Lakes Wanaka, Pukaki, and Tekapo

On the drive from Queenstown to Tekapo, we stopped for lunch in Wanaka, partly so I could snap a photo of the famous tree there. It's pretty cool -- a tree out a ways into the lake -- and the surrounding scenery is sweet too. There were several other people also snapping photos (some with really big, expensive-looking cameras on tripods) and the weather was sunny and clear. It's hard to go wrong for photos in this middle section of the South Island.

standup paddleboarders enjoying the lake

some ducks along the shore

Then it was on to my favorite rest stop by Lake Pukaki. The blues were gorgeous as usual! We also picked up some Mount Cook Alpine Salmon at the little shop there for later.

And the last stop of the journey was Tekapo, which has a lake of the same name. It stayed light quite late, so we were able to take a nighttime scroll and check out the famous Church of the Good Shepherd in the dark. We tried out my camera's manual settings and got some nice photos with the stars.

South Island Itinerary: Mount Cook and Tasman Glacier

This was my second trip to Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park this year, and it has become one of my favorite places in New Zealand, easily. There are so many glaciers and mountain peaks and you're nestled in the valley surrounded by them. Plus, driving up Lake Pukaki to get there is great in itself because it is such a beautiful lake with stunning blue water.

The first day we did a short hike to the Tasman Glacier overlook (in winter, you can't go on the lake). It's surprising how much dirt settles on top of the glacier, because your first thought of a glacier is usually ice, not mounds of dirt obscuring it. But the icebergs floating in the terminal lake are less dirty and have cool patterns of dirt on them as they flip and bump and dissolve.

These ducks were on some smaller lakes on the hike to the overlook.
They are called "Blue Lakes" but the algae has turned them green.

Close-up of the Tasman Glacier. So dirty!

Tour helicopter making the rounds