Today, is our second day in Lake Tekapo. In yesterday’s post, I closed by hoping we might see some spectacular stars during the night. It was a beautiful clear evening, however, it was also a nearly full moon so the moonlight obscured the best possible star gazing. The moon was unbelievably bright. Below is a picture looking up the lake from the little town of Tekapo with the moonlight shining on the water. Yes, that is the moon, not the sun. You can see some stars off to the left. Ignore the little green dot down close to the lake, I think that is a reflection off the camera lens…or it could be a UFO, ooooohhh. You can see the Church of the Good Shepherd on the little point. Some amazing moonlight!

This next picture is again taken only with moonlight and shows clouds rolling in over the mountains. Pretty serious looking clouds.

In spite of the moonlight, the stars were pretty impressive. For the first time in our lives, we got to see the Southern Cross constellation. The Southern Cross is only visible in the southern hemisphere. 

The picture above is taken looking south. The fogginess in the picture is the Milky Way, only partially visible due to the bright moonlight. The Southern Cross is marked out in red lines on the picture. The two circled stars are Alpha and Beta Centauri. They are the closest stars to the sun in our solar system and are actually made up of multiple stars. They point to the Southern Cross. For centuries, explorers have used the Southern Cross and Alpha and Beta Centauri to find true south for navigation. We just ask Siri.

This morning we went for our first New Zealand hike. Given that we were novice Kiwi hikers, we were treated to a Kiwi baptism of rain. But it was okay, that’s what rain gear is for. We went about five miles with a good elevation gain. We climbed up Mt. John to the observatories. Here is a picture from the top.

Then we descended with more good views of the lake

 

The island in the middle of the lake is a traditional Māori meeting place and for many years Māori people lived on the island.

We returned to Tekapo along the lake and rewarded ourselves with burgers and naps. Tomorrow we head up to Mt. Cook village where we hope for some amazing views and good hikes.

Kia ora,
Coe & Janet