I am currently in Queenstown half way through my trip, as this is the only opportunity I have had to update my blog (pictures to follow). Well, the activities have been occuring thick and fast! I arrived at the Holiday Inn in Christchurch in the morning of 31 December to meet with the rest of my group for the Rimu trip, which is run by Active New Zealand. I managed to find the rest of my group, but no guide. Active NZ run the Rimu trip from Northbound to Southbound and vice versa. I was on the Southbound trip and thank my lucky stars that I wasn't on the Northbound one, as it was full older couples. I pity the girl who looked panic stricken when she realised she was in their group and not ours. There are 12 of us - two American couples, an American guy and 12 girls. Our guides did finally arrive - Barry, who is from England and Holly, who is a Kiwi.
We set off on our drive to Lake Pukaki, which is near Mount Cook. The weather was a bit miserable leaving Christchurch but it got even worse the further south we went. We stopped for lunch at a place called Peel Forest in inland Canterbury. There is a rich variety of native bush and bird life and a few tracks to explore. The highlight is the 15 minute long Big Tree Walk, and you guessed it, there are lots of rather big trees. The signs say "If you think this is big, carry on." and you then come to the biggest, which is 60 metres high and its trunk is about 5 metres wide (see photo).
We carried onto to Geraldine, a farming town which is apparently full of old grannies doing their knitting. I didn't dare pipe up and say that I had taken it up last year, as well as sewing. After a short stop, the drive continued to Lake Tekapo (see photo), which is very blue and in a stunning location surrounded by lots of mountains. Apparently the blueness of the water is caused by rock dust. Situated 710m above sea level, the air around Lake Tekapo is reputed to be the clearest air in the southern hemisphere. Hydroelectric power is generated from the waters of the lake. There is also a picturesque church (The Church of the Good Shepherd) which overlooks the lake.
I had managed to have my usual kip after leaving Geraldine and when I arrived in Lake Tekapo, it had suddenly become sunny with very blue skies. Hooray! Onwards to Braemar Station ("station" being the NZ word for a big ranch), on the shores of Lake Pukaki (another cobolt blue lake) and which would be our lodge for the night. It is owned by Duncan and Carol McKenzie (whose lovely gardens we happened to stroll through without asking!), is a mere 60,000 acres with about 6000 sheep. It is not a 5 star hotel, but the views of Lake Pukaki and Mount Cook (see photos) in the distance are fantastic. As the weather was perfect, we had unobstructed views. Dinner was a barby and we spent New Year's Eve drinking wine by the camp fire under millions of stars. What a great way to spend it and Happy New Year to you all!
We set off on our drive to Lake Pukaki, which is near Mount Cook. The weather was a bit miserable leaving Christchurch but it got even worse the further south we went. We stopped for lunch at a place called Peel Forest in inland Canterbury. There is a rich variety of native bush and bird life and a few tracks to explore. The highlight is the 15 minute long Big Tree Walk, and you guessed it, there are lots of rather big trees. The signs say "If you think this is big, carry on." and you then come to the biggest, which is 60 metres high and its trunk is about 5 metres wide (see photo).
We carried onto to Geraldine, a farming town which is apparently full of old grannies doing their knitting. I didn't dare pipe up and say that I had taken it up last year, as well as sewing. After a short stop, the drive continued to Lake Tekapo (see photo), which is very blue and in a stunning location surrounded by lots of mountains. Apparently the blueness of the water is caused by rock dust. Situated 710m above sea level, the air around Lake Tekapo is reputed to be the clearest air in the southern hemisphere. Hydroelectric power is generated from the waters of the lake. There is also a picturesque church (The Church of the Good Shepherd) which overlooks the lake.
I had managed to have my usual kip after leaving Geraldine and when I arrived in Lake Tekapo, it had suddenly become sunny with very blue skies. Hooray! Onwards to Braemar Station ("station" being the NZ word for a big ranch), on the shores of Lake Pukaki (another cobolt blue lake) and which would be our lodge for the night. It is owned by Duncan and Carol McKenzie (whose lovely gardens we happened to stroll through without asking!), is a mere 60,000 acres with about 6000 sheep. It is not a 5 star hotel, but the views of Lake Pukaki and Mount Cook (see photos) in the distance are fantastic. As the weather was perfect, we had unobstructed views. Dinner was a barby and we spent New Year's Eve drinking wine by the camp fire under millions of stars. What a great way to spend it and Happy New Year to you all!
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