhere, kinda! It was easy enough to park and walk 5 minutes down the beach to find them. In the wee hours, it was just me and one other couple. And that couple lasted as long as it took to take a selfie, before walking away, leaving me to explore alone.

Later that morning, in Oamaru, I found a beautiful beach littered with lazy fur seals and I sat with them for an hour as they yawned or dragged themselves out into the kelp for some play time. This place was where I'd come back to at sunset for a possible penguin adventure too. The beach closes at 3pm and all viewing is done from high on the cliffs though.

I had enough time to figure out the town waste management place that offered potable and non-potable water for vans and I refilled mine so that washing dishes and taking sponge baths was back on the table as I camped. After a bit of food prep, and a decent meal, I found myself with 4 others, waiting and watching for any ol' penguin to emerge from the waves. Alas no. (But when you later discover that only 6 penguins call this beach home, it's easy to understand why penguin disappointment is easier to find than a real penguin!)

Did I want acutal brick and mortar accommodation tonight? Not so much. I once again opted for a more natural setting and near Kurow I fell asleep in my van, watching stars twinkle above. I only had a couple more nights like this...  It was already starting to feel bittersweet.

Otago Peninsula

I arrived yesterday afternoon, through pouring rain from Milford Sound. Sylvia was my Airbnb host and luckily for me, she was as happy for my company as I was for hers, so we played scrabble and drank elderflower tea all evening. I'll always remember her as the lady who cared enough to try and fix my cough, taught me how to Wordle and had the most encouraging words on finding love and happiness later in life. 

The view from her living room out over Otago Peninsula was nothing to sneeze at either!

Pity she is about to be overshadowed. LOL  Because today my heart and lens were to be filled with glorious wildlife experiences and honestly there is nothing I like more!

Driving out to the far reaches of Otago Peninsula, I went in search of Sandfly Bay. Here, rumor had it, was the place to find sealions. And I did!

The trail down the cliff and over the dunes is breathtaking. And worth it. Before I even reached the bottom there was a lazy sealion sleeping in the middle of my path, causing detours. On the beach 2 younger (or 2 females?) were cavorting. A photographers dream.

The arrival of an older male made it even better. So I spent another hour just "being" and watching them.

I had booked a Little Blue penguin tour for the after-dark portion of today and this afternoon went looking for where the meeting point would be later. Turns out it meets at the same place you'd go for a Royal Albatross experience ... so I booked that for 6pm. (Note: Albatross' with their giant wing span are more active when the wind kicks up and that is later in the day.)

Just enough time to go in search of cell reception and get my daily call with Scott! :-)

No sooner had I hung up from that call, parked randomly on the side of the bay, when a lady pulled up in her car and began tooting the horn to get my attention. She told that my van gave me away as a tourist and as such, she thought I might want to see the WHALE that was out there!!! Yes Ma'am!!!

I grabbed my big lens and pointed in the direction she said it was moving. Before long, the sound of tail-slapping got my attention and low and behold; evidence of an orca was intermittant. What was pure luck was the very second I had my camera focused out there, the orca breached and I shot one of my more priceless series of pictures. I was giddy with joy!

It was hard to believe my day could or would get any better but off I went to the head of the peninsular to learn about the albatross and the little blue penguin... and my day did get better.

Who doesnt love the sight of a penguin emerging from the ocean and waddling up the bank? They are adorable!

I drove out of Dunedin at 10:30pm, climbing the hills in dense fog and eventually unable to drive any further, coming to a rest at what I thought was a quiet parking area just off the highway. Turns out I slept at the bus stop for the Evansdale Cheese Factory! Whatever!