When we got up today we said goodbye to Australia and made our way to the airport to begin our New Zealand leg of this adventure. We were sad to leave Australia, but excited to be arriving in New Zealand and about the beauty and adventure we knew awaited us.
We had an early flight, so it was a 4am wakeup call and we were at the airport by 5am. Even though we had a 7am flight, we lost two hours traveling to New Zealand, so we didn’t arrive until around 12:30pm.
The first task was to rent a car and then head 3 1/2 hours southwest to our first stop, which was Lake Tekapo. Neither of us has driven on the left-hand side of the road before, so this is going to be an adventure. So far, I think we have done a good job.
Our first impressions of Lake Tekapo are of wonderment and amazement. Seriously, the beauty of this place will absolutely floor you when you see it in person. The crystal blue glacial lake and snow-capped peaks remind me a lot of Banff’s Lake Louise and Moraine Lake.
We haven’t done any hiking in New Zealand yet. We will probably have our first hike when we arrive at Mount Cook National Park tomorrow, but we did walk around and admire the beauty of Lake Tekapo from various perspectives.
One of the most beautiful spots along the lake is one of the spots that I outlined in my Lake Tekapo Photography Planning Guide. The Church of the Good Shepherd is a beautiful little stone church on the shoreline of Lake Tekapo and it makes a wonderful photography subject.
To cap off the night we decided to find a nice restaurant in Lake Tekapo by the lake, eat some good food, enjoy some cocktails, and cherish the moment. It is not too often that you find yourself in such an amazingly beautiful place and we feel quite blessed to be here.
Tomorrow morning, we will be getting up early, not only to take some great sunrise shots but also to head to Mount Cook National Park to do some hiking and exploring. Until then!
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Your photos are, as always, utterly breathtaking!
Thanks Scott!! 😀👍
Looks absolutely stunning! Can’t wait to see what else you got up to in NZ. I expect you’ve mastered the left hand side driving by now too! 🙂
Thanks Jason! I have a ton of content coming! 👍
As for the driving, I did a bit, but my wife did most of the driving so that I could take pictures. 😂
Good plan! Haha
When I was a little girl, my father would sometimes take the Sunday service at the Church of the Good Shepherd. But I was too young to appreciate it! What a photo!
Thank you so much Rachel! What an amazing experience that must have been for your father. The church, the lake, and the area are breathtaking 😀