Lake Tekapo, South Island, New Zealand. 10th March 2023

Leaving Akaroa, we took the "scenic drive" route which wasn't worth doing on the way in as the rain was so heavy and visibility was poor.  But   it was brilliant sunshine when we left Akaroa and it was a stunning diversion.  The road climbed up above the coast with spectacular views down to Akaroa and the Pacific Ocean.  In Tekapo we stayed in a suite overlooking the lake with the mountains behind.  We could see the towering peak of Mount John from our window and it seemed rude not to climb it.  So we did.  It proved to be a challenging climb but well worth the effort for the views from the summit.  Unfortunately the weather wasn't so great yesterday, with heavy rain all morning, but in the afternoon it cleared and the sun came out so we walked round the lake to the Church of the Good Shepherd (one of the highlights of this area, although we're not sure why!).  Lake Tekapo is within the Dark Sky Reserve and last night was the first chance we had to see the stars as the sky cleared.  All the street lights are small and fairly dim to prevent too much light pollution, so all we had to do was climb up onto the golf course behind our accommodation for a good view of the Milky Way.  Unfortunately we couldn't see the Southern Cross, but today we have driven to Aoraki Mount Cook which is also within the Dark Sky Reserve so fingers crossed!  Watch this space.