Let me start today's post with an update on Christchurch. So, as I had said, I did venture out at about 11 PM to check out the scene at the music festival. It was pretty chaotic, but everyone seemed to have a swell time. Of course, I could not get onto the grounds without purchasing a ticket, so after a few minutes I took a walk to check out the environs of our home at night. What a beautiful, peaceful evening, in spite of the cool music enlivening things. First, I have never seen a line of taxis as long as the one at the park where the festival was being held. It must have exceeded 100 cars, and they were moving very fast, picking up kids that had had more than their usual capacity of alcohol. The coolest thing was when I saw a "Dining Streetcar". It's a restaurant on rails that looks just like the regular tramway service, and follows the same path, except that it is blue in color instead of red. White tablecloths and elegant dining while riding through the city, checking out the sites, in a streetcar. Now, that's an idea! Christchurch is very lovely at night, with its historical buildings aglow.
And now about today. What a lovely, most pleasant easy day it has been.We drove southward toward our destination, first traveling through beautiful, flat farmland from Christchurch to Rangitata, then turned to the west, where the landscape changed considerably.
We stopped at the town of Geraldine for lunch, at a restaurant that was secluded and quiet, until a group of about 40 bikers arrived. Don't picture U.S. style bikers and their Harleys. These guys (and gals), were part of an international group of 150 people, representing 20 countries, who are touring New Zealand on BMWs adapted for dirt riding, as well as regular pavement. Their leather outfits, helmets and boots indicated they spared no expense.
While Diane did some shopping, I took a very pleasant walk along the river and chatted about the local weather with an elderly couple. Today's weather could not have been any more perfect. Mid 70s, full sun, no wind; absolutely ideal.
The landscape from here on out consisted of colorful rolling hills, spectacular valleys with tall pines (gone are the gum trees of Australia), and ranches holding more free range cows and sheep than I've ever seen in my life. We've also seen a few deer farms.
By the time we reached picturesque Lake Tekapo, we were in sight of the Red Oahu range, which is part of the Southern Alps and contains the tallest mountain in Australasia, Mt. Aoraki, also known as Mt. Cook. It's just my luck that I reach the most beautiful places with the worst possible light, so the photos tend to be flat, devoid of the colors that the naked eye can see. Nonetheless, here are a couple from Tekapo.
This is lake country, and the water is an amazing aquamarine color, reflective of glacial melt. Just a short distance from Tekapo, is equally astonishing Lake Pukaki, where we enjoyed a pleasant break.
The photo below was taken through the inscribed window overlooking the lake, inside the visitors center.
In the end, we arrived at Twizel, a village of a mere 1,400 souls, where I had booked a house for the next two nights. You know how much I enjoy nature, so I was looking forward to this stay at the Highlands Farm Stay, a place that was advertised as being on a real farm, with cultured fields and animals. Well, it lived up to expectations and beyond, and it urges me to want to whistle the old tune "Home, home on the range".
It sits on 54 acres of land, where the owners, Darren and Angela, originally from the UK, who live about a mile down the road, have established a homestead complete with alpacas, sheep, pigs, cows and chickens, each species separated from the other, so they can have their own space. We were told that we have free access to any part of the land, so even though you may see a fence in the photos, we could easily open the gate and walk in. Many of the animals have names, like Charlie and Murphy, two huge Highland cattle. Two of the alpacas are Michael Jackson and Shirley Bassey, then there's Rimu the ram, and many others. We have been given plenty of food to freely feed each species with.
Here's a view from the living room door of the house.
We had dinner at Poppies in town, and it was delicious. Salmon salad for D. and rack of lamb for me, washed down with a delightful Pinot Noir and the customary cup of espresso, served to us by a young lady from Brescia, Italy who is in New Zealand on a work/tourist visa.Can life get much better? Yes.
We left the establishment and drove 4 kilometers to a nearby lake where I could enjoy a cigar and Diane read her book. We took two bean-bag pillows with us from the house. No more idyllic place could exist. The sun was slowly setting, the air was still, the temperature perfect. The water on the lake was perfectly still. No sound except the chirping of birds.
A duck from the distant other side was swimming toward us. Eventually, she came ashore and started feeding on the grass, not the least mindful of our presence. At one point, she actually climbed over my leg to get past me and continue her search for food. One of those moments that must be stored in the "this is what life is all about" section of the brain. By now, the light was finally much better for photography.
We returned home with the sky tinted pink, which projected a beautiful aura over the fields, mountains and hills around us.
And now we are back home, home on the range. We expect to have a good night, and wish the same for you.
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