We awoke this morning at Mt. Cook, hoping we would finally see the entire mountain, but no luck. The “cloud piercer” still hid its head in the cloud which had drifted even lower than where it was when the sun set last night. Oh, well.
We left for a five-hour coach drive to Christchurch to catch an early afternoon flight to Sydney. The country side was beautiful as we left the alpine area and went back down into the rolling hills. We stopped by Lake Takepo to see a wonderful tiny church built right on the lakeshore.
Nondenominational by design, this chapel with its windows overlooking the lake was built with stones from the area, none changed from the state in which they were found. Somehow the builders managed to create a very special place that belongs in its environment as if it arose from the ground with no human intervention.
Nearby is a statue of a dog representing the sheepdogs that help make life work for sheep farmers around here. Kiwis love to remind us that there are 4 million people in NZ and 40 million sheep.
The little towns along our way in New Zealand have each had their own particular stories, their own charms. Each place we’ve stopped for morning or afternoon tea or a quick lunch has provided simple pleasures.
Our three-hour flight to Sydney was uneventful. It seemed strange to treat this as an international flight, but that’s what it is, going across the Tasman Sea about 1200 miles or so. The Kiwis call the Tasman “the ditch.” Blokes in NZ like to call Australia their westernmost province, just as the Aussies like to refer to NZ as their easternmost state. The friendly rivalry is bantered about rather freely, but each country is serious about its national pride, especially when it comes to rivalries between their sports teams.
Sydney is a beautiful city, reminiscent of San Francisco in its hills and its bridge and the way it has risen up from the water and spread across the landscape. We took a very brief coach tour between the airport and our hotel, just long enough to see the harbor with its beautiful and iconic Opera House. The hotel is very nice, modern and somewhat plusher than some of our digs, although all have been above average. We’re on the 22nd floor, overlooking the harbor.
Tomorrow we’ll spend all day touring the city, beginning with “breakfast with the koalas.” We’re hoping for something more substantial than eucalyptus, but definitely looking forward to the day. Pat is happy because it’s supposed to reach 90 degrees here tomorrow. I’m missing the cooler weather of NZ already, but this is the compromise of our very different tolerances for temperatures. Even as it was colder earlier than usual in New Zealand, it’s hotter later than usual here. Perhaps it will cool enough for me later in the week, while staying warm enough for her. We’ll see.
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