After the remarkable Milford Sound day trip and a subsequent night stay overlooking Lake Wakatipu, ‘Footlooseinme’ set forth for the return journey from Queenstown to Christchurch by road. Starting early from Queenstown, we hit the road towards Christchurch. Bidding a final goodbye to Lake Wakatipu, we exited the outskirts of Queenstown. Winding through the road, we reached the Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge over the Kawarau River in the Otago region. This is the world’s first commercial bungee jumping site, operated to date by AJ Hackett Bungy Company.
On the way from Queenstown to Christchurch, we next entered the Cromwell region. Cromwell is known for its vineyards and orchards. The town was established during the Otago Gold Rush of the 1960s, at the confluence of Clutha (Mata-Au) and Kawarau Rivers. After the decline of the Gold mine, the focus on developing orchards and farms rose, and now this area is known for its vineyards and stone fruits.
As we reached the Tarass village on the way from Queenstown to Christchurch, we met Shrek. I mean, we saw the image of Shrek and we heard the story of this famous Marino sheep. In New Zealand farms, Marino sheep are sheared once every year, sometimes even twice. Here comes the famous Marino sheep, Shrek. To evade shearing, this sheep once escaped from a farm in the Bendigo Station in Central Otago. He went missing and was forgotten until he was found in 2004.
Shepherd Ann Scanlan found him hiding in a cave for six years. He evaded shearing for six long years, resulting in a very thick cover of fleece. When he was brought back and sheared, the resulting wool weighed 27 kg. This first shearing of Shrek after a six-year gap was broadcast on New Zealand’s national television. He immediately became a national celebrity. Kids lovingly named him Shrek after the fictional ogre in the book and film with the same name.
His popularity rose to an immense level. He was taken to Parliament to meet the then-Prime Minister, Helen Clark, to celebrate his 10th birthday. Shrek was shorn again after 30 months for a charitable fundraiser in 2006 on an iceberg floating off the coast of Dunedin. Shearing of Shrek has since then become a charitable fundraising occasion. Shrek was also shorn on the Sky Tower observation deck.
In 2011, at the age of 16, Shrek was euthanised because of age-related illness. His bodily remains were converted into taxidermy. The taxidermied Shrek is preserved in the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Along with the taxidermy, his limited edition Icebreaker jersey, blanket cover and his fleece are also part of the collection in the museum.
Travelling through the Queenstown to Christchurch highway, we then entered the Lindis Pass. The view of the rolling hills of the vast Lindis Valley welcomed us. State Highway 8 traverses this pass at an altitude of 3,186 ft. Passing through this remote area over the Southern Alps gave us some spectacular views of the vast grasslands. Then, moving on to Omarama, we took a small refreshment break to fuel our journey ahead. Omarama is beautifully tucked within the mountains and lakes of the Mackenzie Basin.
Moving ahead on our journey from Queenstown to Christchurch, we make a quick stop at a cafeteria beside the High Country Salmon Farm by Lake Ruataniwha. The glacial lakes provide ideal conditions for Salmon farming. We saw a few grown Salmon in a bounded water body. There was a free automatic fish food dispenser for the visitors interested in feeding the salmon. Once the salmon reaches a particular size or maturity, they are harvested from the water and kept in a tank. Men were seen removing the harvested salmon from the tank for further processing and shipping.
We finally entered the Aoraki National Park. The turquoise Lake Pukaki emerged in sight. The lake in its purest form of blue dazzled us with its aura. We stopped at the visitor centre beside the bank of this huge glacial lake. Mount Cook or Aoraki (as known in the Maori language) and the ranges of the Southern Alps form a beautiful backdrop to this blue lake.
Lake Pukaki, Lake Tekapo and Lake Ohau are the three glacial lakes that lie almost parallel in the north-south direction in the northern Mackenzie Basin. These glacial lakes were formed by the moraine deposition by ancient ice sheets or glaciers that blocked their respective valleys. These lakes are also called Moraine-dammed lakes. The lake is fed by the Tasman river which in turn is fed by Tasman and Hooker glaciers originating near the Aoraki.
The turquoise colour of the lake can be credited to its glacial origin. The mechanical grinding of the bedrock due to glacial erosion created the fine-grained rock particles that have a silt-like texture. These are called glacial flour or rock flour. They get suspended in the meltwater and are carried further to the rivers and lakes during snow melts and heavy rains. This glacial flour gets dispersed and deposited in the lakes, and in turn reflects the sunlight to give it a dazzling blue colour.
On our journey from Queenstown to Christchurch, we spent a couple of hours at Aoraki Mount Cook National Park. Aoraki/ Mount Cook (12,218 feet) is the highest mountain in New Zealand. Aoraki, also known as Mount Cook, has been known to the Māori since they arrived in New Zealand. It was later named Mount Cook by the English Captain John Lort Stokes.
Mt Cook consists of three summits from south to north. The peak is situated at the northern end of the Mount Cook Range. The Hooker Valley lies on the southwest and the Tasman Valley on the east of the massif. These two valleys provide the best possible view of Mount Cook. On clear days (like the day we were on the Queenstown to Christchurch drive), Aoraki is visible all through the State Highway 80 along Lake Pukaki.
The Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park consists of 140 peaks with an altitude of over 6000 ft and 72 named glaciers. The small settlement of Aoraki / Mount Cook village is located at the end of State Highway 80. It has the tourist centre, which also serves as the base camp for the Aoraki trek. The Hermitage Hotel and a few other motels operate here throughout the year to cater for the tourists. To operate these hotels, there is a small permanent population in this village.
Aoraki / Mount Cook village comprises the Hermitage Hotel, along with other motels and lodges with the Hermitage being the tallest and largest building here. The hotel also houses the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre, the museum, the planetarium, and a souvenir store. It also has a cafeteria with a refreshing food and beverage menu. We spent some time in the museum and had some amazing Kumra (local sweet potato) Soup in the cafeteria. After spending a couple of hours in the Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park, we drove ahead towards our final destination on our Queenstown to Christchurch road trip.
After exiting the Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park we drove through the Canterbury region to reach Lake Tekapo. Lake Tekapo, the second largest of the three lakes (I mentioned before) lies in the northern part of the Mackenzie Basin. Lake Tekapo is an important tourist centre. A small town with the same name is located on its south bank. We skipped visiting the town and drove towards the church. Before visiting the church the pretty and bright Lupins bloom by the bank of the turquoise lake lured us.
Vast fields of Lupins dancing in the breeze beside the dazzling blue lake are a sight to behold. No picture, no word can capture the magical beauty of the show. We watched in awe the myriad of blooms by the vast lake. Aoraki / Mount Cook was marked as our primary attraction on our road trip from Queenstown to Christchurch. Little did we know that the last part of our tour will surpass others and reign our hearts. The small old Church of the Good Shepherd and the bronze statue of the sheepdog by the lake added to the charm.
The Church of the Good Shepherd was built in the year 1935 to make a place of worship for the residents of the Mackenzie Basin. This Church is a Category 1 heritage building in New Zealand and is one of the most photographed churches. The beautiful bronze statue of the New Zealand Collie Sheepdog stands beside the church. This statue was unveiled in 1968. The citizens of the Mackenzie Country commissioned the building of the statue. It was built to acknowledge the crucial role played by the sheepdog in the region’s sheep farming.
Beautiful thoughts led to beautiful creation with beautiful structures beside beautiful landscape. An absolute harmony achieved in the amalgamation of natural and man-made structures. Even with so many people around, you can easily attain a meditative high in this place. Lake Tekapo became our favourite and one of our best places in New Zealand. With the images and memories delicately preserved, we ended our tour of New Zealand. This pristine place was our last stop on our drive from Queenstown to Christchurch. What a beautiful way it was to end the road trip and the subsequent tour of New Zealand!
Read my post on Pohatu Penguins.
Read my previous post on Akaroa.
Read my previous post on Arthur’s Pass.
No Comments