The flight from Auckland to ChristChurch was a preview of the gorgeous scenery to come. As we flew over to South Island, we saw snowcapped mountains and blue sea.

We were very tired on the 4 hour drive to Lake Tekapo, but the scenery was so wonderful that we stayed wide awake. Bob did a good job adjusting to driving on the left. It was only a little bit scary.

We saw lots and lots of sheep -- and cute baby lambs. There were also many deer farms; it seems sad that they are penned up, not free to roam about like ours at home. In fact, we haven't seen any wildlife roaming free at all.

We stopped for groceries enroute and enjoyed our first "flat white" and a meat pie. We bought some wine and I realized that I didn't need to bring along a wine opener from home; all of the bottles have screw caps. Make sense to me.

Our hotel room in Lake Tekapo is right on the lakeshore. The water is an amazing florescent blue color and the snow on the mountains behind it make a beautiful contrast between the blue water and blue sky.

There is a lovely little church on the lakeshore called The Church of the Good Shepherd; what a beautiful setting to worship. There is also a statue honoring sheep dogs for their invaluable service.

We had pizza for supper in our hotel room overlooking the lake. Loving it!