After two days of hanging out in Christchurch, our Contiki Tour began. We met the group at our bus at 8:50 and loaded up. First on the agenda was a stop at the center of Christchurch. We had already spent two days here, so we didn’t need end up doing much more exploring. After departing from Christchurch we made a number of stops throughout the day.
Our first stop was at the famous Cookie Time where they hold the guinness record for the largest cookie. We tried the original chocolate chunk!
Our lunch stop was in the town of Geraldine. As we wandered through the town, we found another world record holder for the largest jersey (or sweater).
We then looked for food. It was tempting to try the local chinese restaurant which we found most interesting because they served fish ‘n’ chips, but we decided to eat what new zealand makes best – meat pies!
After another short drive, we stopped at Lake Tekapo to see the beautiful water and the Church of the Good Shepherd. It was incredibly windy while we were there and we began to see why New Zealand is known to have four seasons in one day!
We stopped by Lake Pukaki for a view at Mount Cook. Unfortunately, it was a cloudy day and Mount Cook was hidden behind the clouds.
Sheeeeeeeeeeeep!
Then we got to our destination for the night: Lake Ohau Lodge
After settling in, we spent the rest of the evening winding down with a beer on deck enjoying the beautiful view and then soaking in the outdoor hot tub. We only stayed one night but found out that there are plenty of hiking trails to explore and great skiing during their winter, so we definitely want to go back and stay in just Ohau for at least a couple weeks!
Timeline of our day:
- 8:50 AM meet at the bus and Contiki Tour begins
- 9:15-9:45 Stop in the center of Christchurch
- 10:00-10:30 AM Cookie Time (2 for 3.50 NZD)
- 12:00-12:45 PM Lunch stop at Geraldine
- 1:45-3:00 PM Lake Tekapo. See the famous Church of the Good Shepherd
- 3:45-4:15 See views of Mount Cook at Lake Pukaki
- 5:00 PM Arrive at Lake Ohau Lodging
Thank you Contiki for hosting our trip. All photos, text, and opinions are our own.
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