Frohes neues Jahr!!

The new year started for Domi and me in Christchurch. We booked a hostel for this day and treated ourselves to a fabulous steak and a bottle of Prosecco for this last day of the year. We looked back happily on the adventurous last 3 months, which unfortunately passed by too quickly.

Unfortunately, the beginning of the new year is not particularly celebrated in New Zealand, and we were back in bed by 1 o'clock. However, we were able to start the year 2018 fit and celebrated the next morning with a breakfast family menu at Wendy's (actually meant for 4 people).

Then we left Christchurch and our path led us to the beautiful Lake Tekapo. It became clear to us that the high season in New Zealand is now starting. Huge tour buses and many tourists crowded the small village, and we appreciated the relatively "tourist-free" last few months.

The next day we climbed Mount John, which is 1029 meters high and located right at the foot of Lake Tekapo. From there, we had an excellent view of the sparkling lake and the surrounding Southern Alps. After the short hike, we made ourselves comfortable by the lake and bathed in the surprisingly warm water.

For Domi, who has been even more enthusiastic about fishing since catching his first salmon, the next mandatory stop on our journey was Twizel.

Between Twizel and Lake Tekapo, we made a short stop at the viewpoint at Lake Pukaki. This lake is truly a gem, and we used this backdrop for some photos.

In Twizel, we met Lorenz again, whom we occasionally meet on our travels. The guys fished for several days and were successful multiple times. Near Twizel are the hydroelectric canal systems, where the world's highest-altitude salmon farm is located. Of course, this fish farm not only attracts some fish but also true anglers from all over the world.

After watching enough, I dragged the guys to the Greta Track in the Ruataniwha Conservation Park between the aforementioned Lake Pukaki and Lake Ohau.

We started the hike in the evening because it was very hot throughout the day. The view on the track was simply unique, and the snow-covered slopes of the Alps motivated me to keep going to get an even better view (and of course enjoy the summit beer in my backpack).

Just below the summit of Ben Ohau Range, we set up our tents and enjoyed our snack at sunset.

After seeing the lightning in the distance throughout the whole time, we prepared ourselves for a not-so-cozy night. Luckily, the thunderstorm spared us and it was only the wind howling around us all night. Early in the morning, we descended again in beautiful weather.

Originally, we planned to drive to the 700 km^2 Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park after our stay in Twizel. Unfortunately, the weather in the next few days was not expected to be particularly good, and since we wanted to see the highest mountain in New Zealand in all its glory, we decided to postpone the visit.