Then in a hired car we drove up to Punakaiki...
The weather was much warmer than we had expected! From our motel it was a short walk up the hill to the Pancake Rocks.
Then we drove down to the Franz Josef and Fox Glacier area.
Peter's Pool - a short walk near the foot of Franz Josef Glacier.
Mt Tasman (left) and Mt Cook from Lake Matheson
Lake Matheson - renowned for its reflections.
How's this for a coffee with a view! Lake Matheson cafe.
A glimpse of Fox Glacier.
We returned via Hokitika - which turned out to be one of our favourite places. A lovely town with wonderful craft shops and a wild west coast beach.
Sunset Hokitika Beach
and then...
Sunrise the next morning
From Hokitika we drove back to Christchurch via Arthur's Pass - the route we had travelled by train a week earlier. The journey by road is much more spectacular! Once again we had a lovely day and much of the road is straight through majestic mountains. This was taken through the car window and really doesn't convey the feeling of being surrounded by these dramatic peaks.
But nothing prepared us for rounding a corner and seeing this...
Lake Pearson
Reflections that have not been "photo-shopped"or edited!
We spent a long time here soaking in the beauty, before travelling the final leg back to Christchurch.
Christchurch Botanical Gardens - pretty good reflections right there in town!
We are so grateful to live in such an amazingly beautiful country. We're grateful too for safe travel in some pretty remote places. We did have to change our planned itinerary quite significantly due to one day of ill health - but that proved to have some hidden blessings too. More on that next time.
