Lake Tekapo and Mount Cook

GOOD GOD i have just got around to writing this after 20 days here. and now they tell me the net shop is closing. so will have to write tomorrow. till then...

...about midday we arrived in Tekapo in a car park at the back of a chinese resturant. To be hionest it wasnt a fantastic first impression, especially after a nap, but i was willing to give it a chance. As we trapsed trought the building and out onto the grass we came across the lake. It was massive and this deep blue colour, and all the surrounding grass was dry and yellow. I expected to arrive to very cold weather, but as it happens it was so hot. Beacuse Tekapo is surrounded by mountains, they shelter it from the wind ana when the sunshines it is soo hot!!

We ambled on up to our backpackers and got settled in. There was no Tv but it was comfortable. It was run by a crazy old guy who had owl eye-brows that swept upwards. Ther was a sign on the fride about work in tekapo.. maybe it was worth a look! That afternoon we went and sat by the lake. We could have stayed there for a lifetime. it was so peaceful and calm. The water was so clear and still, it was just like glass. It has a kind of turquoise colour to it which is because it is a glacial lake. When the ice moves over the rocks, it grinds them into what is called glacial flour, which, when the sunshines on the water, the flour particles reflect the turquiose even more. In the end i think we did pretty much did sit there forever. It was the most calm i had been in ages. i could get used to this. 

 I went to check out the work situation as you do when you are skint (even after 6 weeks of work- dont ask i dont know either!!). As it happens i had been given some numbers  and a guy had offered me two weeks of work for over the easter peeriod. Summat to think about 2moro. Scary thought tho!! We have all over trip planned.

When we arrived back at the hostel i made soup. But as there was no blender i had to grate all the vegies, and to make things even better i had to try and push it all throught a seive... witha smug auzzie guy looking on as he stirred his tin soup!! WE got chatting to him over the next cuple of days and he didnt shut up when we were all trying to go to sleep. He was really funny and kept taking the piss out of us pommies!! well at least we wernt with mummy at daddy!! ha ha the jokes on you now sucker!!!!   

Thinking, walking and swimming

Confused about what to do about the job and weather to stay or go, we set out on a walk around the lake. It was a difficult decision..... do i A) stay in the middle of nowhere, by myself for two weeks, not knowing anyone, to earn money and plan for exhibition or B) carry on travel as planned with not mouch money, not think about art, with my best mate who i have bben with for the past 5 months. I think i really knew what i had to do..

.. anyway we carried on around the lake on what was a scortcher of a day. We came across a naked guy sprawled out on the pebbles by the lake, with his stuff hanging up in the trees. I guess he had slept there the night. As we got further round the lake we decided it would be a good idea to have swim. Now thw water was 8 degrees abut whne we got in it was ok. It was lovey swim and the water was the best!!! We sat ther afterwards for a good while and then walked abit further round the lake to where there we loads of rabbit holes and bunnies running arond evewhere. They dont stay still for long tho!

THE BBQ

It had been decided that i would stay and em would carry on as planned. I like it here, there is a job for me, and i have to start thinking about art stuff. We both came here for different reason, and now was the time to do what we needed to do. and that was alone.

So to 'celebrate' we had a bbq. The bbq tured out to be one you had to make fire for. So we found news paper and pine cones (great for flavour) and the black coal stuff, and we had ourselves a slow burning but warm bbq. Chances of food poisening where high, but as it happens it was the best bbq ever. The pines cones gave a lovey flavour to the sausages, and as they were slow cooking, they we not burnt!! We had corn on the cob, salad, chick drumsticks , mushrooms, peppers and courgette. It was the first proper solid food i had had for a while and it swas bloody lovely. and worth a bit of pain!!!!   

Mount Cook

We were up early for our last day togeather, and all set for a day trip to Mount Cook - the biggest mountain in nz. The trip took ages as we had to go all the way around the lakes and mountains, as the crow flies its just over the hills. On the way there was passed the place where they filmed the batttle of the Pellenor fields in Lord of the Rings. We also passed the place where they produce the majority of merino wool, for the famous jumpers etc. The trip up the valley showed us vast flat plains, where the lake had receeded, and in its place left longs inter-twining silver strips of river.  Mount cook was beautiful from the village- capped with brilliant white snow and the sky was so clear. The sun was shining which was damn good as the wind thet blew down the river from the glaciers was shrill!! We had to cross 2 swing briges over the rivers and climb a steep set of steps where they kindly warn you not to stop. As we got close to Cook, it got coolers. Ther was more greenery tho. The river tumbled over the boulder which make a lovey picnic spot on the way back, as the sun shone here and kept you warm.  When we reched the end of the path after 2 hour and a bit?, we could see the glacier ( forgot the name) at the bottom of cook. It was so cool. thre was big bits of ice floating the water!!! woo we had made it !!!!

On the walk back there was amonument to all those who had died on th mountain - it wouild have been so cool to get up the snow line, but so expensive and risky!! Over 200 bodies remain on the mountain. now that is a scary thought. I wouldnt have been too odd to see one floating down the river. It makes you think how dangerous nature can be.

Well that was good last day togeater..

Go it alone...

Emma left this morn and there was a few tears ( on my part and dont laugh!!!) but i knew it was the right thing to do.

I sat outside the school where i was being picked up by my new boss. The teacher came out and asked me if i wanted summat - obviously i looked like a wierdo! My boss turned out to be a crazy Scottish guy from Dunedin, who had lived here for 7 years. He owns his own cleaning contractors with his partner Karen who is from the Philipines. She has two kids , a girl and aboy who are really nice. Her sister also live with them, as the quaility of live is so much better here than in the philipines.

It was just me working with Karen and Colin to clean holiday homes all over Tekapo. Sometimes we had to claen builder houses for a guy called Murry Cox - who had a big fluffy do that looks like a snowball, called Dougal. Other times we do cleaning for alovey couple called Jenny and Peter who own a b&b and manage lots of holiday cottages. Everday we alos cleaned the toilets in the local 'Resort' which was piss easy - scuse the pun. I really enjoyed the work. I mean making beds is easy etc and all is good.

 Life in Tekapo

Over the past few weeks i have really grow to love it here. Its so peacefull. The first day i worked for karen and Colin they arranged for me to move to another hostel right in town. Whe i say town i mean the one shop/ gas station and few seuveneir shops. There i paid only $10 a nigh which was half of what the other place was asking. And there was a tv, and i had a double bed.

I have started planning out my exhibition, taken shed loads of photos, walked all the tracks around here and am on first name terms with most of the wildlife. Its so wierd thet people seem to know who i am and what i am up to here. I guess good news travels fast. he he. No really its such a small place thet everyone knows what is going on here. 

Food and Drink 

Ive been around colin and karens fro drinks a few times. i was plied with wine and we watched dancing with the stars which was nice. DO i sound old to you!? i think i fainall found out how to do sensible drinking... The other night we ended up around their friends house, visiting from Christchurch where we had food and the kids played in the ice cold pool - not as cold as the lake tho! When we have been working, and pop in to Jennys we are given eneough coffee to keep me insane for a while longer and lots of cakes and biscuits. We alos turned up one day and ende up with a slap up dinner of roast lamb chops, sugar beet, corn carrots pots and grays. Delish. then it was hot cross buns with jam and cream!!!!! After that it became routine to have food and drink, lunches etc. He was so hospitable!! and she is known for her good breakfasts if you stay at the B&B. so if you plan on going to Tekapo ever, stay with Tekapoholidayhomes, you will be well looked after. i was, and i wasnt even paying!!!!!!

A few days i have been given the bosses 4x4 dispite the fact i reversed it into the driveway and got it stuck!! It was nice to escape and see the beautiful sunset on eve at the other end of the lake. 

The Church of the Good Shepherd

This is a stunning little church, the only problem being the amount of Japanese tourists that are happy snapping around it all day. the view from inside look traight out on to the lake - and ideal view if you get bored. Its a fantastic little building, unique and with a big bell, small windows that the light shines right through, and a big old fashion wooden and metal door with all the nuts and bolts and stuff!

Death Climb

I met this Israeli guy in the hostel who told me he had gone on a walk down this river where there was no water. As he discribed it to me it became claer that i knew where he was taking about ! And god what a daft prat he was... you see it took me a good while to explain to him, and for him to understand. As it happens the guy was walking down a river, and the reason that there was no water in it was because there is a dam holding the water back in the lake. Sometimes they let the water out so that the canoeists can use the rapids at the bottom or the river, and other times it is used to generate power via a trubine in the dam. When they release the water there is a big siren that goes off. So you see if you were some isreali guy who spoke broken english you wouldnt really know about this at the best of times. So there was this small guy ambling down the river basin, not a care in the world, perhaps stopping now and again to admire a flower, butterfly or the odd 'simpsons cartoon figure hidden in the landscape' ( dont ask), completelt oblivios to the fact that at any moment a torrent of water is straining to break throught the dam and sweep him away; much to his stupidity and the amusement of others. He was in hysterics at this point...god help these forigners!

So, me being a slightly cokey foreigner, now knowing the surrounding landscape like the locals ( haha) i ignored my own advice and also decided to do the river walk. It all started swimmingly, ambling over boulders and being by the water / puddles, until i had gone so far and couldnt really see the path up the valley anymore. So then i thought hummm, what happens if the siren goes off and i have to get out, why dont i take my own advice. So i started to head up to wards the trees. Once in them i realised that it was a tad steep. And there was no path. amd there was killer and trory trees. And when i started climbing there was a rock and vegitation avalanche. So all was well... and i carried on climbing up slowly but surely, hanging on to the odd branch for support, all whilst carrying a litre bottle of water and still sleepy. I kept thinking i will be there in a min, there will be a path at the next ridge. But no i kepy climbing up and up, sending rubble down and down, the vegitation getting thicker and thicker. Untill i looked down and thought, s*** sam, how do you get youself in there situations? SO EMMA, no its not just you and me that end up with these things happening to us all the time. It me, just me. So the story goes, i got to the top eventually, still alive and relieved, because i had to. And the moral of this story is ONLY MAKE A MISTAKE ONCE, NEXT TIME, MAKE YOU DO ITR SOMEWHERE DIFFERENT.

My Favourite Place - Mount John and the Observatory

It was a geat place to escape to up here. You feel as if you are a thousand miles from anywhwere. The walk is a bit tiring tho!! the view from up here is spectacular.. you can see all around, the lakes, the mountains and the plains. Its just so vast. and when the sun shines it is amazing. They do a mean mochachino inf the cafe too! The sky here is the clearest in NZ, so that have the University of Canterbury Observatory up here. You can go on day trips or night tours to spot the stars. I had been looking foward  a night trip since i have decided to stay, so i was well chuffed when a few days ago i got a really claer night and didnt hjave to pay the $58 dollar fee!! oh the pros of working here!! It was bloody cold but we got to see galxies, and stuff throught the big telescope. Saturn looked like a big glow sticker, and the stars looked so flat, like fairy lights poking out of a black sheet. The moon here has not got a man in it, but a bunny rabbit!! You can see the milky way really cleary here, and outside we were taught how to find the southern cross ( only visable in the southern hemisphre!) and calculate where south is using the stars. We lernt about other stars and stuff and the moon shone bright casting a white shimmering light over the domes and the lake. I have to come back here and see the Arura Australis - they have lights just like the northern lights.

I think i will be coming back in the winter season next year to see that, try out the ski fieds round here and go on the ice rink thay aree building at the bottom of mount john!!

Oh yes and just as im about about to embark on my lone travels, a friend from Blenheim is passing through with her irish travel buddy, so we catch up for an hour or so which is nice. 

 AND IT HAS BEEN SNOWING ON THE HILLS TODAY AND IT LOOKS SO COOL. YOU CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IN WINTER...

So now... I have arranged al the rest of my trip. I leave today and head for Queenstown. I have had time to arrange all of my busses and hostels untill i leave now. I can just enjoy the time i have left with no hassle. 2 weeks and me and em will be back in auckland then home...