New Zealand- Mt. Cook/Lake Tekapo

This is a trip I have been praying about taking for two years.  I had a the wonderful opportunity to visit my friend, Liz Goodgame, when she and her family lived in Rotarua.  While I was there, I started praying that my family would be able to experience the New Zealand beauty for themselves. Well,  He opened doors and made it happen!

The trip started for us on Tuesday December 13th.  I picked up the kids from school at noon, and we were off to the airport. Because we were able to use our miles for airfare, we were at the airline's mercy, so our first leg was to Bangkok, then to Sydney (for a day-long layover) and then on two separate flights to Auckland.  Again...a bit challenging, but it saved us a lot of money.

We met Ron and Rebecca in Auckland. Andy, Sarah and Abby got in about 9pm and me and the olders got in around 12am.  Then it was back to the airport for our domestic flight to Christchurch. Our flight arrived around 11am, we then hooked up with the camper vans and lunch...and we were on the road by 2pm.

Because Andy and I were used to driving on the left side of the road, we were the designated drivers. Yes, this was slightly intimidating...my Hong Kong van is big, but not that big!! It took about 24hrs to get used to it, but soon we both were driving at ease.  One thing about NZ...the roads are narrow and windy, but there aren't many other people on the them. I was glad that Andy took the lead, much less stressful for me. I had heard that driving could be dangerous...hearing about drivers not used to driving on the left, or others not paying attention because of the scenery, so I was constantly praying for protection. And after only being there one day, I understood the concerns.  Within the first couple hours, we turned a corner and our jaws dropped...we could not believe the scenery.  It was our first glimpse of Mt. Cook.  We immediately got our of the car to take pictures.  What we didn't know then, is that this would be a common practice on our trip.

Loved all the lupins!!!

Ron went to check out the sheep

One of my favorite pics... early in the trip and they were still cooperative:)

A short time after stopping to see the lupin, sheep and mountains, Rebecca had heard about the Church of the Good Shepherd, which is by a lake, with Mt. Cook as the background. While it had gotten a "bit" colder and more windy, we stopped, ran around, and tried to take as many pictures as we could before the clouds rolled in, dodging a large group of Asian tourists.

Sarah liked running after the rabbits

Ahhh...fresh air and exercise

Trying to keep warm

We got to our first campsite just before dark.  After a quick dinner of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, some of us got beds ready and other put a fire together (that we realized later was illegal).  This was great fun for Andy and the kids, who had a blast collecting firewood.  It was great watching them run and enjoy the wide open space, taking it all in. After being in the campers for over three hours, we all needed it.

It was finally about 10pm when the beds were made and they had gotten the fire started.  Of course, the adults were exhausted, but fire making only got the kids more excited.  We enjoyed the fire for about 45 minutes, and then it was time for bed.  Some of us realized that the sun sets late (9:30pm), but rises early (5am) and when you camp, you get up with the sun.

Fortunately for me, I was the only one in my camper who got up with the sun and thoroughly enjoyed the stillness of the morning, soaking in the scenery.  It was truly one of those "thin-place" moments when you feel so close to heaven you can taste it.

After a quick breakfast, we were on the road again...checking out Mt. Cook a little closer.  On the road, we found that the camper van that Andy was driving had a flap that wasn't secure.  So when we got to the Mt. Cook village, Ron was able to borrow some duck tape. Somehow, Rebecca and I got away for some coffee, and ended up with a great breakfast at a cute mountain cafe, while Andy led the troops.  Then we made it to the parking for the hiking trails, bundled up, and made the 45 minute hike towards the base of Mt. Cook.  It was spectacular and one of my favorite hikes we did during the entire trip. When we started, it was kind of cloudy...but by the time we hit the end, the sky was blue.

Mt. Cook/Aoraki is 12,349 feet high...the tallest mountain in New Zealand

Getting a little windy, but the sun got us warmer

Obviously something was funny

Such dear friends

Amazing

Andy and Josh crossed the gorge

The memorial was powerful

We had such a wonderful time hiking in this national park and were so thankful and blessed by the weather.  Our minds were blown by the beauty of the Lord...it was a theme for our entire trip. When we were finished with the hike, it was time to get on the road again.  We were on our way to Queenstown...stay tuned:)