Lake Tekapo

White on white, cut by a dreamy blue cleft of deep glacier water.

After our explorations of Mount Aoraki yesterday we headed onward to explore Lake Tekapo, a beautiful place we had been told. The morning was cloudy, and brooding. Driving we passed still lakes, rolling high plains brown with bristling tussock grasses, lonely sheep and cattle ranches, and the mountains in the distance. The cloudy white sky seemed to settle on the white snows of the peaks melding together in an ephemeral holy light.

Hiking a footpath around the lake gorgeous snow covered peaks surround us in a 180 degree panorama. It is enough to take your breath away. Enough to make you feel small and humble. We followed rutted foot paths through pastures of sheep, skipped stones on the lake, and later road tripped down forgotten gravel roads seeing where we would end up. It was another beautiful, soulful day up in the high country and we ended it in fine style at our hostel on the lake. We toasted our wine glasses over a homemade meal, finished off with ice cream by the fireplace.