It was gray and raining when we left the hotel in Christchurch this morning at 8:00 which was a bit of a bummer. We are driving from Christchurch to Queenstown and scenery is our entertainment for the day. It's a 500 km trek!
Here's a map of the South Island in New Zealand so you can follow along.
We drove for 1 1/2 hours through the Canterbury Plains and the sheep-farming region, some of the country's most captivating landscapes.
We made a fun stop at The Tin Shed, a farm setting for a little shop that sells locally made woolen products. Was quite charming.
A pasture of animals are at the entrance....mainly horses and sheep.
Two tin buildings...the potty above and the shop below. I visited the potty, and then bought a pair of mittens in the shop. They are made from a combination of sheep and possum wool - they are soft, lightweight and warm.
I may need to wear them in the next few days. It's 57 degrees here but quite windy and chilly! Neither Andy or I brought enough cold weather clothes - may have to buy an extra layer!
The chickens are most unusual ~~ never seen any like them. Very dark gray and fluffy.
There were some fun pieces of artwork in the yard...
This was a cute little chicken coop!
As you may know, it's like hearding cats to get people back on the bus.....
We learned a bit about sheep dogs herding habits on the way to Lake Tekapo. Did you know they herd and move the sheep around around eye to eye - using a stare?
There was an impressive monument to sheep dogs on the shore of the lake.
Whoops - here is a grazing alpaca from the farm...
The lake was quite pretty even with gray skies....I kept telling myself!
This picture was huge on the wall of the public bathroom in the little town where we stopped for lunch. The bathrooms were sleek and efficient. There was a big green button on the outside of the bathroom stall. Each one was side by side - used by men and women. You pushed another button to lock yourself in. You had 10 minutes - then the door would re-open, like it or not!!!
The toilet would flush by itself when you washed your hands or when you opened the door. Y pushing the button. There was a compact sink and hand dryer.
Pretty Slick!
The next lake was Lake Pukak. I think some of these Lake pics are out of order....just enjoy them and don't try and figure it out. 😲
For the first time I saw some wild flowers and even recognized this lupine!
Back on the road the scenery seemed to be changing a bit.
This river was nearing Queenstown....
We made a slight detour to visit Mrs. Jones Fruit Orchard.
She had a brand and type of unusual and expensive honey. I'll have to look it up some time. It sorta looked like it was the honeycomb. The three boxed set on the left hand side was $300 US! Ever heard of it?
The fruits and vegetables looked pretty, fresh, and tasty!
You can see there's a flower arrangement on each table! So colorful!
I would love ❤️ to shop here every time I make granola - so many fun things to add to the recipe!
These pine cones were very large - 9-11 inches long I'd guess!
This little guy likes to eat sweet corn 🌽 right away - no boiling needed!
During the last leg of our journey the sun was doing its magic on the mountains.
This area is know for its vineyards and great wines. You can see a vineyard here. I think we are going to another wine tasting tomorrow.
The area is also known for skiing in the winter and all kinds of high energy adventures in the summer. Tomorrow we will visit a bungee jumping bridge to watch some jumps live!
Just on the edge of town we saw a rainbow 🌈 - Andy caught a shot of it whizzing by...
It was about 5:00 when we arrived at the hotel...another Rydges - this one overlooking Lake Wakatipu.
This is the view from our room. Nice!
We were told that Renovations are being done in the rooms but I don't think they have gotten to ours yet - the carpets are badly stained. The room is clean and comfortable though, so I'll just enjoy the view.
We don't have to leave until 10:00 tomorrow morning! A nice little gift. I've caught a bit of a cold so sleeping until I wake up on my own sounds good!
Better get to it! All for now.
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