10.-11.12. - Day 4-5 - The drive to the southwest to Lake Pukaki

Well-rested and after the first big shopping trip for a mere 300 euros, our road trip could start after the first night in New Zealand.

Our first stop was Lake Wanaka, or rather Lake Tekapo near the Mount Cook National Park.

To get there, we didn't choose the fastest route, but the most beautiful one, the 'Inland Scenic Route'.

We meandered through the beautiful inland at a leisurely pace. Here, the journey truly is the destination. The roads are mostly single-lane country roads, often with potholes or completely unsealed gravel. The maximum speed is 100 km/h, but with the many speed limits, you probably only reach an average speed of at most 80 km/h. But that's alright, because you're on vacation, and as long as the trunk stays closed, everything is wonderful...

Landscape-wise, what we had often heard about New Zealand proved to be true: It's true, every few hundred kilometers you find yourself in a completely different environment, which often makes you think you have seen it somewhere else in the world.

Shortly after Christchurch, the first landscape theme 'Allgäu' began. Gentle green hills, a few coniferous trees, and a lot of cows (and occasionally a palm tree...).

A few hours later, the 'Allgäu' theme turned into 'Scotland', with green-brown hills as far as the eye could see, and all these beautiful landscapes in bright sunshine.

After 5 hours with a few stops, we reached our destination, the beautiful Lake Tekapo, which simply lay still and unreal turquoise blue in front of us after a final curve. So much beauty truly leaves you speechless.

After some amazement, we headed for the selected overnight spot, a free, unmanaged campground of the Department of Conservations (short DOC), which unfortunately had already reached the maximum number of guests.

So we drove a bit further until we reached the equally beautiful Lake Pukaki, where we finally found a quiet spot for ourselves and our tent.