Mt Cook to Christchurch

Two days ago when we arrived it was clear and we had great views of Mt. Cook. Most of yesterday, the mountain was obscured by clouds. This morning, it is clear again and we have great views again.

We have been informed that a member of the tour has tested positive for COVID.

We stop in a peculiar little town. It is one of a small list of areas around the globe with extraordinary low ambient light levels. There is an international observatory here and once there was a NASA space tracking facility. The dome in the picture is a small planetarium. By coincidence we have been to another low ambient light place on the list. There is an international radio telescope we visited in the high desert in the Andes Mountains near Medoza, Argentina.

Tourists build rock statues along the shore.

This cute little church lies near the shore of the lake.

The next stop is in the small town of Rakaia. It is the salmon capital of New Zealand. It has the longest bridge in New Zealand. It is a strange little town.

Once again the bus ride has felt shorter than it was do to several comfort stops at interesting places. 

We arrive to rush hour traffic in Christchurch. Instead of taking the chartered tram ride, something we've already done, we head out to the smallest pub in Christchurch with Owen and wife. Tom is the manager this afternoon and greets us warmly.

After a few pints among us, CJ orders a mini growler of a good local Belgium blonde for the road.