Overnight excursion in Tekapo

On our way back from Oxford we had an overnight excursion in Tekapo. While we were there we were able to have a good look around the Church of the Good Shepherd which was built in 1935 as a place of worship for the pioneer families of the Mackenzie Country and is still used to this day.

The builders of the Church were instructed that the site was to be left undisturbed, and that even the matagouri bushes surrounding the building were to remain. Rocks which happened to be on the wall line were not to be removed and the stones for the wall were to be procured from within a five mile radius of the site, and were to be unchipped and in their natural condition.

As can be seen in the two photos it is situated in a truly idyllic area and as noted by Peter Hurricks:

“Somehow the setting and the church combine to speak of God to those who enter and pause in the midst of their busy lives.”

While in Tekapo we also spent a reasonable amount of time soaking in the hot pools at Tekapo Springs, which is one of New Zealand’s leading tourism attractions. It was a great way to split the drive home to Invercargill from Oxford.   

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Soaking in the sun at Hanmer Springs

Today we were soaking in the sun at Hammer Springs Thermal Pools which is New Zealand’s premier alpine spa destination. It is the place to be this summer (and winter) with the Thermal Pools Complex better than ever with its new pools and awesome rides. Have fun, relax or indulge.

We were joined by Mike, Linda & Grace who came across from Westport to spend some down time in the pools. We all enjoyed relaxing in the hot pools and catching up with each other. We also enjoyed lunch at the Garden House Café before spending another few hours in the pools.

All in all a fantastic day which was cut short by having to go back home – next time we’ll have to organise an over nighter I think…

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