Selected Highlights at a Glance
A Fantasy Land of Ice and Rock - Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park
Glaciers cover 40 percent of the breathtaking Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park. With 19 peaks over 3,000 metres high, the Park is home to New Zealand's highest mountain, Mount Cook, or Aoraki as it is also known. The park is also part of Te Wahipounamu - South Westland World Heritage Area - in recognition of its outstanding natural value.
From Twizel a sealed road leads right into the Park. Aoraki/Mount Cook Village lies at the end of the road, just below the terminals of the Hooker and Mueller Glaciers.
Accommodation at Aoraki Mount Cook Village ranges from backpackers lodges through to luxury accommodation. There are 17 huts in the park. Most are located for mountaineering use and visitors need climbing skills to reach them.
Seek the Perfect Peace and Tranquillity of Lake Tekapo
Lake Tekapo is about two and a half to three hours drive south-west of Christchurch. The township faces north across the remarkable turquoise coloured lake to the mountainous drama of the Southern Alps. Lake Tekapo is given its intense milky-turquoise hue by fine rock-flour, dust ground by glacial movement and held in suspension by the lake's waters. In this majestic and peaceful setting, relaxation and leisurely strolls might be your highest priority. An obvious short walk is to the famous Church of the Good Shepherd, where the altar window frames a perfect view of the Alps.
Close by is the ‘sheepdog monument’ - a bronze statue sculpted to recognise the district's debt to the sheepdog ‘without the help of which the grazing of the mountainous country would be impossible’.
In season Lake Tekapo, and more particularly its smaller neighbours, Lakes Alexandrina, McGregor and Conway, provide good fishing for brown and rainbow trout. In winter the township is host to the visitors who come to enjoy Tekapo's nearby skifield.
Inland Scenic Route 72
The Inland Scenic Route 72 is perfect for the traveller who likes to get off the main highways. Take an alternative route from Christchurch to Methven and Queenstown. You can pick up a guide for the Inland Scenic route at a Visitor Information Centre.
|
