Inland to Mackenize Country

 One region of the New Zealand I haven't explored yet was Mackenzie Country, in pretty much the center of the South Island.

 (thanks newzealand-indepth.co.uk for the map!)

This area was inhabited by Maori only for quite some time.  The first European to end up here was a Scotsman named James McKenzie.  He was famous for stealing 1,000 sheep and bringing them to this area to hide.  

(My question is, How on earth do you "steal" 1,000 sheep??)

Anyhoo, it was an easy trip inland from Oamaru.   There were plenty of places to stop and things to see to fill up a weekend... including visiting New Zealand's tallest mountain, Mount Cook!

(pardon the long story below but please read on, it's worth it)

I wanted to start the roadtrip Friday evening, to allow for less driving and more exploring on the rest of the weekend.   I left work Friday afternoon, stopped at home, picked up my already packed bag, and off I was.   Stopped at Subway to try their new Chicken Parmigiana sub to eat on the go.    Stopped at the the gas station to fill up Smokey and check her oil.   Went to get back into the car and...oh crap!  Locked the keys inside her.  D'OH! Wait, I have a spare!  Too bad the spare key was in my purse, INSIDE the car.  GRRR!   So much for making an early start.   I still had my wallet fortunately, so I asked the gas station worker if I could use their phone.  Called AAA (it's just called AA here in NZ), they said they'd be here within the hour.  Bought a drink and began to wait (sadly my sub was inside the the car, boo).

About 10 minutes later, a police car pulls up to the pump next to mine.  Two officers get out to fill up their patrol car.   I stepped up next to them, smiling cutely of course, and said "Excuse me, might you know anything about getting cars unlocked?"  They took a look at Smokey's doors, and then asked the gas station employee for some of that hard plastic strip stuff they bind up newspapers with.  Next thing you know, there's two police officers (in uniform), huddled over Smokey's door, one prying the door slightly open with a Leatherman in one hand and a needlenose pliers in the other, while the other officer is trying to slip a loop of the plastic stuff in through the pried open crack to grab onto and pop up the lock on the inside!    All at the pump at the gas station on the main highway in the middle of town!   What a sight, I couldn't help but giggle on the inside.  After about five minutes, one policeman said to the other, "well, the cops would've been here by now, ha!".  After about ten minutes, I kindly say to them, "I do have a call out to the AA and they'll be here within the hour, so if you have more important things to do..."  One quickly replied, "No way!   This is a challenge, we're not stopping!"    And a few minutes later, they got it!  They unlocked Smokey with two sets of pliers and a piece of plastic. :)

I thanked them profusely, and gave them each a hug (I've never hugged someone in a bulletproof vest before!)

So, needless to stay, it was a interesting start to the trip and I hadn't even left town yet!

Ok, onto the trip!

I drove inland to a town called Omarama.   (The cops giggled when I said I was going to "oh-ma-RAM-a".  they replied, you mean "oh-MARE-a-ma"?)   Silly foreigner I am, stressing the wrong syllables.  It means "place of light" in Maori.   I stayed at Buscot Station, a highly recommended backpackers on an actual merino sheep and cattle station.

The backpackers was pretty much just a big house (it's in the bottom middle of the picture, just to highlight how tall the hills of the farm were).  Tony, the owner of the backpackers actually used to run the farm--- now his son does.  They have 6000 merino sheep and 3000 dairy cattle.  That's a lot of animals!

There was only one other person staying the night, so the owner and I chatted a lot about the history of farming in New Zealand and some sheep health related issues (if you're bored and have a strong stomach, google "mulesing" and "fly strike").  I learned so much from him!

I didn't get to see the cows, but I saw several of the sheep in the fields.  I did get a personal introduction to Tony's pet sheep, though, which Tony hand feeds 2 slices of bread each morning and bottle feeds it water!

After saying goodbye to Tony (and his pet) on Saturday morning, it was time to explore.  First stop were the Clay Cliffs, quite an impressive rock formation in Omarama.

They are made of layers of gravel and silt, deposited by rivers flowing from glaciers existing 1-2 million years ago.

Next stop was Lake Ohau, one of the three glacial lakes in the region.  There was a lodge here that I had a hot chocolate at, sat on the deck and soaked up this gorgeous view.  Stunning day!

Next up was High Country Salmon Farm, where you can see and feed the salmon!

They're in divided sections and they just keep swimming round and round in circles.   When you toss them food pellets, dozens of them jump out of the water to grab it!   Strong fish!

Tony recommended I try some of their sashimi for lunch.   It was scrumptious!  So fresh. 

Next stop was the 50 km road to Mount Cook.  I thought it'd might be a boring drive, but luckily I had this beautiful lake next to me the entire drive--- Lake Pukaki, the 2nd and largest of the three glacial lakes.

And there she is!   Mount Cook!  3754 meters!  (12316 feet) 

I asked Tony for a good 2-3 hr walk to do in the area, as I sure as hell wasn't ready for an ice climbing alpine tramp on my own.   He recommended walking the Hooker Valley track, which ends at Hooker Lake and Hooker Glacier.

Here's a map of the area--- there's actual several glaciers to be seen, melting into lakes and rivers.

A view of Mueller Lake behind me...

Swingbridges are always fun! This track had two.

The view of Hooker Lake and Hooker Glacier. 

Couldn't have asked for a clearer day!    Another walker informed me that the day prior's weather was absolutely horrible, raining cats and dogs.  Thank you, Mother Nature, for cooperating with my travel plans!

It looks all dirty, but here is the edge of the Hooker Glacier.

Check out the bits of glacier that were floating in the lake!

After that walk, I drove around to see Tasman Glacier Lake.   It was getting dark, but it was still beautiful to see.

Mount Wakefield, lying between Tasman and Hooker Glacier/Lakes

After a jam-packed day exploring Mount Cook National Park and Mackenzie Country, I drove on to my 2nd night's stay--- at Lake Tekapo.  This is the third of the big glacier lakes, and a small village is on the edge of the lake.  I was not impressed with my accomodation, my dinner, nor the local pub.  But then again, I didn't visit for those reasons--- I came to see the sights.

Such as this-- the Church of the Good Shepherd.

This lakeside church was built in 1935 as a memorial to the pioneers of MacKenzie country. 

The church has regular services, and  is open to visitors daily from 10am onwards.  I visited around 8am, which meant no tourists were around.  It was so peaceful.

I came back later in the day just to see the inside.    Check out the view behind the altar.

No words can describe the beauty of that photo.

I took a morning walk up Mount John.  There's an observatory at the top which offers stargazing tours.   I'm more of a morning person, and once again, I was the only one at the top at that hour of the morning, so it was pretty special.  

Lake Tekapo from the top of Mount John

Lake Tekapo gets its intense milky-turquoise color from the fine rock-flour (ground by glaciers) which is suspended in the water.

The (rather unimpressive) Lake Tekapo Village

It's autumn here now, so the foliage viewing was great.    Here was some sort of pine tree that was changing color.

I thought all pine trees were "evergreen"??  Guess not.

As I was leaving my backpackers, there was a bit of a traffic jam.

My final stop was the Sheepdog Memorial, which was built to honor all the shepherd's best friends, that made cultivating the MacKenzie Country into farmland a success.

Woof.

A great trip inland to MacKenzie Country, and I promise, I didn't steal any sheep, because frankly, I wouldn't know how.

Til next time!

Oh Oamaru!

My current locum job took me further south in the South Island, down the eastern coast, past Christchurch, to a town called Oamaru.

 

It was over 7 hours of driving to get from Motueka (after the Abel Tasman walk) down south to Oamaru.

(thank you oamaruonline.com for the map!)

It's the largest town in the North Otago Region, with a population of about 13,000 (the red dot makes it look big, but it's really not).  One of the docs and his wife went on a 6 week overseas vacation, so they wanted someone to cover.   I agreed to cover for two weeks of his vacation.

Why did I choose Oamaru?     Because of this...

CHEESE!   Yeah baby!  Definitely my first stop in the town. 

Oamaru is the home of Whitestone Cheese, one of the South Island's leading Cheese factories.   Its name comes from the limestone which is found in this area--- many buildings in the town centre are made of it, giving the town quite a historic feel.  There's also a limestone quarry just outside of town.

So back to the cheese...

They have free tastings at the factory/cafe... but this hungry traveller wanted more!

My first meal in Oamaru.

From top to bottom-  Probiotic Blue, Creamy Havarti (great), Livingstone Gold, Totara Tasty, Mt Kyeburn (a maple smoked aged cheddar- fantastic!), and Windsor Blue.   Yum, yum, yum.

I needed to walk off some of that cheese, so I headed to the small downtown, which was also where the small harbour is located.

This town has such a Victorian feel in their archictecture and their businesses.  This cycle shop offered lessons on how to ride a pennyfarthing!

I *so* wanted to try it out, but was running short on time.  Plus, me + bikes usually = mishaps, and I didn't have anyone to take care of me in this new town!

I chatted with the cycle shop owner, and he said it's actually easier than a bike to learn to ride.  Really?  Why?   He gave the following analogy--- try to balance a pencil straight up and down in your palm-- hard.   Compared to balancing a broomstick--- much easier, right?  So the farther away from the ground, the easiest it is to balance!  (obviously some physics equation I forget).  Cool stuff!

This town is so hooked on pennyfarthings they have a pennyfarthing swingset.  Neat art!

Some of the limestome buildings in the Victorian section of downtown... galleries, specialty shops, etc.

A stroll by an old wharf and saw literally hundred of shags hanging out here.

It was a nice first little day exploring in Oamaru.    Oh, and another perk of the town:  I'm staying in the doc's house while he's on vacation.  His wife said the house may be small, but the view was awesome.

Check. it. out.

Yes, all these pics are the views out the kitchen/dining room windows. I CANNOT motivate myself to leave the house to go running in the mornings anymore--- I just sit at the kitchen table, with my coffee at the kitchen table, and admire these incredible morning views overlooking the ocean!!

So, job is going fine.  Staff very welcoming, patients nice, etc.   I only worked two days until I had a day off for ANZAC day, a public holiday in NZ and Australia, on April 25th, which commemorates those killed in war as well as honoring returned servicemen and women.   Each town holds a dawn service.   I woke early, bundled up, jogged down the hill to the center of town and joined a few hundred Oamaruvians for the very nice ceremony, with bagpipes, a brass band, a bugler, a speech by the mayor, and a wreathlaying on the WWI memorial in town.    We also sang the NZ and Australian National Anthems.  Very, very nice.

A jog back up the hill and time to get ready and enjoy my day off by exploring.  First stop was to check out one of the penguin colonies in town.  Yes, cheese *and* penguins.  Life doesn't get much better than this, eh?

They're located at a place called Bushy Beach.

It was mid-morning when I arrived, and knew I wouldn't see any, as penguin viewing is a sunrise/sunset activity--- they swim into the ocean in the AM, spend all day at sea getting food, then come back home to the beach at night.   

I was just doing a drive-by to check out the area, and planned to come back around sunset.

Continued driving south along the coast.

This place was called All Day Bay, in a town a bit south of Oamaru called Kakanui.

Kakanui has rich volcanic soil and is known for its tasty tomatoes and potatoes.   Bought this huge bag at a roadside stand for 3 dollars!  They were so sweet like candy!

Kept on driving south to a town called Moeraki.  It's the home of the world-famous Moeraki Boulders.

One may think that these big round rocks might've fell down from the sky or something...

Maori legend says these boulders are remains of calabashes (squash), kumara (sweet potato), and eel baskets that washed ashore after the legendary canoe Araiteuru was wrecked at nearby Shag Point.

Geologists will tell you they are mudstone concretions that have been exposed through shoreline erosion from coastal cliffs that back the beach.

There's over 50 boulders here.   It took them 4 million years to form their current size.  The biggest weighs 7 TONS and are about 2-3 meters wide

They are fun to pose with, too.  :)

Next stop on my coastal drive was Fleur's Place, a seaside restaurant in the quaint town of Moeraki.  

EVERYone I knew that had been to Oamaru recommended this place.

Of course, the seafood reigned supreme.

Bluff oysters au naturel..

Seafood chowder...

And a LOVELY patio table and sea view on a gorgeous sunny day!

Took a windy gravel road to see the Moeraki Lighthouse.

Then thought I'd walk out past the lighthouse to this little peninsula to check out the views and the coast.

Look what I found out there!  A lazy seal  :)

And a yawning one!

After watching those guys for a bit, I headed back north late afternoon, as it would soon be penguin spotting time.  There was a cafe on the hill by the Moeraki boulders--- got myself a coffee, and took a look at the Boulders from above.  I timed my midday exploration of them earlier quite well, as now it looked like high tide had most of them underwater!

After the caffeine boost, I headed back to Bushy Beach.  There were dozens of people there, dressed warmly, waiting eagerly with cameras on the viewing deck on the hill to see some penguin action!  (You must stay way away from the beach, as if the penguins see you, they get scared and won't come ashore.)

After patiently watching for about 10 minutes, a little white blip came out of the surf and started waddling across the sand.

Score!  Yellow eyed penguin sighting!  Us folks on the hill were all excited to see one, but also kind of disappointed it was so far away.

We saw two more waddle in down there in the distance on the beach, but next thing we know, a BIG blip of white popped out of the bushes high on the hill, just about 15-20 feet from where the viewing deck was!

It was this guy!

So close!  So crystal clear!  So cool!  

He had a look around, let out a little chirp, and went back in the bushes.  
Talk about a cameo appearance!   We were all delighted.  :)

So, Oamaru and the North Otago region is a pretty nifty place.  Cheese, seafood, big boulders, and pretty, pretty penguins.   

Until next time!