Lake Tekapo and Twizel

On the way to Mt. Cook (tallest mt. in NZ) there are two sleepy towns of Lake Tekapo and Twizel (hard i sound - as in try or pie).  The lakes around this area really are an enormously beautiful teal color due to the glacial sediments over hundreds of thousands of years that reflect light in an unusual way.  The highlight of Lake Tekapo was the adorable stone Church of the Good Shepherd.  From inside the church you can sit on pew and enjoy the serene views of the incredible scenery of the teal lake and snowy mountains behind it (since it's a functioning church everyone had to be silent and I couldn't take pics).  From outside the church you can see, well , feast your eyes.  The Church of the Good Shepherd is a well sought after wedding location (duh!) and is a very popular spot for tour bus after tour bus of Asians (trust me...they were like flies and it was tough to get a shot without them - in fact we had a good laugh watching a Japanese bus driver scream and yell at the last few stragglers who would not stop taking pictures - hilarious!).  We unfortunately did not drive to Mt. Cook due to the inclement weather but we plan on taking my dad there next week.  I hope the weather is better.     

The sculpture is to recognize and appeciate the hard work of all shepherd dogs in the country (never thought of perhaps a dual meaning to the church name...hmm).  With all the millions of sheep in this country it's no wonder their work does not go unnoticed.  Seeing them in action is mesmerizing.

Included in above photos are that of St. Johns observatory (apparently the best place to see the southern sky in all its glory), the hydro-electric marvel where water is channeled between the lakes (yes, it is still a beautiful teal color) and where I just HAD to grab some fresh salmon where the Mt. Cook Salmon Farm is located, and the sleepy town of Twizel (reminds me of Provo with the mountains so close by) where the largest battle scene of  LOTR was filmed.