Wanaka Puzzle World, Pukaki views and Lake Tekapo

Monday, November 02, 2015
Lake Tekapo, South Island, New Zealand
Queenstown has been a hoot but we must head off, quick look at the highest Bungy in QT and Aaron I thought about it but then decided seeing my sis was more important.

Had to stop at Stuart Landsborough's Puzzling World in Wanaka, good recommend Laura, pretty cool maze that Terry mastered better than us girls . Lots of puzzles in the cafe and the illusion rooms are fun, water flowing upwards, hall of famous following faces and a perspectively confusing room with delayed video so you can see yourself afterwards at seemingly different heights depending on where you are in the room.

Drive through to Lake Tekapo is extremely windy so Kel battles the cross winds which is tough when driving a huge brick shaped object. Scenery past Twizel in Pukaki is stunning across the lake with Mt. Cook, the glacial river and lakes water colour is amazing and the photo dosen't do it justice. Only a week earlier we had seen it from the West Coast helicopter over Fox Glacier, very different view this side. Heaps of people visiting the Salmon farm which was rather tempting.

Booked in and off to dinner for more great food and sunset. We then get picked up by Earth & Sky to head up to Mt. John Observatory, and its blooming freezing.....We get extra jackets and solar powered red torch lights so we can see where we are walking, because white light is not allowed up on Mt .John.

So, this means that a km from the top the 20 seater rickety old bus has its head lights switched off by Robbie the driver who explains to us all not to worry as he's done this a few times, pretty sure this is a steep climb so decide to just not look out the window.

We spend 90 mins in freezing winds, looking through a range of telescopes and get to see the big Moa Telescope and computer room where they are tracking comets that are close to earth. No moon tonight but we see the Magellan dwarf galaxy, Sirius and the guide points out all the shapes like Pegasus (saucepan), Orion and Aquarius with a rather long laser so luckily no planes fly over this area.

Kinda cool but i think the TV shows are better, thankfully the hot chocolate hit the spot. And we get a 15 second time lapse photo taken of the group! Going back down was less frightening thank goodness and we get to keep the red torch lights, yay! Brrrrrrrr
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