Inland Scenic Route

Today I drove South on the “Inland Scenic Route”. It was indeed scenic, and since I didn’t see the coastline anywhere, it was certainly inland. The route crossed some of my previous paths and gave me access to some places that I had been near, but never at. It was a good choice and I had fine weather along the way.


My first stop was at Rakaia Gorge. They run Jet Boat trips up this river.


On my last trip through the Southern Alps, I missed Lake Tekapo. It was just an hour or so East of me at one point. Today I made it there.


Here’s a Black Swan out on the lake.


Next to Lake Tekapo is the small Lake McGregor.


One more lake over is Lake Alexandrina.


Lots of Ducks on the lake.


Here’s a view of Mount Cook at Lake Pukati. This view is at a lovely little picnic ground just off the highway. It’s not marked as a picnic site, though it obviously is equipped with picnic tables and numerous parking spaces. In fact, the only marking on the road at all indicates no stopping allowed for the next 600 meters. So needless to say, it wasn’t crowded at all.


Another view of Mount Cook from the same area.