Clay cliffs from the inside!
Welcome to Greta Lodge!
We had to stop twice on our drive for sheep herders, but I wasn't complaining. We watched them cross a narrow bridge, nearly on top of each other as they scurried across. As soon as they reached the end, they scattered! As you can tell, this picture was taken post-bridge.
From the side of the road right next to Mount Cook. Thank you, self timer.
Mount Cook!
The view from the lake we stopped at on our way home.
I think you guys can figure the last two out. So pretty.
This weekend proved to be another one of spontaneity and adventure. Four of us went to several different spots in the central South Island, none of which were our original destination. Natalie and I picked up JJ and Drew, two nice guys from our IFSA-Butler program, and headed out Friday morning for what turned out to be one of my favorite weekends in New Zealand. We drove for a while on Friday and made several stops along the way - a grocery run (top priority), Moeraki Boulders (round #3), and the Clay Cliffs, which were sweet. The stops, along with a few wrong turns, put us looking for a place to camp around 4:30 Friday afternoon. After checking out the atlas, we decided that Lake Ohau would be our final destination for the night - we chose well.
We drove around the lake looking for the optimum place to pitch our tent, cruising down dirt roads to see where they ended up. We drove down one only to find a small hut at the end, with a nice lawn and access to the water. Built after the Great Depression, this small hut, which we now know as Greta's Lodge, was built for travellers looking for a place to stay. What prime candidates we were. We moved our things in and had fun reading the guestbook and getting to know our home for the night, slightly in awe that this happens in real life. There were beds, a fireplace (complete with wood and newspaper), pots and pans, and several chairs. While to many it may have looked like an abandoned shack, to us it seemed quite idyllic. We had a delicious dinner and enjoyed wine and music by the fire, all still taking in what we were experiencing. We were even joined later on by fellow campers down the road, a Canadian and an Austrian who have spent the last seven months travelling in Asia, Australia, and now New Zealand. I was so glad I had Natalie, JJ, and Drew to experience it with.
We woke up the next morning and headed for Mount Cook, the highest mountain in New Zealand. Again, idyllic. The sky was perfectly blue and the mountains were perfectly snow-covered and pristine. I feel like I sound a bit like a writer for Lonely Planet trying to sway your travel plans and convince you to do a stopover in Aotearoa/New Zealand. While I certainly wouldn't argue against it, you must know that this is not my intent. There are simply no other words to describe the views that I am seeing - even idyllic and pristine do not do them justice.
We stopped along the side of the road to take in the views and cook bacon that we had bought the day before (SO good). Full and satisfied, we decided to drive to Tasman Glacier, which is right next to Mount Cook. We did a short climb to the overlook and saw a gorgeous view of the glacier, the largest in New Zealand. Must I say it again? Idyllic.
We headed back in the early afternoon and made another stop at a lake on the ride home. We took a dirt road that led us straight to the water and enjoyed a nice two hours of relaxation. JJ even set up his hammock that he had packed! We had a great time soaking in the sun and looking off on trees that were reflected on the water. As if this wasn't enough, our final stop was on the side of the road to take in arguably the prettiest sunset I have ever seen. You are too good to me, New Zealand. Too good.
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