My Journey Round The World

After 4 days resting in Christchurch with Maddy and her family – couchsurfing contact J - I moved south for 1 night to Geraldine where the helpful tourist information lady advise me to go to Lake Tekapo and Mount Cook if I didn’t want to spend most of my time in the bus – less confortable than South America but usualy with a bus driver (here with the www.nakedbus.com, no bus driver aren’t naked !) who tells you some interesting stories about places you see!

So the next day I went to the amazing Lake Tekapo… I’ve never seen a lake so turquoise! – due to sediment in the water coming from the glacier in the headwaters. This « rock flour » is suspended in the water and when combined with sunlight creates the unique water colour - Splendid… Even more stunning is the view on the summit of Mt John where I could enjoy a delicious carrots cake at the Astro Café Mount John is internationally recognised as one of the best place for viewing the southern sky. The Christchurch University of Canterbury and Nagoya (Japan) operates the scientific Observatory where you can choose from either – expensive ! – day or night tours. Lake Tekapo is said to have the clearest, darkest and most spectacular night sky in New Zealand. Indeed!!! I spent my evening – pity that the night was too cold ! – laying down on the Lake Tekapo beach watching it, I’ve never seen so many stars and the Milky Way Galaxy… Incredible! So amasing that I wanted to enjoy it again. Unfortunately when I came back a day later weather was cloudy Anyway I had a great view on the lake from the Youth Hostel and went to visit the pituresque Church of the Good Shepherd before heading back to Christchurch where finding that Ariane will arrive a day later than expected…