Date:    3/08/14
River:    Lake Tekapo, Mackenzie Country, NZ
Lake Conditions:    Water cold and clear, light swell.
Weather Conditions:   Cold, slight drizzle, light winds.
Number on Trip:    2
Time on Lake:  1 hour.
Comments:   This was to be our last day in Tekapo and after the poor weather the day before, we weren’t entirely sure what we wanted to do before heading for home. As it seem to have stopped raining and was just cold and overcast, a paddle on the freezing cold lake seemed to be the perfect way to burn off a delicious  breakfast of pancakes, bacon, banana and maple syrup with real whipped cream. We drove to the boat ramp past the camping ground and got changed into slightly damp kayaking gear while a chill wind blew off the mountains at the far end of the lake. I managed to tear the neck seal of my Bomber dry jacket (apparently 8 years of use is a very long life for a dry top) while pulling it on a little too fast.

Lauri makes her way towards Motuariki Island.

 Lauri lead the way, following the western shore line in the shadow of Mt John and I followed in her wake, enjoying the swell and the somewhat bleak scenery. In the distance, Motuariki Island beckoned but as we were short of time (not wanting to miss lunch) and the weather deteriorated after we had gone a bit over 2.5 kilometres, we turned for home. The trip back was a lot quicker with the wind at our backs and a following swell, and soon we were back on the beach trying to get out of our wet gear as quick as possible before hypothermia took hold, then off to the cafe atop of Mt John for lunch with a view.

Date:    1/08/14
River:    Lake Tekapo, Mackenzie Country, NZ
Lake Conditions:    Water cold and clear, choppy.
Weather Conditions:   Sunny but cold, strong NW winds.
Number on Trip:    2
Time on Lake:  1 hour.
Comments:   We arrived in Tekapo in the mid-afternoon and after checking in to the hotel, Lauri was keen to go for a paddle on the lake to make the most of the fine weather and remaining daylight hours. There was a strong wind blowing from the far end of the lake and this was creating a bit of a swell so we mainly just paddled around the near the Church of the Good Shepherd and the dammed outflow to the Tekapo River. This was quite fun as we were able to “surf” the swell back towards the shore. I noticed that there was actually some small waves breaking on the headland that the church was situated on and managed to get a few rides in, taking care to dodge the rocks. This was quite fun until the winds drop and the swell ceased.

Lauri in her Prijon Fly with the Church of the Good Shepherd in the background.

Lauri was wanted to watch the sunset from the water but the weather worsen and by the time we got to shore the wind had changed direction and had risen to almost gale force. Tying the boats to the roof of the car in the rain and freezing winds was challenging and the fun aspect seemed to have disappeared by this stage. It was a relief to get back to the hotel, crank up the heater, have a shower and get in to some warm dry clothes before dinner.