Starting our journey we backtrack on ourselves and hit the 8 up past Gairlie and Kimbell up towards Burkes Pass.
On the way we pass numerous fields of red deer.
As we travel round past forest and farms we come round a corner and are met with a valley with mountains in the background which must be nearly as beautiful as Fermanagh. This is Burkes Pass not really high and not hard to get to but a sight to behold.
The valley extends and on the right we look up at Mount Michael and Fox peak which is 2330 meters.
It isn’t just the beauty but the way it gave you no warning.
This is to be the way it is today.
Further on we round another corner on the way to some hot springs.
We round another corner and again are blown away by Lake Tekapo.
I decide to name this LupinLand as I have never thought of Lupins as a weed.
Here they grow in glorious abundance.
The lake is rough and the wind is strong.
I am hanging onto the camera tightly and to get any steady video I have to basically sit on the camera. It doesn’t matter as it is magical and we are both invigorated before our chill out at the hot springs.
The hot springs are good. They are in fact a series of hot pools each hotter than the last which you can relax in.
The wind howls through the trees that are behind the lake and the sun is out. So you sit in steaming hot water with a cold wind blowing across you and the hot sun above. It is very pleasant though a tad odd.
Fromther after some brunch we head on and it is getting a bit boring I know.
Round another corner and we pass Lake Pukaki.
At any other time
on any other day
This would be and is a not to be missed place.
It is just for us we are ODing on lakes and beauty.
Maggie shows me how she is just going to push the camper if I don’t hurry up and stop taking pictures.
It is starting to get late so we look up a wild camping site.
It happens to be up beside a canal taking the water from one of the lakes to a hydro plant downstream.
The site is just off the road.
I am glad to be stopping as this has been another day of fighting with the steering wheel to stay on the road.
The wind has been strong.
Anyway of the road we enter trees and low and behold we enter a different world.
We stop beside a large pond with ducks and eat beside the water watching the ducklings show how brave they are in front of Mummy and Daddy. a fitting end to another day.
I get chatting to a regular who spent 4 years in is camper but now only takes it out for a month here and there. He is a fisherman. that is his excuse.
This seems to be a popular model.
Take an old bus and convert it.
The stove onboard is a nice touch. His brother has sky TV. He has multi room option so this is essentially his brothers spare room.
Nice.
