Mount Cook and Lake Tekapo

Last week Dave and I spent three days on a little trip. We drove 1.5 hours north along the coast, then turned inland at the Waitaki River. The 1.5 hour drive west to Twizel was absolutely beautiful, a river valley with mountains in the distance. We stayed in Twizel, and on the second drove north toward Mount Cook, the highest mountain in New Zealand (3,724 metres, 12,218 feet). Just outside of Twizel is an amazing view of Mount Cook with Lake Pukaki in the foreground. Here are a batch of photos of Mount Cook, beginning with that view across the lake. When we got up to Mount Cook Village, there was snow on the ground, so you'll see one shot with a snowman in the foreground, which we did NOT build!

Here are a few other shots of the mountains on the way up and back that we liked: 

We drove back toward Twizel, and right before we got to the town, we turned northeast toward Lake Tekapo which is renowned for a little church on its banks called the Church of the Good Shepherd. The view from inside the church is amazing. It's tiny, but a popular site for weddings. I wondered how a whole extended family could pack inside that tiny place. After visiting the church we went up a tall hill to a cafe next to an observatory, and you'll see a couple of shots from up there.