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Browsing Tags Mackenzie Basin

Looking back on my time in Canterbury

May 14, 2012 · Wot Blog by Kristin Repsher

It’s hard to put into words my thoughts on the nine days I spent in Canterbury, New Zealand. Never before have I had such a jam-packed travel schedule where I’ve been able to experience so much about a location in a short period of time. And if you hadn’t guessed it from my other blog posts — I loved it. Yes, it was so busy that sometimes I didn’t have a chance to think, but it was one of the best trips I’ve ever had.

My itinerary made me truly appreciate the diversity of Canterbury. It’s not just Christchurch and the Canterbury Plains. It’s much larger than that, stretching from the blue Pacific to the golden hills of the Mackenzie Basin. Everywhere you look there are mountains, some snowcapped, some that men dream about conquering. It’s such a scenic place that I took over 3600 photos in the span of nine days!

Thrillseekers Rafting

Pegasus Bay Winery

Canterbury offers such a wide array of experiences as well. The adventurous will find plenty to sate their daredevil appetites –perhaps with a rafting trip down the Waiau followed by a bungee jump above it. However, there’s plenty for those looking for a slightly calmer time as well — it’d be hard to pass on wine tasting in the Waipara followed by a relaxing soak in the hot pools at Hanmer Springs.

Speaking of diversity, I tried so many different foods while in Canterbury that my stomach must have thought it had died and gone to heaven. Mexican, French, Asian, steak, lamb, seafood, fudge…you name it, I probably ate it. It was all delicious, and I’m going to struggle trying to find any meal better than the duck a l’orange I had in Akaroa.

And who can forget the wildlife? In just over a week, I was lucky enough to see three sperm whales, a pod of 200 dusky dolphins, many swooping albatrosses (and some other sea birds too), some fighting eels, many small pods of very endangered Hector’s dolphins, baby New Zealand fur seals frolicking in rock pools, eighty little penguins having a happy hour in the middle of Flea Bay, and a sheep in a hi-vis vest. Had I stayed longer in Mount Cook, I might have been lucky enough to see a cheeky kea — although perhaps only seeing a stained glass version was a bit safer, given their destructive curiosity!

None of these experiences would have been the same — or in some cases, they wouldn’t have been possible at all — without the people of Canterbury. I met so many interesting, friendly, and helpful people along the way — both fellow travellers and locals. Maurice’s Maori Tour in Kaikoura was truly a standout in this respect, because I felt like I learned more about Maori culture and the local people in a few hours than I’d ever known before. Elsewhere in Canterbury, I got a chance to sit down and chat with hotel owners, tour guides, and restaurant chefs about anything and everything New Zealand (with the obligatory questions about my braced knee thrown in). I heard so many interesting stories and got some great tips to help me along as well. With so many people to chat to, I never felt alone.

Which place had the best combination of all of these things? Which was my absolute favourite? It’s such a hard choice…but if I had to pick one, and only one, I would choose Tekapo. It’s such a spectacularly scenic place, but to top it off, some of the experiences I had there were mind-boggling. I’d been admiring mountains on every leg of my trip, but on the Grand Traverse flight, I got to look down on them, watching as the snow blew off their peaks. And everywhere I went, I’d been gazing at the stars, loving how many I could see compared to home, but in Tekapo, I got to see them in a whole new way — from the observatory. In no way did I ever think that I would see Saturn — rings, moons, and all — while I was in NZ!

That said, every place I visited — Kaikoura, the Waipara, Hanmer Springs, Akaroa, Geraldine, Tekapo, and Mount Cook — had its own charm. I genuinely enjoyed visiting all of them, and I often found it very difficult to leave. If I ever got the chance, I would pay each and every place a return visit. I’d love to go back and do some of the things that couldn’t possibly fit into my very full itinerary, but I’d also be happy trying some of the same things again (especially dolphin swimming — hopefully I’d actually be able to get into the water if I went again!).

So, even though it all seems like a faraway dream — something that must have happened to another person, even though I have the pictures and writing to prove it was me — it was such a good dream. It reaffirmed how much I love New Zealand and proved to me that Canterbury should always have a starring place on a South Island itinerary.

I’d like to thank Wotif.com and Canterbury Tourism for all the hard work they put into planning my Canterbury Tiki Tour. They helped me with any questions I may have had along the way and were generally just awesome!

: Pegasus Bay Winery

: Thrillseekers Rafting

: Thrillseekers Rafting

Day 9: The Church of the Good Shepherd

April 19, 2012 · Wot Blog by Kristin Repsher

When many people think of Lake Tekapo, they think of a brilliantly azure lake that is unlike any other. The next thing they probably think of is the Church of the Good Shepherd, a small stone building that stands on the lakeshore and provides wonderfully scenic shots from both the inside and the outside. The church, first built in the Mackenzie Basin, lives up to its billing — it truly is a stunning location, and I certainly felt like I could have spent hours taking photos of it from every angle, framing it with golden tussock and the blue waters beyond.

There is one problem with the church though — everyone else wants to take these photos too. Tekapo is situated almost perfectly halfway between Christchurch and Queenstown, so it provides a very convenient stop for nearly every bus that passes through. This means that the area is swarming with bus passengers from morning to evening.

This was most obvious when I went inside the church. I couldn’t wait until the busloads of people left because I arrived 15 minutes before closing time, so I squeezed into the main aisle with at least 20 other people. There were signs around the church asking people to take care and be respectful because this is a place of worship, and for the most part, the crowds took this to heart. However, they didn’t seem to be respectful of the other people around them, because I was elbowed and had multiple people shove in front of me so they could get a photo of the altar standing before the glittering lake. I’m happy I went inside, but I wish I’d had the time and space to be a bit more contemplative.

Outside of the church, I felt a bit less claustrophobic. I spent quite some time just ambling around, taking in the beauty of the place…and snapping a few photos when there was a break in the flow of people.

Only a short walk away stands the statue of the working dog, which was built in honour of all of the sheep dogs that work so hard on the surrounding high country stations. One such dog, Friday, was owned by James Mackenzie, the notorious sheep thief after whom the area was named. Apparently, long after authorities had captured Mackenzie, they had trouble rounding up all of his sheep because Friday had continued herding them. Such is the dedication of the sheep dogs that the farmers felt they deserved a memorial statue…and what a view that statue gets to look out on each day.

I found the waterfront area around the working dog was much quieter even though it was only an amble away from the church, but I was lucky enough to find an even quieter time to visit when I popped over before breakfast on the morning of my departure. The parking lot was dotted with only a few cars, and the people wandering around the church were quiet enough that we could hear the vacuuming that was happening inside. Everyone was respectful of other people’s space and got out of the way so other people could have unobscured photos.

Just as importantly, it was early enough that the morning light hadn’t lost its golden tinge and steam was still rising from the lake slightly to the east. The grass was coated in a fine layer of crystals left by the frost from the chilly night before. It was an almost magical scene at which I couldn’t help but stop and stare. Seeing this, I understood why so many people flocked to the church. However, I also felt sorry that they couldn’t experience it in this way because, by the time they got there, the frost would have melted, the sun would be much higher in the sky, and the buses would have arrived.

So do I recommend going to the Church of the Good Shepherd? Absolutely — it’s one of the can’t miss spots in Tekapo. If you can, though, try to pick a time when it’s a bit quieter — early in the morning like I did, or late on a moonlit night — so you get to experience the site as it truly should be.

The Church of the Good Shepherd is located on Pioneer Drive in Lake Tekapo. The church is open to visitors from 9am-5pm in the summer and from 10am-4pm in the winter, but the grounds are open at all hours. Worship services are held every fourth Sunday from 11.30am-12.30pm.

Day 7: Earth & Sky Tour

April 17, 2012 · Wot Blog by Kristin Repsher

By day, the Mount John Observatory, which sits on a high hill above the town of Tekapo, gives tourists a great view of Lake Tekapo and the Mackenzie Basin beyond. By night, the observatory gives both tourists and astronomers an almost unmatched view of the skies above.

The Tekapo area, already very low in light pollution, has strong light restrictions to ensure that the University of Canterbury’s observatory enjoys the clearest, most unobscured views possible of the night sky. In fact, because of these restrictions, which include using yellow sulfur lights (and canopying any fluorescent lights) in the town below, the region has been able to apply to UNESCO for the right to be called a starlight reserve. Everyone is quietly hopeful that this will be approved in the near future.

The need to have as little light as possible around the observatory has another interesting side effect, which we were informed of by our driver shortly after departing the Earth & Sky Tours office with massively thick down jackets in hand. Once we reached a certain point, the bus lights would be turned off and we would proceed in the dark. He was pretty sure he would be able to get us to the top without driving off the side of the hill!

We did indeed make it safely to the top of the hill, where we were disappointed to find that the skies had completely clouded over. We were warned of this possibility and given the option to change our tour to another night when we checked in, but I’d decided to take my chances. It was looking like it might have been the wrong choice.

Even if the stars aren’t out, there’s still plenty to see around the observatory. We were taken in to see the largest telescope in the complex, the multi-million dollar MOA2 (which you actually can’t see if it’s in use on a clear night). This was an enormous, computer-controlled machine with an 86-megapixel camera (that has to be kept at -80C to ensure it doesn’t overheat from constantly taking pictures!). Next door to the telescope was the control room, where the astronomers spend their nights analysing data from the telescopes in hope of finding new planets.

Once we left that building, we all looked up expectantly…and were shocked to see the clouds had begun to clear. We could see the band of the Milky Way across the sky, interwoven with constellations like the Southern Cross and Orion. I had already been awed by the stars in Hanmer Springs and Akaroa, but this was on a completely different level. The stars were so brilliant in the sky and there were so many of them.

Because of this turn of events, our guides set up two smaller telescopes outside the cafe, where we could look more closely at some of the stars, like Alpha and Beta Centuri, while sipping on hot chocolate. It was very cool to be able to look through the telescopes, but I spent a lot of time lying with my head on one of the picnic tables, staring up at the sky and listening to our very entertaining guides tell their stories. Within minutes I’d already seen a shooting star.

At one point, we were told that anyone with cameras should head over to a woman with a very interesting tripod. After finding the appropriate tools to pry off my tripod mount, my camera was added to the four or so others mounted on a long plank of wood. Apparently, this tripod was designed to move as the stars move across the sky, so instead of getting star trails you can get clear photos of the night sky. All of the cameras were attached to a timer so one person could perfectly time shots with multiple cameras at a time. My camera was one of the last added so she said I’d only get one shot, but that was ok with me!

We were then split up into smaller groups. Each group was individually taken down to use one of the larger, domed telescopes via paths lit with dimly glowing reflectors. The first thing we were shown was a mystery nebula — we had to guess what it was called by its shape. One person guessed ET and I thought it looked like the alien from Alien, but it turned out that it was actually the Tarantula Nebula! Once I was told, I could definitely see it.

Then the telescope and dome were rotated — something that in itself was very cool to watch. The next object we looked at was probably the highlight of most people’s nights, and something that my eyes just wouldn’t believe. I leaned over the telescope and peeked in the viewfinder, only to see three dots (moons) leading up to what was clearly Saturn. It looked like they’d stuck a sticker on the end of the telescope, so much was it like a drawing of the planet. Leaning slightly, the rings encircled the white dot of a planet. How cool was that — I got to see Saturn with my own eyes (magnified slightly with the telescope)!

Soon, our tour came to an end and we found ourselves walking back to the bus for the dark drive down. I had a hard time not stumbling because my head was still craned towards the sky, taking in as much as I could. What a place, what a view.

Earth & Sky Tours offers a sunset tour and two nighttime tours daily. Their office is located on the State Highway in Tekapo near the i-site.

Day 7: Air Safaris – Grand Traverse Flight

April 17, 2012 · Wot Blog by Kristin Repsher

On the drive to Tekapo, I was very concerned that my scenic flight with Air Safaris wouldn’t happen, or if it did, that we wouldn’t see very much because of the heavy rain and low cloud. Then something amazing happened — I turned a corner and the clouds just parted, which is apparently a pretty common occurrence around the Tekapo region. By the time I reached the airport, it was picture perfect.

The Air Safaris pilots agreed that it was a perfect day for flying so the four of us followed our pilot, Isaac, out to the plane (a Gippsland Aeronautics GA8). After being given a safety briefing and being told this was one of the safest planes we could fly on, we loaded into the plane. One major advantage of flying in a plane rather than a helicopter is that everyone is guaranteed a window seat, whereas only a few people are that lucky in a helicopter. Our windows were really quite large so we had a huge range of view.

Once we were belted and ready to go, we taxied to the end of the runway. Our pilot said that we needed to wait there for a while because when it’s colder, the plane takes a little while to warm up. I think we were all perfectly happy for him to wait as long as necessary!

Soon, we were in the air, flying over the chocolate-coloured tussock of the Mackenzie Basin. We slowly looped around the town of Tekapo and then, as we slowly gained altitude, headed north along the deep blue lake. Because the seat on the other side of the aisle was empty and I had a great view out that window as well, it was hard to tell where to look. Everywhere there was something new to look at — from the braided Godley River feeding into Lake Tekapo to the high country sheep stations to Lake Alexandria. All the while, our pilot was giving us a running commentary on what we are seeing and why these places are the way they are. For instance, Lake Tekapo gets its very unique colour from ‘rock flour,’ rocks that the glaciers feed into the lake grind up as they slowly move.

The first large mountain we saw was Mount Sibbald, which is separated from the main body of the Southern Alps by the Godley River. Even though it’s not part of the main range, Isaac pointed out that at 2811m, it’s still higher than any peaks on the North Island.

From there, we turned towards the West and began heading through the Southern Alps, where it seemed like everything just increased in size and majesty. All around us were glaciers, such as the Murchison and Hooker Glaciers, snow, and high mountain peaks.

The trip across to the West Coast got a bit bumpy, as is usually the case when flying over big mountains. The plane lurched up and down and side to side a few times but Isaac assured us that everything was perfectly normal. He was keen to fly on the West Coast side for as long as possible because the afternoon light was so nice on that side, but he was concerned it might be too bumpy for our comfort; fortunately, the air around us played nice.

I felt like a bit of a broken record, saying “woooow!” every time something new came into view. The conditions really seemed perfect — the afternoon light played on the Pacific Ocean and tufts of cloud floated around the mountain peaks to make them just that little bit more scenic (as if they weren’t enough already)! Further down the valleys, you could see the heavy cloud that so often coats the West Coast, but it was far enough down we could still see the glaciers.

The glaciers were something to truly marvel at, with all of the cracks and bright blue crevasses. We couldn’t get as close to them as you would in a helicopter, but I was fine with that — my view meant that I could see the details on the glaciers and a lot more!

It was such a clear day that, as well as seeing New Zealand’s two highest peaks in Mount Cook/Aoraki and Mount Tasman, we could also see as far south as Mount Aspiring in Wanaka.

The tall peaks were incredibly impressive. Snow was being lifted up and away from Mount Tasman in a plume. Mount Cook was imposing and covered in snow and rocky outcrops. I couldn’t imagine being one of the people that had conquered that peak — it all seemed much easier to just see it out of the window of an airplane!

All too soon, we had to head away from the Alps and back towards Tekapo. On the way, we flew over the Tasman Glacier, New Zealand’s largest glacier, and saw the little icebergs dotting the terminal lake (which I will be boating around tomorrow)! Then we were back over the Mackenzie Basin and again marveling at the colours, rivers, and lakes that dot the region before Isaac expertly landed the plane back at Tekapo Airport.

All in all, I believe we were up in the air for over 45 minutes. It was an absolutely fantastic flight and one I would get on again in a heartbeat. I had been a bit concerned about the bumpiness of the ride, but aside from the turbulence I’d mentioned, it was smooth and unconcerning. Plus, the views out the window are enough to take your mind off pretty much anything!

Air Safaris operate multiple flights daily out of Tekapo and Franz Josef Airports and have offices in these townships. The flight I did was the ‘Grand Traverse.’

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