Tramping: State Highway 8

After a brief stop in Twizel I was back on the main road and heading north, passing the amazing blue lakes (from the rock dust washed down the streams and rivers and suspended in the water) and even a canal which all form part of a vast hydro-electric scheme.

Sorley at Lake Pukaki

Lake Pukaki

In Tekapo I did the 3-4 hour Mount John Trail with great views over the lake. Tekapo is a very busy but small place. However I could see the infrastructure going in and the expansion of the town very much on the way.

Lake Tekapo

Lake Tekapo from Mount John where there is an observatory, centre of a Dark Skies Reserve.

Down by the lake was this statue to the collie dog erected by local farmers. A lot of sheep in this area.
Miles and miles of gravel roads lead into these sheep stations giving great access to the hills and trails.

From Tekapo it was on to Fairlie, a small town named after the one in Scotland. I stayed in the historic Gladstone Hotel built in 1884. I think some of the decor still dates from then. Faded grandeur! But it was pleassant, a decent pint in the bar and hearty fish and chips.

This area is MacKenzie Country named for the Scottish shepherd who 'discovered' it when he made off with 1,000 sheep and followed a route shown him by local Maori. He became something of a legend and was eventually pardoned before leaving the country and the pages of history.

In Fairlie I visited the excellent Heritage Museum. Another amazing collection kept going by a determined group of volunteers.

Duncan Farm wagons c.1900

Studebaker Champion

Poster

My next stop was Oamaru on the east coast. A nineteenth century boom town for the export of meat and wheat it lacked a forested hinterland and so magnificent Victorian buildings of limestone were constructed. When the boom ended there was no more development and the core of the town remained to be restored and protected from the 1980s onwards. It was also the childhood home of the writer Janet Frame whose house I visited.

Today it is also famous for its steampunk festival and the Steampunk HQ is in one of the these 'Whitestone' buildings.

Inside and out is a collection of fantastical sculptures made from old machinery etc.

There were some lovely eateries in Oamuru including the Harbour Collective Cafe where I had this delicious veggie eggs Benedict and tea:

Just south of Oamaru lies Moeraki. On the beach are the famous 'boulders' that formed deep underground over millions of years. Erosion has brought them to the surface and left them exposed on the beach.