Just like Wales on steroids

We thought the view in Christchurch was beautiful but this was nothing companed to the scenery we saw while driving to Tekapo. It reminded me of driving over the mountains at home but then the glacial lakes and snow-capped mountains came in to view and you realize you’re not at home at all. It’s like Wales on steroids!

We both gasped as we caught our first glimps of Lake Tekapo. The colour is the most spectacular turquoise because of the rock flour in the water from the glacier and it is beautiful.

We climbed mount John (which is actually 6m short of being a mountain) and the view of the stunning lake, and others in the area, just got better and better. We treated ourselves to a delicious passion fruit cheesecake at the café on top of the mountain so we could sit and enjoy the view for a little while. It was spectacular!

We wandered back down the mountain to take in the few sights in Tekapo – a tiny church and a statue of a collie dog – before whipping off out shoes and dipping our feet in the beautiful lake. The water was so clear but absolutely freezing – it is from a glacier I suppose – and we had no desire to go any further despite the gorgeous colour.

We finished off our time here with a spot of star gazing. There’s an observatory on top of Mount John and apparently its among the best stargazing in the world. The sky was very clear and we saw about a million stars, the most we’ve ever seen by far. It was excellent.