No matter how smooth the sailing, you must always be ready for that rogue wave which is sure to come. Life throws obstacles at you to see how you will endure, how you will overcome them. Everyone faces different obstacles throughout life and those who refuse to get knocked down by them come out the other side ever stronger.
With the last slew of waves that have been crashing my way I have been using my memories from the past and my dreams for the future to pull me through. On my trip to New Zealand I traveled new distances, reached new heights, and learnt much about myself (some of which I hadn't 't even realized until now.)
Driving 1500 miles in a hire car, hiking up mountains, trekking across glaciers, swimming in geothermal waters, and walking in the footsteps of hobbits my love for our world was reborn. As is to be expected, everything did not always go as planned. Wild weather seemed to be following us no matter where we went and we often found ourselves having arrived at our destination hidden amongst clouds of swirling rain.
I had been so excited to visit Lake Pukaki & Tekapo so I could look upon "The Lonely Mountain" from "Lake Town" however, when we arrived the mountain was hidden by a wall of clouds. Disappointed to be missing out on the Hobbit filming location's "gem" we were not going to let our spirits join the gloomy skies. So, despite little hope of the skies clearing, we decided to go for a day hike to the top of Mount John.
We wandered through the town, stopping to play in front of the lake and admire the views beyond. The infamous Church of the Good Shepherd lay just off in the distance so we made our way over to it before doubling back and beginning our hike up Mount John. The Church of Good Shepherd is a beautiful little church in the heart of one of the world's most beautiful locations. Even on a cloudy day the church was radiant and one could not help but feel a sense of tranquility around it.
We left the church smiling under spots of sunshine and made our way to the Tekapo spring where we would begin our hike up Mount John. No, the hike was not long, but with our packs it was a welcome challenge, and we grew stronger with every step. Half way up, the skies decided to cool us off and the rain washed away our sweat along with our grip on the ground. As our boots slipped in the mud we trudged the rest of the way up towards the summit of Mount John.
Tekapo is located within a National Dark Sky Reserve, and the summit of Mount John boasts a world renowned observatory and a fabulous little Astro Cafe. Reaching the end of the trail soaked and somewhat winded we enjoyed a well deserved snack while waiting for the invisible sun to set. The sky was a sheer blanket of clouds and we held on to little hope that it would clear to expose a night full of stars to us but ever the optimist we decided to wait nonetheless.
Long after the sun had set we found ourselves sitting under a pitch black sky, the occasional star making an appearance but definitely nothing to write home about. As the rumbling thunder began to roll towards us and lightening began to dance in the distance, it was time to go. We began to pack up our things and suddenly the sky above us opened to reveal the Milky Way Galaxy surrounded by an infinite number of stars. They say that every cloud has a silver lining and ours was a blanket of stars!
Driving 1500 miles in a hire car, hiking up mountains, trekking across glaciers, swimming in geothermal waters, and walking in the footsteps of hobbits my love for our world was reborn. As is to be expected, everything did not always go as planned. Wild weather seemed to be following us no matter where we went and we often found ourselves having arrived at our destination hidden amongst clouds of swirling rain.
I had been so excited to visit Lake Pukaki & Tekapo so I could look upon "The Lonely Mountain" from "Lake Town" however, when we arrived the mountain was hidden by a wall of clouds. Disappointed to be missing out on the Hobbit filming location's "gem" we were not going to let our spirits join the gloomy skies. So, despite little hope of the skies clearing, we decided to go for a day hike to the top of Mount John.
We wandered through the town, stopping to play in front of the lake and admire the views beyond. The infamous Church of the Good Shepherd lay just off in the distance so we made our way over to it before doubling back and beginning our hike up Mount John. The Church of Good Shepherd is a beautiful little church in the heart of one of the world's most beautiful locations. Even on a cloudy day the church was radiant and one could not help but feel a sense of tranquility around it.
Tekapo is located within a National Dark Sky Reserve, and the summit of Mount John boasts a world renowned observatory and a fabulous little Astro Cafe. Reaching the end of the trail soaked and somewhat winded we enjoyed a well deserved snack while waiting for the invisible sun to set. The sky was a sheer blanket of clouds and we held on to little hope that it would clear to expose a night full of stars to us but ever the optimist we decided to wait nonetheless.Long after the sun had set we found ourselves sitting under a pitch black sky, the occasional star making an appearance but definitely nothing to write home about. As the rumbling thunder began to roll towards us and lightening began to dance in the distance, it was time to go. We began to pack up our things and suddenly the sky above us opened to reveal the Milky Way Galaxy surrounded by an infinite number of stars. They say that every cloud has a silver lining and ours was a blanket of stars!
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