Coffee & cake on the summit of Mt. John.

The 223 k journey today to Springfield, our next stopover took a lot longer than the 2 ½ hours driving time indicated because we made lots of stops along the way!

The first stop was to take photos of Lake Pukaki with majestic Mt Cook towering above it at 3,754 metres above sea level.

 From there we travelled on to Lake Tekapo, the aqua blue of this beautiful glacial lake, nestled between the Two Thumb Range and Mt John in the heart of the Southern Alps is quite unbelievable. The remarkable blue of the lake is caused by “rock flour” – finely ground particles of rock brought down by the glaciers at the head of the lake and held in suspension in the melt water.

I was keen to visit the Astro Café atop Mount John and directed Andrew to turn off…in a moment that brought back memories of our trip to the UK he was carrying on about taking him on a wild goose chase…”there can’t possibly be a café at the end of this goat track”…and then from the back seat 2 more voices chimed in agreement with him, for goodness sake! As we approached the summit there was an alarmed voice from the back seat, this time claiming that there seemed to be snow on the ground! Sure enough…

As we rounded the final corner we reached the car park and could see Mt. John University Observatory, New Zealand’s leading astronomical research centre and the café on the summit! It is described in the Lonely Planet Guide as "possibly the best place on the planet for a coffee".

We did exactly what the guidebook suggested and experienced the stunning view from this unique glass walled and roofed establishment that sits 300m above the turquoise waters of Lake Tekapo.

Yes…that is the summit marker behind us!

One of the many telescopes. 

From there it was a short drive down to Lake Tekapo…on the lake front stands the Church of the Good Shepherd, built in recognition of the Mackenzie Country’s pioneers and remains in use for worship. It is probably the most photographed church in the country.

This small stone chapel is in a gorgeous location; 

inside, a glass window behind the altar 

gives a picture-postcard view of the lake and mountains.

The nearby bronze Collie dog statue is a tribute 

to the important role played by these working dogs 

in the development of high country farming.

We then travelled through the dramatic Burke's Pass and on to Geraldine, an attractive small farming town with lots of gourmet treats on offer. Being Saturday, there was a Farmers Market and we bought some Russian caramel fudge and raspberry melting moments that will be dessert for us tonight!  We also wandered into Talbot Forest Cheese where we sampled everything on offer and bought some blue cheese, vintage cheddar and their award winning Maasdam. Almost next door is Barkers where we sampled some chutney and bought a bottle of the mango & apricot variety.

We had lunch in a lovely café and 

had a view of a wood chopping event 

in progress across the street!

 We had another one of our platter dinners this evening; it included lots of the goodies we bought today. Tonight I’ll leave you with our dessert…yes it’s raspberry melting moments, Russian caramel fudge and the last of the chocolate we bought at the Cadbury factory in Dunedin.