Since leaving Wanaka, we have travelled inland to MacKenzie Country. The journey took us away from the mountains and through the Lindus Pass towards this great flat expanse of grassland. It is a baron looking landscape with very few trees and is the only place like it in the country. As you travel, you can see the huge mountain peaks that rise from around its edges. The reason that we had headed this way was to locate ourselves in a the small town of Twizel, which his only 60km from Mount Cook and a cheaper option than staying within Mount Cook Village itself. We have checked into the Aspen Court Motel which, amongst other things, offers central heating which in this mountainous area at this time of year is a definite plus!

As we have two days in the area, we headed today to Lake Tekapo in the heart of MacKenzie Country. The weather had started out quite cloudy this mornings, so we put off heading up into Mount Cook National Park as in conditions like that you wouldn´t see anything! The journey takes you past Lake Pukaki crossing over numerous canals. The area houses 8 hydro-electric power stations utilizing the available water as it makes its way towards the ocean.

The town of Takapo is a pretty town sitting on the blue lake of the same name. The town is famed for its small Church of the Good Shepherd  which sits alone on the lakeside. The church was built in 1935 not only as a place of worship, but also a a memorial to the lives of the MacKenzie Country pioneers. Close to the church along the shoreline is a bronze statue of a collie sheepdog paying tribute to the shepherds best friend without whom the grazing of this mountain country would be impossible. Once we had had a look around the area, we headed up Mount John which dominates the western end of the town. On its summit there is an internationally significant observatory too featuring Earth & Sky where you can participate in night time star gazing. From here, you are able to look back down towards the town and to Lake Tekapo, which translates from Maori as ´teka´ – sleeping mat and ´po´- night.

The views from up there were breathtaking! The amazing colour of the water of Lake Tekapo was like nothing I had seen before. It almost looked as though someone had tipped a huge tin of powered blue coloured paint into the valley floor. The turquoise blue colour of the lake is created by ´rock flour´. The glaciers in the headwaters of Tekapo grind rock into find dust on their journey down towards the lake. This ´rock flour´is suspended in the water and when combined with sunlight creates this unique water colour. From this elevated point we had the most amazing view as far as the eye could see, with rolling dark clouds in certain area, blue sky in others and rainbows appearing randomly across the scenery. Mountains loomed around its edges with low lying grassland spreading widely ahead of them housing glittering canals, rivers and calm lakes. Autumn coloured trees lined its shores and Morino sheep roamed freely across the tussock covered peaks around us……..another view that gives you a real sense of the vastness and sheer enormity of this country……..