Lake Tekapo

After leaving Mt Cook village and the Tasman glacier we headed on to Lake Tekapo where, after stocking up on booze and food, we parked up on this little lake side campsite for the night. These lakes are in the MacKenzie country; a huge basin in the centre of the South Island that's been carved by glaciers from previous ice ages. MacKenzie country is named after a thieving Scotsman who apparently drove his 1000 stolen sheep here from the Cantebury plains through a pass previously unknown to the European settlers. Eventually he was found and after a few escapes and consequential recaptures, he was sent to Australia to join all the other convicts. Seems strange to name a place after a guy like this in a country that prides itself on the pioneering spirit and it's detachment from their somewhat convict ridden Aussie neighbours! Oh the irony...

The following day we went and visited the Mt John observatory where you can getv great views of the surrounding basin as well as taking a tour round the installations. One for you here Piet, one of the main telescopes set up here is permanently looking for dark matter in a globular galaxy that is clearly visible with the naked eye on a clear night down here. The stars here are incredible. Because you jook out into a part of space you can't see in the northern hemispere there's loads of different stuff to see like these far off galaxies and the spiral arm of our own. Cool-a-mundo!