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New Zealand Road Trip - Day #4

Lake Tekapo - Mt. Cook - Duntroon (~273km)

After spending a night at Lake Tekapo, we set off for Mt. Cook—a must-see in NZ. Like any road trippers, we stopped at every scenic lookout along the way. There were about five lookouts, and we spent around 15 minutes at each, snapping pictures. One was full, but we patiently waited for others to leave.

Mt. Cook

Arriving at one of the best scenic lookouts of the trip, I was left speechless. I paused for a moment, taking it all in, before stepping out to capture the beauty.

The majestic Mt. Cook
Fig. 1 — The majestic Mt. Cook, simply surreal. Photo by Marsha
The photo of Farhan with Mt. Cook as a background
Fig. 2 — Hands down, my best photo so far. Photo by Marsha
Duck crossing
Fig. 3 — Even a charming duck crossing in their little town. Photo by Marsha (Why didn't I take this one myself?)

With our fill of Mt. Cook's sights, we headed to Glentanner for a heli-ride. Unfortunately, our flight was canceled en route, so we cooked lunch near Glentanner Aerodrome instead, daydreaming about what could have been.

Post-lunch, we visited a lavender farm in Twizel. Marsha enjoyed lavender ice cream, while I opted out due to the chilly weather (though, in hindsight, I regretted it). Sadly, it wasn't the blooming season, so we only saw green plants instead of purple lavender.

Lavender Farm
Fig. 4 — These green plants could grow into lavender... or not, who knows?

Next up was Oamaru, but with a long drive ahead, we stopped for the night in the quaint town of Duntroon. The campground here ended up being my favorite of the entire trip. I chatted with our campervan neighbor, who shared her life stories while she yarned alpaca wool. That inspiring conversation marked the end of our fourth day.

Our campground neighbor
Fig. 5 — Our campground neighbor, skillfully yarning wool
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Day #3 Motukarara - Christchurch - Lake Tekapo
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Day #5 Duntroon - Oamaru - Dunedin