The Weekend Sun
Bay Driver Friday 9 August 2019
Friday 9 August 2019
Friday 9 August 2019
Page 9
4x4 South Island Trip (Third Leg) 42 Dive Cres, Tauranga | 07 571 1161
Lake Tekapo
As discussed in our last column, a couple of Christmases ago we packed up the family and headed to the South Island for just over four weeks for a cracker of a summer break. Here is our third leg of the trip from Geraldine to Ranfurly. For anyone who hasn’t travelled the road from Geraldine to Twizel, past Lake Tekapo, you are missing one of NZ’s best scenic drives hands-down. The view of the turquoise water of Lake Tekapo is almost unreal, as is the view of Mt Cook in the distance. It was just after Lake Tekapo, we hit the dirt roads and went through a couple of high country stations, ending up by circling the outside of Lake Benmore and coming out at the dam wall. It was here that we saw the true impact of a type of rosebush that is getting out of hand, very quickly, with the total landscape
completely transformed from what it used to be. After passing through Omarama, we once again hit the dirt and took a DOC track which eventually (42km later), ends up in Ranfurly. This track, hands-down, must be the best track anywhere. The scenery was truly epic as we were on top of the world seeing the Alps in the distance almost all the time. This was not a track for the faint hearted as it has very big, steep descents and hill climbs, all on shingle rock. Unless you were very experienced, I wouldn’t recommend taking this track. We stayed one night on this track at a recommended hut in a peaceful valley, but once again, the north-wester made sure we had little sleep that night. In the next chapter we will be continuing with our travels further into the Mackenzie Basin. Please stay tuned for our next chapter coming soon. Thor Hein, East Coast 4x4 Super Centre.
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