This morning we were greeted by another guest staying at our rental house. That guest was a lawn mowing robot! It was quite amusing watching him diligently mow the surrounding lawn as we enjoyed coffee and breakfast.

Another relaxing morning prepared us for the last of our long drives here in New Zealand. Our drive today culminated in Christchurch (our final destination here in New Zealand) but we made sure to take in the sights along the way.

Our first stop after leaving Twizel was the lakeside town of Lake Tekapo. Lake Tekapo is adjacent to the glacial lake which bears the same name. Walking along the glacial lake we explored the outside of the Church of the Good Sheppard which is a small stone church that offers picturesque views of the lake and countryside. A short walk from the church is the Sheepdog Memorial which honors every border collie who helps manage the countless flocks of sheep on this island nation.

From Lake Tekapo we had a long drive ahead of us to reach our next stop which was the Christchurch Gondola. As we approached the City the roads began to change, the slow winding roads of the West Coast were replaced with fast urban motorways. It was nice to get to our destination faster but we missed the sweeping views from previous drives.

The gondola provides a unique perspective of Christchurch and nearby Governor’s Bay. Coastal New Zealand is well known for its windy conditions. Upon paying for our tickets we were presented with a sign saying that due to expected high winds service may be halted which could leave us stranded at the top. On our way up we “enjoyed” the rocking of the gondola as the wind gusts blew across the mountain. After disembarking a worker in the gift shop said that there was a time a couple years ago when people were stranded at the top overnight until conditions improved! At the summit we took in the striking views but made note of the increasing wind gusts.

After enjoying the views we promptly joined the line to make the return journey down the gondola. From the line we could see the wind gusts were significantly higher than before. Jay made it through a few moments of white knuckle wind gusts before we safely arrived at the base station. Upon exiting for the parking lot we heard the employees say that the gondola was now closed because the wind had exceeded their safe operating levels. Some white knuckle moments were well worth it to get off the mountain!

From the gondola we made our way over to the Ōnawe Peninsula which is the center of the nearby Volcanic Caldera. Throughout the entire drive we were treated with sweepings views of the nearby bays and farm country. The roads were a flash back to previous drives as we navigated hairpin turns and steep descents. The peninsula itself featured a short hike which allowed us to take in the vibrant green waters of the caldera.

The conclusion of our day was a pizza dinner at a neighborhood restaurant which was built out of a historic boathouse. The pizzeria focused on traditional wood fired pies with a local flair, among their offerings was a lamb pizza which Stephanie made sure to order! This was a perfect start to our time in Christchurch.

Tomorrow, which is our final full day in New Zealand, will be spent exploring more of Christchurch.