On our trip north to Christchurch from Dunedin we decided to take a detour through the heart of the south island to visit the New Zealand Alps. We found a much drier part of the country that had a backdrop of gorgeous snow capped mountains. We stayed in a wonderful ranchhouse hostel near Omarana and learned a lot about life in this part of New Zealand from the hostel owner who is a former farmer. He told us all about how challenging it is to farm in this area because it is so terribly dry and full of rabbits. There are some hardy farmers in this area who manage to survive using irrigation and spending lots of time and energy getting rid of these rabbits. Lake Oahu, Lake Pukaki, and Lake Tekapo all have the most incredible blue water because they are glacier fed. Mount Cook, the highest mountain in New Zealand, can be seen in the background overlooking these lakes. At Lake Tekapo we visited the Church of the Good Shepherd before leaving the mountains and heading towards Christchurch. This part of New Zealand deserves a longer visit especially since it is home to countless mountain bike and hiking trails. Once again we found ourselves saying... next time.
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