We were up early again today (well, only 6am so not as early as other starts have been) to get down to the bus stop in time for our tour to Mount Cook. The bus started off driving through the city and the outskirts (where a lot of businesses moved after the earthquake, so it was pretty busy at 7.30am) to get onto the highway going south along the coast. We drove through the Canterbury Plains for around an hour and a half, and it was interesting to see at first as the rolling fields full of sheep and cows went on for miles in all directions, but the scenery was pretty flat so we had a quick nap after a little while. We stopped off for a much needed coffee break in a little town called Geraldine, and then it was time to head inland into the mountains. According to our guide it had only snowed for the first time this year a couple of days ago, so we were really lucky to get to see the tops of the mountains covered in snow (which was really exciting for us!). We drove up into the mountains and had our first stop at Lake Tekapo, where we had a look at a tiny church on the shore of the lake as well as a statue dedicated to sheep dogs. The lake itself was stunning, the waters were an icy colour of blue and it was surrounded by snow covered mountains that could have come out of a postcard. After taking lots of photos it was then back on the bus, and we drove around to another lake called Lake Pukaki, which was just as beautiful. From here we got our first view of Mount Cook, the highest mountain in New Zealand, across the other side of the lake. In Maori it is called Aoraki, which means 'Cloud Piercer' because it is so tall. We drove right around the shores of the lake, passing mountains and waterfalls and little rivers, before driving into the national park to get as close as we could to the mountain. We stopped in Mount Cook village, where we had a quick lunch at the Hermitage Hotel before going out to take more photos in the sunshine. We got there at the perfect time, because as soon as got back inside the clouds started rolling in and it was soon raining. No matter though, because we bought some delicious cakes from the cafe and even got free coffees because some people had ordered and paid for them but never picked them up (win!). After the coffee and cake it was time to get back on the bus to head south towards our destination of Queenstown. We drove back along the side of the lake and then headed south towards Wanaka, passing lots more beautiful mountains and lakes on the way. We stopped in the little town of Omarama for another quick food break, and then drove through a mountain pass to get to the Otago Peninsula, where they grow lots of grapes to make wine (although not at this time of year). We then had a final stop in the town of Cromwell, where we went to the Jones Family Orchard and tried lots of their locally grown fruit, which was delicious. By this time it was almost dark, so we got back in the bus to drive through a gorge (luckily we couldn't see anything now as the road was very close to the edge!), and finally got to Queenstown, which is our base for the next 3 nights. We haven't had a chance to see the town yet because it was pitch black when we arrived, but the lights twinkling by the shores of the lake have got our hopes up for a very pretty town!