Majestic Mountains & Suspension Bridge Shenanigans

We left early this morning and drove into the town of Lake Tekapo to check out the Church of the Good Shepherd. Built in 1935, this small but historic stone church sits on the shores of the lake, offering a picture-perfect view of the turquoise waters and distant mountains. While it was beautiful from the outside, we decided against going in since there was an entry fee and, honestly, it was pretty small.

As for Lake Tekapo itself, it was breathtaking, but not quite the “out of this world” experience we had expected. Maybe because it had been built up in our minds beforehand, it didn’t hit as hard as some of the other stunning places we had already seen. Still, it was worth stopping for.

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Mt. Cook – Where the Views Get Serious

After Lake Tekapo, we drove about an hour and a half toward Mt. Cook, and this is where things got next level.

The towering peaks, sheer cliffs, and rugged landscapes reminded me of the Rockies, yet they had their own unique charm—with different tree lines, rock formations, and colors that made them feel like something from another world.

We parked at the base of Mt. Cook and began hiking toward Hooker Lake trail head. There were so many tourists here, more than we had seen anywhere else yet by a factor of 10. We parked a full 1.5 kms away and had to walk in. We then made it about two-thirds of the way down the actual trail, but ultimately decided to turn back. Why?

• The views were already stunning, and we didn’t feel like we were missing much by stopping early.
• We were still sore from the Abel Tasman hike (our legs had not forgiven us yet).
• The sheer amount of people was unreal. It was definitely one of the most popular hikes in New Zealand, and it felt like a tourist highway rather than a peaceful nature walk. Even just finding a parking spot meant walking 1.5 km to the trailhead.

Despite this, the hike was incredible. We crossed two suspension bridges, which made for some epic views, and some epic tormenting from Xander. Every time we approached a bridge, he took great joy in teasing Sarah, who was not a fan of them (or heights in general). She powered through, though, even though at each bridge there was a large sign that said “Max 20 people at a time” but there was easily triple that on each one…

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Lunch with a View & the Drive to Kingston

After making it back to the van, we were hit by scorching heat, which made us appreciate the cool mountain air even more. To escape the crowds, we drove about 10 minutes to a quiet pullout spot where we had ham sandwiches for lunch, enjoying the majestic scenery (and the peace and quiet) one last time.

From there, we began the long drive to Kingston, our final stop before heading into the Fiordlands. The drive was smooth and scenic, and when we arrived at our campground, we realized I had accidentally booked two nights instead of one. Whoops.

We couldn’t get a refund, which was annoying, but we decided to just roll with it. After all, the campground was beautiful and peaceful, with a nice playground for Xander (and, let’s be honest, for me too, I totally tried the zip line).

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A Chill Evening & the End of Avatar

After some laundry and relaxing, we bunked down for the night and finished Avatar. Xander absolutely loved it, and watching it together as a family made it even better.

Next stop: Fiordland and Milford Sound!

As always, you only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough. Embrace the adventure, cherish the memories, and I’ll catch you again tomorrow.

#NewZealandAdventure #LordOfTheRings #DreamTrip #Travel #40thBirthday #MiddleEarth #BucketList #AdventureAwaits

-Rob ❤️