Tekapo to Timaru - Tailing the Tomkinsons

Monday 23 February

If we thought that Sunday morning was chilly, we started Monday with 2.3*C on the external thermometer at 8am - ridiculous when it's still officially summer for 5 more days!

Had to wear many layers on the expedition to the long drop - which was fortunate as someone had left the lids up and the toilets reeked so my scarf doubled as a gas mask!

Stinky long drop time! Shut the lid, people!!! To think when I bought this pasmina at the Vinnies in Hokitika (just $2 - bargain) I planned to send it home with Nickie to look after for me as "I don't need any more scarves" - how wrong can a girl be?!

Russ finished his first two hours of work around 8.30am so we jumped in RUSSF and set off round the base of the lake to visit the observatory on Mt John. Memories of Hanauma Bay in Hawaii came flooding back as we joined a queue waiting for the gate to open on the dot of 9am, then filed through slowly, paying our $14 to drive up to the top.

A small price to pay for the spectacular views from the summit, which were enhanced by the bluest of skies and some very photogenic wisps of cloud. We enjoyed a cheeky breakfast on the deck at the Astro Cafe and met the very lovely lassie dog, Fern. The logos and branding for the cafe were very cool - from the hot chocolate and matcha art, through the neat illustrations on the merchandise to the proliferation of space related imagery and items dotted around the building.

It really felt like being on top of the world up there, with epic vistas in all directions - across Lake Tekapo, over to Aoraki and the Southern Alps and out over the undulating plains of Mackenzie country. We wandered out to look at the observatories which looked quite alien and anachronistic in this landscape. I would love to come up here one night for a stargazing session - better still, for an Aurora. The doodles on the whiteboard in one of the buildings was fascinating - looks like a bit of advanced first aid with emergency evacuation procedures perhaps?

On the way back we detoured to check out Lake Alexandrina which had a camp we may wish to stay at one day - but not convinced as it was quite small and tucked away in some trees. Although some cheeky van was camping where we took these pics - that would be a fab spot to stay at!

Back at the NZMCA we packed up and hitched up, setting sail for Timaru via a pie stop in Fairlie 🥧 The army were on their way through and we got the giggles at all the not very invisible camouflage...

Arrived at PharLap early afternoon and set up a lovely kind of corral with our two vans and the Tomkinsons Moho then Abby & I went op shopping while the others worked! I bought Harley a Canteen charity bandana which he looked very lovely in... and we found an adorable mirror with "Who Sank the Boat?" illustrated around it - my girls used to love this story!

Jez got home from work late afternoon and we all popped on our glad rags for dinner out at The Oxford.

Delicious food and a very giggly evening, rounded off by a trip to the port to see the penguins - late in the season but we spotted 3 which was pretty exciting 🥰