Introduction to today's journey
Today's journey takes me south of Christchurch heading to the small farming township of Leeston where I grew up. From there I head back onto the main highway and continue south until heading inland to the beautiful Lake Tekapo.
Today's Journey
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Christchurch city on a cold overcast morning just before starting my journey south. |
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The mountains of the Southern Alps appears out from the clouds as we pass through Springston. |
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The war memorial as we enter Leeston, a small farming town on the Canterbury Plains near the shore of Lake Ellesmere. |
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The town centre of Leeston. Being away from the main drag, the town still has a lot of character. |
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Crossing the 1200 metre wide braided Rakaia River as we continue south and more cloud closes in. |
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Thick fog envelopes the plains as we approach their southern limit crossing the Rangitata River just before turning inland. |
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Heading inland, we quickly rise above the fog as we pass through rolling hills crossing Burkes Pass. This is our first crossing over the mountains, though the main divide is still a long way away. |
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Reaching Lake Tekapo in the afternoon with clearer skies. This is one of many glacial lakes along the Southern Alps, all that remains of the huge glaciers once covering most of the island. |
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A bridge crossing the glacial blue waters at the mouth of the lake. |
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The Church of the Good Shepard, a small stone chapel beside the lake now overrun with tourists sitting cold in the late afternoon sun. |
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