Diary 7th January 2001 & Images
Lake Tekapo & Mt Cook.


Sunday 7th January.

I packed my car, paid my bill and was on the road by 1030. It was an interesting but uneventful drive today. Most of the scenery whilst being so beautiful was not very much different from what I had been passing in the last few days so I took a few photographs. I made good progress and arrived at Lake Tekapo in the early afternoon.

I stopped in the main street and took a photograph of a young man eating fish. "You're making me feel hungry just watching you. I sat down on the bench beside him and we chatted about the lake and the area. His friend returned and I asked them, "Where did your buy the fish and chips?"
The chap I'd been speaking to smiled and responded "Just in that shop there." He pointed to a nearby doorway.
"Thanks, I must go an' get some then." I smiled at him. Rising I added, "I'll be back to join you in a minute." I went into the doorway he had indicated.

.

001tekapo.jpg
I was greeted by a good-looking assistant with a towel over his shoulder who came up to me and asked, "Can I help you?"
"Yes please. I'd like some fish and chips please. What do you have?"
He pointed to some fish in breadcrumbs saying, "I have fish here."
"They look an odd shape what kind of fish are they?" I inquired.
He went and picked up a piece of fish."They're elephant fish." He said smiling at me.
I didn't actually believe him but asked "Are you kidding me? I've come from scotland to explore in your country; but elephant fish? What's your name? I'm Iain." I was smiling at him as he stood there wide open blue eyes and the beginnings of a grin showing even white teeth, spread and raised his rosy cheeks.
"You're from Scotland? My grandparents are from scotland. My name is Muir." He came forward to edge of the counter as he spoke. "They are elephant fish. Really." Continued forcefully wanting to assure me that he was speaking the truth. "They're very big." He spread his arms to indicate a really large fish. "They have a big flat snout and are bottom feeders that's why they're called elephant fish." he had picked up a peice of fish and held it in his hand.
"Well in that case I'd like to have a photograph of the guy who is going to give me such an unusual fish." I pulled a step back from the counter and made my camera ready as I spoke. "don't go away over there." I restrained him as he moved away at the sight of my camera. I took the photograph though he was very shy.
We chatted as he cooked the fish and I discovered his given name was Matthew. His father owned Robin's Café which was next-door and Matthew ran the fish and chip shop. 		002tekapo.jpg

 

On leaving the fish café I went to the table outside where the young chap whom I'd photographed earlier was still sitting with his friend. "Seeing you guys enjoying your food so much made me feel hungry. I bought myself some fish and chips do you mind if I join you?" I asked them expecting an affirmative answer which I duly got.
I sat down and engaged them in conversation. It turned out that they had been hunting for wild animals and had shot a couple Thar which is an animal that appears like a cross between a deer and a goat. The blonde guy asked where I was from and when I told him he was interested if I knew anything about the clan Macleod. I gave him my business card by way of an answer and he was impressed. He told me his name was James Somerville but that his mother had been a Macleod before she married and had been back to visit Scotland a few years ago for the clan reunion in Skye.
"Have you been to Scotland?" I asked.
"No but one day." he left it hanging.
His friend, Lindsay said he thought his name was Scottish but that he had no Scottish connections as far as he knew.We chatted amicably until I'd finished eating then we all went over to their pick up truck as they had said I could take a photo of their kill. I asked them to stand and pose with the animals but they did not want to do that in the street as it was busy and some people disapprove of gun sports. I thought that was very considerate of them and they held their kill in the truck for me.

004tekapo.jpg

Much as I hated leaving the boys as they had to deal with the Thar, I set off to find Creel Cottage, my bed and breakfast accommodation for the night. I met my hosts Rosemary and Grant and after a cup of tea and some advice about getting views of the highest mountain in New Zealand, Mount Cook, I left intending to drive to a good viewing point.

As I passed the airport I decided to pull in and take a picture of some planes that I'd noticed. When I reached the parking bay I switch of the engine and went to the entrance hall to find out where the planes were going. It turned out that they were going to fly to Mount Cook and the next flight was due out in five minutes time at 1500. Finding that the fare was NZ$220, and the duration of the trip was some 50 minutes I decided that it would be an excellent way to see the mountain, the glaciers and the lake. I bought a ticket, was issued with a boarding pass and hurried off to to move the car and repark it in a more appropriate parking bay.

 

There follows a small selection from the many photos I took during the flight.

001mtcook.jpg
Lake Tekapo and the glacial river		 002mtcook.jpg
this beautiful effect is known as a braided river bed formed where		 003mtcook.jpg
the ice blue waters from the glacier melt and flow toward the lake
004mtcook.jpg
The flat top of Mt Cook, central in the distance. 		005mtcook.jpg
Deep valleys cut over the centuries by the moving ice		 006mtcook.jpg
and the high snow capped mountains with clouds floating on top.
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The fresh snow fall on 1st Jan still lies in the deep gorges 		008mtcook.jpg
closer now we apprach the highest mountain 		009mtcook.jpg
and fly over the Fox and Franz Joseph Glaciers
010mtcook.jpg
right up to the peak of Mt Cook 		011mtcook.jpg
the pilot takes us around the 12,300 feet high majestic landmark 		012mtcook.jpg
banking steeply to the left we can see into the river bed
013mtcook.jpg
before climbing again to the mountain tops.		 014mtcook.jpg
My fellow passenger comments on the vastness of the range.		 015mtcook.jpg
Now above Lake Pukaki we look down on green fields
016mtcook.jpg
then continue and notice the different colour of the ice blue glacial fed lake and the common easily recogniseable darker blue colour of natural water 		017mtcook.jpg
Before leaving the plane I asked the other passengers to stay seated while I went to the front and took this shot 		018mtcook.jpg
Back on land I looked back at the aricraft that had given us such a pleasurable flight over the mountains
I thoroughly enjoyed the trip and was delighted that I'd decided to make this detour. On the way back into Lake Tekapo I stopped off at the beach and had a chat with some people relaxing there in the summer afternoon sunshine..

In the evening I went into the small town hoping to see Matthew but he had finished for the day so I had a delicious steak and salad in Robin's Café before returning to Creel Cottage for the night.

 


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