Day 27 Moeraki and Lake Pukaki

After not feeling like going to see the Moeraki Boulders on the beach last night, I have to be at the beach early this morning before the Chinese buses arrive. The Moeraki Boulders are large, rounded stones on the beach. It looks amazing. I arrive just in time and am able to take some pictures and videos. Then I set off to another highlight of the trip. The beautiful Lake Pukaki at Mount Cook. I'm curious to see if it lives up to my high expectations. The highlight of the day is the navigation system saying: "please turn onto Highway 83 northeast and follow the road straight for 93 km". Haha! But it's actually mostly straight. On this Sunday, all the Kiwis are returning from their weekend trips, there are more boats on trailers coming towards me than camper vans!

Just when I start thinking, beautiful landscape but I've seen it all before, I go up a long hill and around a corner. And then I have to say wow! five times in a row! The scenery is breathtaking! It exceeds all my expectations of the beauty of this plateau with the glaciated mountains in the background of the Mt. Cook National Park. I'm so absorbed by the busy road and the beauty of nature that I forget to take a picture of the VW bus's mileage at

300,000 km. Happy Birthday VW bus. As promised, it now also gets a name: Jolly Joker. Similar to the horse in Lucky Luke. Great, a few quirks, but it would never let me down. Hopefully.

At Lake Pukaki, I save the attractions for the next few days and secure a fantastic freedom camping spot right above the shore with views of the entire lake and Mount Cook. A dream come true! It's so beautiful here, it's mesmerizing. Tonight, I'll have asparagus for dinner, it's in season right now. The sunset is fantastic and the starry sky at night is incredibly clear.