This morning came much, much too early. Put the stuff together and headed downstairs for some water before boarding the bus. On the way out of Dunedin, we stopped at Baldwin Street, which according to the Guiness Book of Records, is the steepest street in the world. Photos we had seen of it in our guidebooks didn't look that bad, but let me tell you, after climbing it, I believe the claim. I was the first to the top (winner!) and took a much-needed sit down and had some water from the wonderfully placed water fountain. Took some photos, but it's really tough to get a perspective that shows the steepness of the street. After a short rest, we all headed back down the hill and hopped back on the bus. From here we proceeded out of Dunedin and our next stop was Moeraki to see the Moeraki Boulders. Went down to the beach to see the rocks, and there were about 25 or 30 round boulders in the sand/water about 3 or 4 feet tall. Snapped some photos and chilled at the cafe on the hill above the beach until it was time to board the bus again. Went for another hour or so and came to Oamaru, where we stopped at a Countdown and people went in to buy salad stuff and meats for the BBQ we'll be having at the hostel tonight. The one at the National Park was really good, so hopefully this turns out great too. Before Tekapo we had several stops, for food, toilets, photos, or some combination of the three. On long bus days (8 hour trips) we end up being off the bus for more time than we spend in it. One stop was at a big turquoise blue glacier-fed lake for a photo. It looked a lot like a lake I've been to near Jasper, with very cold blue water and mountains surrounding the water in the distance. Our final stop before Tekapo (hooray!) was at a little stone church called the Church of the Good Shepherd, and this also served as a photo stop. Only a short while after the church we arrived at our accomodation for Lake Tekapo (finally!) and checked in. There are two hostels to choose from here and we opted for the non-YHA, because it was a few bucks cheaper and the BBQ is happening there tonight. Showered, changed into fresh clothes and soaked in the sights for awhile before dinner. It's a pretty spectacular view over the blue water surrounded by huge hills and snow-capped mountains in the distance. It's also quiet. So peaceful. And the air is as fresh as it gets anywhere. Should be a good relaxing evening spent here.
I wandered over to the YHA so I could get online (our hostel doesn't have Global Gossip internet) which was a decent little 15 minute hike. As I was editing photos, it started to rain, so I migrated to the common room of the YHA and waited out the precipitation. When it had slowed to a light spitting rain, I jogged back to our hostel. At this point, the kitchen was buzzing with activity as people were preparing the BBQ items. I looked for something to do, but if I tried to help, it would only further crowd the kitchen and all the jobs were already being done. So I chilled outside until dinner was ready. Brennan had been sleeping until this point (since we checked in until now) despite having slept most of the bus ride today. He finally made an appearance shortly before the food did and 25 of us enjoyed a delicious meal cooked by two French chefs. There was a fancy green salad, a delicious potato salad with pieces of bacon in it (a wonderful addition that I've never had in potato salad before), french bread, sausages, chicken wings and freshly made ground beef hamburgers with L&P to drink. What a feast, and much needed, as this was the first meal I'd eaten all day. Then we chatted with Bhamini and some Irish and Australian gals as we half-watched Along Came a Spider on TV. Early to bed and while I need it after the long day of traveling, I can't imagine Brennan will fall asleep easily after the hours of naps he enjoyed today.
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