After staying at Montrose High Country for two days, we set off for Wanaka. We were lucky with the weather, a beautiful day after recent snow which is the ideal for travelling in this part of NZ (winter is often a great time to travel). There were some iconic images waiting to be picked up, starting with this one of L. Pukaki to grab your attention:
But let’s start at the beginning. Rakaia River is so photogenic I can’t resist adding one more shot, close to the start of our journey that day.
The main highway had a better surface and was wider than this dirt road, and had no sheep. From Geraldine to Tekapo you pass through an area called “Beautiful Valley”. Aptly named, don’t you agree?
Then the country starts to open up, with broad vistas and the Southern Alps filling the horizon:
After a pie and sandwiches and a brisk walk at Tekapo, it was on to Lake Pukaki. Here’s another, this one part of the “orange hat” series of landscapes I’ve been taking over the past few years:
Lake Pukaki really was at its best, a fact appreciated by these visitors from Singapore who were glad to oblige by expressing their feelings!
In the distance we could see Aoraki / Mt Cook. (My vantage point was signposted “Mt Cook lookout” – wonder why?)
From here it was easy driving, except for a stretch through the Lindis Pass. We were keen to reach Wanaka so no more photo stops. However, on our return to Nelson we did drive through the Lindis just after dawn. It was looking so good that I was permitted to stop and take a few shots, even though we were only an hour or so into an 11 hour drive. This image is a bit soft (low light, no tripod), but you probably won’t pick that up at this size. Very photogenic place, the Lindis Pass!
While in Wanaka we were lucky enough to be taken up the Matukituki Valley all the way to Mt Aspiring Hut – more on that in a later post………