Lake Tekapo...so pretty.

As our last month in New Zealand began, we had only had one trip planned, a short jaunt up to Wellington to see the last few things that we had missed in previous trips.  While a Facebook post asking what else we should do in New Zealand yielded no suggestions, our good friend Gordon popped into my office with a thumb drive of pictures from a trip he took to Lake Tekapo and Aoraki Mount Cook.  Sold.

The morning after our bon voyage party, we headed out for a quick trip to see New Zealand's tallest mountain, Aoraki Mount Cook.  To get there, we drove through Mackenzie country, a part of the South Island that we had yet to hit on our travels.  One of the most popular (and beautiful) sites in Mackenzie is Lake Tekapo.  Lake Tekapo is a beautiful turquoise-colored lake and is one of many lakes in the impressive Waitaki Valley hydro system which powers 33% of the country.  The color of Lake Tekapo, and that of many of the glacial lakes in the region, is a result of rock flour which is dust ground from rocks in the glacier's headwaters.  Something about how the sunlight is absorbed and refracted from these particles is what gives the lake the incredible color.  Because we were there around high noon, it's difficult to see the vividness of the color in the pictures, but believe me, it was amazing.

A view from the rock cairn covered beach over Lake Tekapo

I think the most famous thing in Lake Tekapo is the Church of the Good Shepherd.  The church was built as a memorial to the pioneers of Mackenzie country, and congregations do worship there regularly.  However, we were warned by Lonely Planet and everyone else that it's usually surrounded by tourists from the 9 billion tour buses that stop there for pictures.  We were thus extremely lucky to arrive with no tour buses in sight and only a smattering of other tourists...and three (undoubtedly freezing) brides getting pictures taken in their wedding dresses (but we don't think it was their wedding day).

View from the pews inside the church

And two of the freezing brides...

The other famous landmark on the shores of Lake Tekapo is a sheep dog statue done "in memory of the hardy mustering dogs “without the help of which the grazing of this mountainous country would be impossible” (laketekapountouched.co.nz).  I believe this.  We have seen some seriously smart dogs here.  They are sheep masters.

Sheep Master (and a decent view of the color of the lake)

Yet another beautiful New Zealand vista...ahhhh.