Day 12
The chills at Mount Cook.
Checked into our hotel and we were starving. Decided to treat ourselves to a good meal since the trip was ending soon. Went to The Hermitage Hotel for their buffet dinner, which was rather pricey. We were paying for the food as well as the view.
My love for seafood never ends. I love cold prawns.
The interior of the restaurant.
Hooker Valley Track.
The track leads up the Hooker Valley, along the Hooker River and ends at the glacier lake, where there are amazing views of Aoraki/Mount Cook on a clear day.
We had to cross bridges after bridges. As you can see, we were not blessed with clear blue skies, hence we didn't manage to see the amazing views of Aoraki/Mount Cook.
Next up, Tasman Glacier, 9 minutes drive away from Hooker Valley Track.
Why are the blue lakes green?
Mind-blown.
How gorgeous is the Tasman Glacier. So ethereal.
We could see icebergs forming at the far left end.
Day 13 & 14
Driving past Lake Pukaki again onward to Lake Tekapo, the drive took approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes.
Couldn't stop snapping pictures because it's so breathtaking. You gotta be there to see it for yourself.
We stayed at Lake Tekapo for two nights, but in different accommodations. We planned to stay for two days as we were planning to do a casual wedding photoshoot there.
Checked into Lake Tekapo Scenic Resort, two bedrooms apartment for NZD$235.
Lunch at Mackenzie's.
Lupins, lupins, all around. How are their wild flowers so pretty.
Took a drive up to Mount John Observatory. We had to pay NZD$5 per car, it's highly recommended and worth it.
We were rewarded with this view.
Lake tekapo at your very feet. Stunning!
No filter needed.
Never seen such turquoise blue waters in my life.
Our very old car that stuck with us throughout the trip.
Church of the Good Shepherd from afar.
Mackenzie sheep dog statue.
In the 19th century, Scottish shepherds came to work on the pastoral runs of the eastern South Island. The high country could not have been farmed successfully without the border collies they brought with them. To honour these ‘canine Scots’, a statue of a collie has been raised at Lake Tekapo.
Our second accommodation at Lake Tekapo was at Mantra Lake Tekapo for SGD$253. It was a terrace house, two storeys, 3 bedrooms. Very clean and modern, the only down side was that we didn't have a lake view.
Preppin' for the photoshoot. Make-up and hair all done by myself. As it was a casual shoot, my daddy was our photographer. He did a pretty good job I must say!
Scouting locations.
Day 15
A 3 hours drive to Christchurch from Lake Tekapo. Checked into our hotel at Breakfire on Cashel, SGD$204.04 for 2 separate rooms. Rooms were really tiny, we had no space to walk after laying our luggages on the floor.
Went out to explore Christchurch, they are famous for their container malls.
Then I went a little crazy shopping and bought some sneakers.
We also went to the earthquake memorial, 185 empty white chairs placed there, but I didn't take any photos.
Supermarket shopping, chocolate heaven.
Meet Kiwi, my new bedtime buddy, I got him from the airport. We didn't get to see any kiwis throughout the trip, so this shall suffice.
Took a transit flight to Sydney, spent a night and day there before heading back to SG.
That's the end of my New Zealand roadtrip. We traveled and spent our time in New Zealand from 4th December 2015 to 20th December 2015. Weather was amazing, chilly and mostly sunny, but do always prepare a raincoat, weather can change in an instant.
A day would be enough to cover the small towns, we only spent a night each at all the towns except for Lake Tekapo. A night at Lake Tekapo would also be sufficient, we got a little bored on the second day as we have already covered and explored the place on the first day.
At every corner and every turn in New Zealand, you will never be disappointed with how scenic it gets. It is an absolutely beautiful country that should be on your bucket list. I will definitely recommend doing a roadtrip, so that you can stop at the various stopovers and just take in the breathtaking views.
