Day 352: Lake Tekapo and Ōhau

Woke up frightened to the sounds of birds pecking away at our room which we assumed someone was knocking at the door at 6am. Because the room was a metal container, we could hear them on the roof walking around and building a nest.

After morning coffee, we drove 2 hours north to Lake Tekapo. This is a small town right on a beautiful lake and is a lot like Banff in its tourist trapness (hateful Mary side comment). The glacier water is a color that we can't seem to get enough of. While in this area, we did a small 2 hour hike along the valley surrounding the lake called Lake Tekapo Peninsula Walkway. It took us through a long stretch of farmland, giving us beautiful views of the lake and plenty of sheep to harass.

Lake Tekapo is a pretty expensive area, so we drove up the road to Lake Pukaki to stay at the Lake Poaka Campsite. The road passed famous Mt. Cook which stood tall at the end of the glacial lake.

Lake Poaka is a massive campsite with a ton of options, so we picked a spot right next to the flowing water. We looked forward to falling asleep to the river’s flow.

While setting up the tent, we had a few duck visitors. Mary thinks that they were originally domesticated at someone's house because of their friendliness. Kieran just assumed that they were used to being fed by the campers. They got very close and made cute faces; Kieran wouldn’t let us keep them.

Before dinner, we drove up to Lake Ōhau to 4WD on some gravel road and get more views. Stopped by Twizel for a food truck extravaganza and went home to fall asleep to the sound of….Alice in Chains. Don’t get us wrong, we love music; we just wish the neighbors across the way would turn their music down.

Campground: Lake Poaka Campground

Spots:
Lake Tekapo
Twizel
Lake ŌhauRead more