Christchurch to Mount Cook, New Zealand

 Christchurch to Mount Cook, NZ  March 22, 2025

We ubered from the Airport Gateway Motor Lodge to NZ Motorcycle Rental in Christchurch. 

Larry and Jay checked out the cycles they  were going to be riding.

Larry had pre-rented a BMW1300.

Jay had reserved this blue Gold Wing which he immediately fell in love with.

We quickly got out of Christchurch and met Kim at a gas station on the outside of town.

She decided at the last minute to rent a bike of her own to enjoy riding. Luckily Motorent in Penrose on the North Island found her the right size bike and she made arrangements with Motorent on the South Island in Christchurch to pick up a BMW. It is great when things fall into place. 

We were quickly off on a grand adventure.

Overcast clouds didn't stop us one minute. Although it sprinkled on us a few times, we were very fortunate to not get rained on the whole two weeks of our trip.

 

We saw a lot more sheep on the South Island.

Just before reaching the small town of Fairlie, Larry and I had a bit of a spill. The motorcycle did not mechanically lower itself. So, as we pulled into  a gravel pull off, Larry's legs could not reach the ground because the bike didn't lower itself quickly enough. Thank goodness we were almost at a dead stop and we jumped up looking at each other thinking, "What happened?"

No injuries.

We got back on the bike and went into the town  of Fairlie for lunch.....The infamous meat and veggies pies were here at  Fairlie Bakery. They were delicious! They were popular! They were selling out like hot cakes.

In the mean time, Larry made arrangements to get another bike....one that didn't raise and lower on its own.

After lunch, I jumped on the back of Jay's bike and Kim followed us to Lake Tekapo. Larry remained in Fairlie to meet the dealer who brought a different bike to him that did not elevate while driving it.

Amongst all the grandeur of mountains we found a sheep dog statue.

Famous for its picturesque location on the shores of  Lake Takepo,  a bronze sheepdog statue stands as a tribute to the working dogs that have been essential to sheep farming in the Mackenzie region. 

Some tourist and visitors left numerous rock art stacks.

While rock stacking is used to mark trails and mark memorials, many feel the artistic stacked rocks deplete from the natural beauty of scenery.

We enjoyed watching the neighborhood boys race up on their bicycles, swim out to a big rock, and jump into the lake making big splashes.

         The Church of the Good Shepard, Circa 1935

Jay, Kim, and I attend the 4:00 service that was held. We sang several hymns with other visitors. The alter was simplistic with a large window facing the lake and mountains. It was magnificent!

 

Mount Cook

Heavy clouds....no rain though

                                                  We followed the road beside Lake Pukaki.

         The reflections of the mountains on the lake were awesome.

We made it to the Hermitage Hotel on the edge of dark. It was surrounded by steep snow covered mountains.

We went to our rooms for a bit of relaxation before hiking down the hill 

for dinner.

What ride! What day! What fun!

The best part is that we get to do it again tomorrow.