After buying our first ever Fairlie Pies, and stowing them safely away in the fridge to enjoy after, it was time to say goodbye to Fairlie and head out on SH8 to our next stop, Lake Tekapo. The landscape was a mixture of rolling hills, and pine plantations, and the first stop on our journey was the quaint little settlement of Burkes Pass. Burkes Pass was named after Michael John Burke, a graduate of Dublin University, who discovered the passageway leading into the Mackenzie Country in 1855. This was an alternative route to the Mackenzie Pass which the notorious sheep stealer, James Mackenzie, had used to take his sheep into the Otago goldfields.
The historic village of Burkes Pass is home to Three Creeks Shop, an eclectic collection of old buildings, old cars, memorabilia everywhere, and a tiny coffee cart. There was a large range of sturdy wooden outdoor furniture squeezed together. Everyone seems to break their journey here, and its easy to seem why. The place looks so fascinating, just like stepping back in time. There were cars, caravans, and motorhomes parked up and down the road, we had to do a bit of maneuvering to park our rig.
So much to see here
We had a good look around at the interesting old buildings, and inside the general store. There were people everywhere. And yes, we remembered these old rusty cars from our last visit back in 2012, they are certainly not on the list to get restored in a hurry.
In need of some TLC
Once down over the Burkes Pass the country opened up into high country farmland. 44km after starting out we arrived at Lake Tekapo NZMCA Park, another of the new parks opened up in the last few years.
And what a lovely place it was, down a long drive to the lake edge peeping through the pine trees. This is a more casual camp, with metal sites laid out here and there. We chose a site, and settled down for lunch, heating up the oven to finally try those famous Fairlie Pies. And yes, we can see what all the hype was about, they were delicious, and packed full of filling, there was nothing skimpy about these pies.
Lake Tekapo NZMCA Park
After lunch we drove the short distance into town. First we stopped at the famous dog statue on the lake edge, and is a tribute to the sheepdogs that helped develop the Mackenzie Country, who made working this rugged terrain so much easier for the shepherds.
Memorial to the sheep dogs
Right next door was the pretty little Church of the Good Shepherd, built of stone and oak in 1935. Sadly the church is not now open to visitors, which is a shame, but the grounds are open. There was a wedding taking place, such a picturesque place to get married.
Wedding at the Church of the Good Shepherd
This is a lovely view from the lake shore by the church, looking out to Mt Cook. When visitors were allowed inside the church, this is the view which would be framed by the church window, making such a pretty picture.
View from the church
Another view of the church
The town has grown dramatically since we were last here, including this new foot bridge. No doubt good for the many cyclists around too. People were relaxing on the lake edge, sunbathing, or going for a dip. The shopping centre has increased in size, plenty of fancy accommodation, new hot pools and an ice rink too. As well as that, plenty of high end housing has appeared, with a new subdivision opening up. Lake Tekapo is booming.
New foot bridge
Back at camp, Gemma was very interested in the duck family waddling around outside. Why oh why isn't she allowed outside to chase them, she is wondering?
Let me at them!
The following day we did some more exploring, driving up the east side of Lake Tekapo, soon leaving the seal and driving along a gravel road, kicking up clouds of dust behind us. The day was perfect, and the scenery was glorious, yet another blue dome day. A tiny bit of snow lingered on the mountains across the lake.
Beautiful scenery abounds here
Backtracking through town, we came across a sign pointing the way to Mt John Observatory and Café. That sounded nice we thought, that would be a café with a view. So up and up we drove, only to be disappointed. The café was closed, and the gate was locked – never mind, the idea seemed too good to be true.
Then we had another idea, lets find the canal where we did a spot of freedom camping all those years ago on our 2012 South Island trip. We don't do a lot of freedom camping, so this was something new for us. Yes, there was the bridge we drove over, and several young men were fishing, hoping to get a rainbow trout or two, they said, but no luck so far. Up the canal road we drove until we came to a locked gate, and just off to the side was the area our three vans parked up for the night. The canal is part of the hydro scheme.
Tekapo Canal
Time to head back to town, we were after an ice-cream to finish off our afternoon explorations. Different views to admire on the drive back.
Driving back to town
The simple act of buying an ice-cream each was easier said than done. You would think that with the multitude of cafes on the lake side some of them would have ice-creams on offer, but no. In the end we went to the local supermarket and lo and behold, they had a whole freezer full of these tasty delights. We chose caramel one for Robin, and a white chocolate and raspberry for me. Delicious! We sat eating the at the lake edge, watching the world go by. It was a great finish to our afternoon of exploration.
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